A tumultuous and terrifying battle erupted between the gods and the asuras, its ferocity sending shivers through all who beheld it. Mighty warriors on both sides roared their challenges, shaking the very heavens. Among the asuras, eight formidable Daityas—Añjana, Nīlakukṣi, Meghavarṇa, Balāhaka, Udarākṣa, Lalāṭākṣa, Subhīma, and Bhīmavikrama—joined Svarbhānu and charged fiercely against the Vasus. At the same time, twelve other Daityas, each with their own retinues, attacked the Ādityas. The leaders among these Daitya warriors were Bhīma, Dhvaṅkṣa, Dhvastakarṇa, Śaṅkukarṇa, the immensely powerful Vajrakāya, and Vidyunmālī. Alongside them fought Raktākṣa, Bhīmadaṃṣṭra, Vidyujjihva, Atikāya, Mahākāya, Dīrghabāhu, and Kṛtāntaka. These twelve Daitya lords and their armies rushed upon the Ādityas, while other enraged Dānavas turned their wrath against the Rudras, matching their numbers. Among those who attacked the Rudras were Kāla, Kṛtānta, Raktākṣa, Haraṇa, Mitrahā, Anila, Yajñahā, Brahmahā, Goughna, Strīghna, and Saṃvartaka—ten Daitya lords and one more, all wild with the lust for battle. Each Daitya faced a Rudra, their fury unbridled. The rest of the Daityas launched assaults against the other gods as suited their numbers and strengths. But at the center of the chaos, Mahisha himself, swift and powerful, rushed directly at Indra. Empowered by a boon from Brahmā, Mahisha could not be slain by any man, not even by one wielding the mighty Pināka bow. As the battle raged, the Ādityas, Vasus, Sādhyas, and Rudras struck down countless Asuras and Yātudhānas, their enemies falling so quickly they could only be counted as they fell. Yet the gods’ own armies suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Asuras. Overwhelmed, the Devas faced defeat and, abandoning Indra, fled the battlefield. Struck by a hail of weapons—spears, pattiśas, and maces—the gods, tormented by the relentless Asuras, sought refuge in the world of Brahmā, hoping for deliverance. It was then that Śrī Varāha continued the tale: The Daitya Vidyutprabha, acting as a messenger, approached the goddess—she of slender waist. With devotion and a composed mind, he entered a place crowded with hundreds of maidens. Bowing respectfully, he spoke humbly to the goddess: “O goddess, in the earliest days of creation, there lived a sage named Supārśva, a friend of Sarasvata and renowned for his power. His son, the mighty Sindhudvīpa, was filled with immense energy and performed severe austerities in the illustrious city of Māhiṣmatī. As Sindhudvīpa engaged in deep penance, abstaining even from food, the eldest daughter of Vipracitti—equal in beauty to the daughters of the gods—became famous on earth as Māhiṣmatī. Surrounded by her companions, she wandered freely and one day came to the slopes of Mount Mandara. There, she beheld the hermitage of the sage Ambara, adorned with many kinds of trees and various creeper bowers—vakula, lakucha, sandalwood, spandana, śāla, and sarala—forming a delightful forest retreat. Seeing this enchanting hermitage, the auspicious demon maiden Māhiṣmatī, radiant in form, began to ponder. ‘I will frighten this ascetic here in his hermitage and remain here, playing with my companions, greatly honored,’ she thought. With this in mind, she, the goddess, assumed the form of a buffalo with sharp-tipped horns, accompanied by her companions. They went to terrify the sage, but Ambara, perceiving her true nature with his eye of knowledge, grew angry and cursed the auspicious-eyed demon maiden: ‘Because you have tried to frighten me by taking the form of a buffalo, O doer of evil, become a buffalo for a hundred years.’ Stricken with fear, Māhiṣmatī and her companions trembled and fell at his feet, pleading, ‘End the curse.’ Moved by her words, the sage’s heart softened, and he granted her release, saying, ‘When you give birth to a son in this very form, O blessed one, the curse will end. My words shall not be in vain.’ Thus instructed, Māhiṣmatī journeyed to the excellent bank of the Narmadā, where Sindhudvīpa, the great ascetic, was immersed in severe penance. There, the demon maiden Endumatī, surpassing in beauty, was seen by the sage as she plunged unclothed into the water. The great ascetic’s semen fell upon a rocky slope. Māhiṣmatī, noticing its divine fragrance, said to her companion, ‘I will drink this pure water.’ So she drank the sage’s semen mixed with the water, and thus, from his seed, she conceived and bore a son. This son, wise, strong, and valorous, was named Mahisha, the enhancer of the Brahma lineage. Now, O goddess, he seeks you—she who crushes the armies of the gods. Having conquered even the gods in battle and seized the three worlds, that great asura will give you everything, O goddess, well-protected. By offering himself to you, he urges you to accomplish a great deed.” Hearing these words, the radiant goddess laughed, but spoke not a word. As she laughed, the bewildered messenger beheld the entire universe—moving and unmoving—contained within her belly, and he was overcome with awe. Then, the goddess’s powerful attendant, Jaya, spoke aloud the words held in the goddess’s heart: “What you have said about seeking the maiden has been spoken. If her vow of maidenhood is truly eternal, there are other maidens here who follow the goddess. Yet, not even one of them is attainable, let alone the auspicious goddess herself. Go, messenger, hasten away; nothing more will come of this for you.” Thus dismissed, the messenger departed. At that very moment, the great sage Nārada arrived swiftly through the sky, dancing joyfully and radiant with the power of his austerities.