With great confidence, the mighty one declared, “Accept me here as the lord of the world. I am a worthy husband for you—mighty and powerful.” He continued, “It is true, the lord of the dānavas now reigns supreme on earth; it is true, the gods have been vanquished in battle. If today the buffalo demon is given to me, I will truly accept him as my husband, by the force of truth itself. He is so devoted that he would even offer his own head for your sake—what greater bride-price could there be, if it is to be given here and now to you both?” Hearing these words, the goddess smiled gently, her heart intent on the welfare of all beings, both moving and unmoving. She spoke, “He who conquers me, born of this lineage, in the forefront of battle—he alone shall become my husband.” The messenger took her words and faithfully reported everything to the buffalo demon. Eager for battle, the buffalo demon made his way to the peak of Mount Vindhya, to the sacred river Sarasvatī. There, he appointed the demon Namara as the leader of his army. Meanwhile, the goddess Durgā, taking a portion of her own forces, rushed forth with swift determination. The warriors addressed the great goddess, “O Ambikā, fasten your armor!” But she replied, “Which lowly demon here would dare to stand before me in armor?” For her protection, the powerful Viṣṇu-cage was invoked, rendering the buffalo demon invulnerable to all the gods. Yet, by the goddess’s own might, with blows of her feet, she struck down the king of the buffalo demons, as has been told. Who could diminish his pride in battle, in whose mind the wielder of the discus, Viṣṇu, abides? In the end, she slew the buffalo demon along with his mount, and thus, the dispute was settled in detail. Though weapons were present, she crushed him with her feet alone. This event, occurring at the dawn of the age of the gods, is holy and removes the fear of sin. O Brahman, the goddess was seen as she wished, surrounded by elephants, horses, and chariots. The buffalo demon, in his fury, rained torrents down upon the mountain, as clouds pour forth showers from the sky. Enraged, the goddess seized her excellent bow with great force. Its golden back shone like lightning flashing among rainclouds. With her mace and club, she struck down some demons, while with her shield she felled others. Shaking her lion’s mane, she brought down still more of the demon host. Some had their necks torn by ploughs, others were cut down by axes. Many fled, some fell, some withered, and others abandoned the battle altogether. Believing her to be the very Night of Destruction, the demons ran, overcome by terror. Witnessing this, Namara approached, mounted upon a maddened elephant. In the thick of battle, he hurled a trident at the goddess’s lion. Then, Hari was seized in the middle by the lord of elephants. Losing his life, he was thrown from the elephant’s shoulder and offered to the gods. The goddess spun her weapon with her left hand, sounding it like a thunderous drum. From her laughter, beings of many wondrous forms sprang forth—some with horse faces, some with the faces of buffaloes, others with the faces of boars. These beings had various faces, eyes, and feet, and bore many kinds of weapons. Some played musical instruments, while others sang praises to Ambika. The goddess struck down her foes as a great thunderbolt shatters a field of crops. Then Cikṣura, the commander of the demon army, engaged the gods in fierce battle, unleashing volleys of arrows upon the earth like a rain-bearing cloud.