O beautiful one, listen as the ancient story of creation is revealed. The primordial goddess, whose presence pervades all that is stationary and moving in this world, is the very essence behind its existence. At the dawn of creation, Brahma, born from the unmanifest, praised this goddess with words filled with reverence. Brahma declared, “May you triumph, O source of truth, steadfast goddess, excellent syllable! All-pervading mother of all, great goddess of every being. You are all-knowing, O beautiful one, bestower of every accomplishment. You grant wisdom and success and are the supreme origin of all. You are Svāhā and Svadhā, O goddess, the source of all. Established in the sacred syllable Om, you alone are the fountain of the Vedas. You are the origin, O beautiful-faced one, of gods, demons, yakshas, gandharvas, rakshasas, animals, and plants alike. You are knowledge itself, the mistress of wisdom, accomplished and renowned, queen of the gods. All-knowing and bestower of all accomplishments, you are ever-present, free from doubt, destroyer of enemies, and mistress of all knowledge. I bow to you, O bringer of auspiciousness. He who approaches a woman purified by her cycle, having praised you, O beautiful-faced one, will surely have creation by your grace, O queen of progeny. She will be true to form, victorious, auspicious, and bewilderer of all enemies.” Now, hear further words from Śrī Varāha. The supreme goddess, the embodiment of royal power, journeyed to Mount Mandara to undertake austerity. She embraced the vow of maidenhood and, alone, performed her penance in the region of Viśālā. As the goddess continued her austerity, her mind became greatly agitated over time. From this agitation sprang forth maidens with gentle eyes, dark curled hair, full lips, wide eyes, adorned in fine garments and sashes, anklets glimmering, radiant in beauty. As her mind was disturbed, hundreds of thousands—tens of millions—of such maidens appeared, each with a unique face. Witnessing these maidens upon the mountain, the auspicious goddess, through her austerity, created a city filled with hundreds of mansions. The city boasted wide streets, golden palaces, houses with inner pools, jewel-studded stairways, gem-latticed windows, and flourishing gardens nearby. Countless mansions and maidens adorned the mountain, and I shall recount to you, O beautiful one, the principal names among them: Vidyutprabhā, Candrakānti, Sūryakānti, Gambhīrā, Cārukeśī, Sujātā, Muñjakeśinī, Ghṛtācī, Urvaśī, Śaśinī, Cārukanyā, Viśālākṣī, Dhanyā, Pīnapayodharā, Candraprabhā, daughter of the mountain, Sūryaprabhā, Amṛtā, Svayaṃprabhā, Cārumukhī, Śivadūtī, Vibhāvarī, Jayā, Vijayā, Jayantī, Aparājitā, and hundreds more. All these maidens served as attendants of the goddess, holding auspicious nooses and goads. Surrounded by them, the goddess sat upon her throne, fanned by women with pure whisks. Radiant and youthful, adorned with garlands of campaka, ashoka, punnaga, and naga flowers, she maintained her vow of maidenhood, ready for austerity. Worshipped upon all her limbs, honored by sages and gods, revered by noble women and maidens, the goddess enjoyed all delights yet remained steadfast in her penance. At this time, Narada, son of Brahma, arrived. Seeing the ascetic sage, the goddess instructed Vidyutprabhā, “Prepare a seat and quickly bring water for washing the feet and for sipping.” Vidyutprabhā obeyed, offering Narada a seat, water for his feet, and arghya. Once Narada was seated and had bowed, the goddess addressed him with joy: “Welcome, best of sages! What brings you here from your world? Tell me your purpose, so that no time may be lost.” Narada, knower of the worlds, replied, “From Brahmaloka to Indraloka, and thence to this fierce mountain, I have come. O goddess of the gods, I have come to see you, O auspicious one.” He gazed upon the goddess, and as he beheld her, Narada was struck with wonder: “Ah, what beauty! Ah, what radiance! Ah, what composure! Ah, what youth! Ah, what freedom from desire in the goddess!” He felt disquiet, for nowhere among gods, gandharvas, siddhas, yakshas, kinnaras, or rakshasas had he seen such beauty. Filled with awe, Narada bowed to the boon-bestowing goddess and rose into the sky, hastening to the city ruled by the lord of the daityas. This city, Mahisha, lay at the edge of the ocean. There, Narada encountered the asura in buffalo form, a mighty hero granted boons and destroyer of the gods’ army. The sage, moving among the worlds, was worshipped with devotion by the asura. With a pleased heart, Narada described to him the goddess’s unsurpassed beauty, just as he had seen in the city of the gods. Narada said, “O lord of the asuras, listen attentively to the jewel among maidens, by whom the three worlds and all beings, moving and unmoving, have been obtained through boons. From Brahmaloka I have come, O daitya, to Mount Mandara; there I saw the city of the goddess, crowded with hundreds of maidens.” Thus, the tale of the supreme goddess’s creation, her penance, the birth of countless maidens, the city she fashioned, and Narada’s journey to witness and proclaim her beauty, unfolds.