Listen, O noble one, to the wondrous tale of the divine mothers and the birth of the great goddess, as spoken in the ancient Purana. Desire itself is known as Yogeshwari, the sovereign mistress of yoga, while anger takes the form of Maheshwari, the great goddess. Greed becomes Vaishnavi, and pride manifests as Brahmani. Delusion is Svayambhu, envy appears as Kaumari, and Indraja too is recognized as envy. The goddess bearing Yama’s staff is deceit, while malice is Varaha. Thus, these powers—beginning with desire—are described as dwelling within the body, each taking their own form as I have recounted. It was by these goddesses, when the demon Andhaka’s blood was greatly drained, that his illusion was destroyed and he attained perfection. All this, O king, is the nectar of self-knowledge that I have shared with you. Whoever listens daily to the auspicious origin of these divine mothers receives their protection everywhere, day after day. Whoever recites the story of their birth is ever blessed in this world and ultimately attains the realm of Shiva. Brahma himself granted them the highest honor of the eighth lunar day. Whoever worships them with devotion, offering bilva leaves in their honor, is granted welfare and health by these satisfied goddesses. At this point, Prajāpāla inquired, “How did Māyā arise? And Durga, and the auspicious Katyayani, who dwells in the primordial field—how did these subtle and manifest goddesses come to be?” Mahatapa replied, “There was once a mighty king named Sindhudvipa, a portion of Varuna, who dwelt in the forest engaged in intense austerity. He resolved that his son should be born to destroy Shakra, the lord of the gods, and so he practiced severe penance, drying up his own body. Prajāpāla asked, “What wrong did Shakra do to him, that he should undertake such a vow for Shakra’s destruction?” Mahatapa explained, “In another birth, Sindhudvipa’s son was Tvashta, chief among the mighty, invulnerable to all weapons, but he was destroyed by the foam of water. Struck down in this way, he perished, but was reborn from the lineage of Brahma as Sindhudvipa. Remembering his enmity with Indra, he performed even greater austerities. After a long time, the auspicious river Vetravati, taking on a beautiful human form adorned with ornaments, came to where the king was performing his penance. The king, his mind disturbed by anger at her sudden appearance, asked, ‘Who are you, O lovely-hipped one? Speak truly, O beautiful lady.’ The river replied, ‘I am the wife of Varuna, lord of waters. By name I am Vetravati, and I have come here desiring you. Yet, a man who enjoys another’s wife is to be abandoned, for he incurs great sin. Knowing this, O king, accept me as I approach you.’ Overcome by desire, the king accepted her, and immediately a radiant son was born to them, shining like twelve suns. Born from the womb of Vetravati, he was named Vaitrasura, mighty and powerful, who became lord of Pragjyotisha. In time, Vaitrasura grew into a strong and resolute youth, possessed of great yogic power, and conquered the earth. Having subdued all seven continents, he ascended Mount Meru and there, one by one, defeated Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirriti, Varuna, Vayu, Kubera, and even Ishvara himself. Defeated, Indra fled to Agni; Agni fled to Yama; Yama went to Nirriti; Nirriti sought Varuna. Varuna, joined by Indra and the others, went to Vayu, and all together they approached Kubera. Kubera, accompanied by Ishvara and all the gods, set out, but Vaitrasura, intoxicated by his strength, seized his mace and rushed toward Shiva’s realm. Shiva, recognizing Vaitrasura’s invincibility, withdrew with the gods to a secret city, honored by Brahma and other virtuous deities and Siddhas. There, Brahma, creator of the world, standing in the water that arose from Vishnu’s feet, recited the Gayatri mantra within the pure water, invoking the goddess who knows the field of existence. The gods cried out in supplication, “Protect us, O Lord of creatures! Protect all gods, sages, and ancestors! Save us from the terror of the Asura!” Seeing the gods assembled, Brahma pondered, “This world is pervaded by the Lord’s illusion. Here, neither Asuras nor gods truly exist—what is the nature of this illusion?” As he reflected, a maiden appeared from his body, clad in white garments, her face radiant, crowned and garlanded, with eight arms, each bearing a divine weapon. She held discus, conch, mace, noose, sword, bell, bow, and other weapons, with a quiver at her side, and emerged from the water. The great goddess arose, swift as a lion’s mount. Though one, she appeared in many forms and fought all the asuras. For a thousand divine years, she battled the mighty Vaitrasura with celestial weapons. When the destined time arrived, the goddess slew Vaitrasura in combat, and a tumultuous cry of victory arose from the ranks of the gods. With the fall of the fearsome Vaitrasura, all the dwellers of heaven bowed, exclaiming, “Victory in battle!” The Lord himself sang her praise: “Victory to you, O Goddess Gayatri! Great enchantress, supreme power, most fortunate, of immense strength—victory in this grand festival! O you whose limbs are anointed with divine fragrance, adorned with garlands and celestial ornaments, mother of the Vedas, I bow to you, O Maheśvarī, who abides in the three syllables. You who dwell in the three worlds, established in the three principles, abiding in the three fires, bearer of the trident, three-eyed, with a fearsome face and terrifying eyes, O goddess born from the lotus seat, Sarasvati, I bow to you. Salutations to you, lotus-eyed one, great enchantress, flowing with nectar, all-pervading, ruler of all beings, embodied in the words svāhā and svadhā, O mother. You are complete, radiant as the full moon, shining in form, source of the world, great knowledge, supreme wisdom, destroyer of mighty demons, origin of great intelligence, goddess free from sorrow, huntress. You are righteousness, O greatly fortunate one; you are song, you are the cow, you are the imperishable; you are intellect, you are prosperity, you are Om, and you are established in the essence; O goddess, benefactress of all beings, I bow to you, supreme ruler.” Thus praised by Bhava, the Supreme Lord, and hailed by the gods with cries of victory, the goddess stood resplendent, her glory shining through all the worlds.