In days of old, in the sacred region of Avantī, there was a holy place whose greatness was celebrated by the wise. It was here that illustrious souls such as Manu, the lord of men, King Yayāti, the venerable Atri, Bhṛgu, Vyāsa, and the wise Dattātreya themselves had come to bathe. By performing ablutions at this sanctified spot, a devotee attains the merit equal to that of performing ten Aśvamedha horse sacrifices—a reward so rare and exalted that the scriptures declare it again and again. Simply by seeing and touching the deity enshrined there, one is blessed with this immense fruit. Those who wish to honor this merit are advised to give a beautiful and well-qualified horse to a worthy brāhmaṇa. For thousands of years, such a giver is honored in the world of Śiva. Thus concludes the seventeenth chapter of the Avantya section of the Skanda Purāṇa, known as the “Description of the Greatness of the Ten Aśvamedhas.” Continuing, the scripture teaches that by performing worship at this holy place according to the prescribed rites, one attains the fruit of all accomplishments. All supernatural powers, such as aṇimā (the power to become minute), the perfection of magical pills and ointments—indeed, all attainments—are granted to the devotee when the deity is satisfied; there can be no doubt about this. When the goddess is worshipped with offerings of liquor, meat, and various foods, and especially when she is worshipped with a buffalo sacrifice on the great Navamī day, her grace bestows the highest blessings. Desirous of understanding these profound mysteries, the devotee prays, “O destroyer of all sins, I wish to hear the full account.” In response, the sage Sanatkumāra begins to recount the ancient tale: “In the beginning of the Kṛta Yuga, Brahmā, the grandsire of all worlds, was approached by the blessed Night, who stood humbly before him. Brahmā spoke: ‘O Goddess, hear what you must do, and understand the true meaning of this matter. There is a demon king named Tāraka, the unconquered enemy of the gods. If Mahesha, the great Lord Śiva, grants a boon, he will beget a son who alone can defeat Tāraka. Śiva’s wife was Sati, the daughter of Daksha. After her departure, she will be born again as the daughter of the snowy mountain, Himavat, a purifier of the worlds. In a cave of the snowy mountain, frequented by accomplished sages, she will practice intense austerity. From the fire of her penance, the great Lord will be born. When she is first born, the radiant goddess will have only a slight awareness of her true nature. Yet, the union of these two, both deeply devoted to austerity, will be perfectly matched. For the sake of the gods, act according to the sage’s instructions. O Mother, in the womb, delight her with your own form. She will laugh, and be called Kālī; then Sati will become angry. She will give birth to Sharva, the great Lord, radiant as the moon and sun. You too, O Goddess, must slay those demons who are otherwise unconquerable in the worlds. By union with her, you will gain the power to destroy the demons. When Gauri completes her vows, she will become Gauri in truth. Then, from you as well, a natural portion will arise. O giver of boons, the world will worship you as Ekānaṃśā, in many forms and with various distinctions, as the fulfiller of all desires. You alone are Gāyatrī, the one whose mouth is the sacred syllable Oṃ, the very speaker of the Veda. Among people, you are the goddess Kamalā; among the Śūdras, you are their very mother. You are the fame of the renowned, and the prosperity of all embodied beings. You are the beauty of the adorned, and the peace of those whose actions are joyful. You are the great boundary of the oceans, and the playfulness of the playful. Thus, O Goddess, being worshipped throughout the worlds in many forms, all desires will certainly be fulfilled by you—of this there is no doubt.’ In this way, she who had arisen was praised by Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds.