Narada, the great sage, joyfully exclaimed, “By fortune, by fortune!” as he addressed the goddess of beautiful eyes. Seated and honored before her, he bowed respectfully and spoke, “O goddess, ruler of all, I have come to you, sent by the pleased gods. The immortals have been conquered by the demon Mahisha, who now seeks to seize you, O goddess. The gods have entrusted me to inform you, O beautiful-faced one. O great goddess, now stand firm and oppose that demon.” Having delivered his message, Narada vanished instantly by his own will. At once, the goddess commanded all her maidens to arm themselves. Obeying her, the highly fortunate maidens transformed into terrifying forms, wielding swords, shields, and bows, ready for battle to destroy the demons. Meanwhile, all the demon forces abandoned the army of the gods and rushed to confront the goddess’s great assembly of women. The proud maidens fought fiercely with the demons, striking down their fourfold army in moments. Heads were severed and fell; chests were torn open, and flesh-eating beings drank blood. Some demon leaders, now headless, danced wildly. Thus, in an instant, all the evil-minded demons were destroyed, while the survivors fled to Mahishasura. Seeing his mighty army thrown into confusion, Mahisha was alarmed. He called out, “Commander, what is this? My army is shattered before my eyes.” The demon Yajñahanur, in the form of an elephant, replied, “This defeat has been caused everywhere by the maidens.” Enraged, Mahisha rushed at the maidens with beautiful eyes, seizing his mace. One maiden swiftly charged toward him. Where the goddess stood, honored by gods and gandharvas, Mahisha approached her. Seeing him advance, the goddess transformed, becoming twenty-handed. She took up twenty weapons: bow, sword, spear, arrows, trident, mace, axe, drum, a great bell, the hundred-killer, a dreadful mallet, bhuśuṇḍī, spear, pestle, discus, sling, staff, noose, banner, and lotus. Mounted upon a fierce lion, she remembered Rudra, the wrathful lord of destruction. The bull-bannered Rudra himself arrived. The goddess bowed to him and declared, “I shall conquer all the demons.” Merely by Rudra’s presence, the supreme goddess defeated all the demons. She spared Mahisha alone, slaying the rest, and approached him. When Mahisha saw her, he fled. At times, the demon king fought; at times, he fled, sometimes returning to battle, sometimes withdrawing. For ten thousand divine years, he fought with her, wandering across the battlefield, his mind filled with fear. Finally, on the great mountain with a hundred peaks, the foremost demon was struck down by her trident as she pressed him with her feet. There, she cut off his head with her sword; his spirit departed and ascended to heaven, vanquished by the goddess’s weapons. All the hosts of gods, together with Brahma, witnessed Mahisha’s defeat and joyfully praised the goddess. They said, “Salutations to you, O goddess, great in fortune, profound and fearsome in appearance; victorious, established in the principle of existence, three-eyed, facing all directions. In knowledge and ignorance, in victory and sacrifice, O slayer of Mahishasura; all-pervading, O goddess of all gods, of universal form, O Vaishnavi. Free from sorrow, steadfast, O goddess, with eyes beautiful as lotus petals; established in pure sattva and vows, fierce in form, radiant. O Goddess, bestower of prosperity and accomplishment, knowledge and ignorance, immortality and auspiciousness; O Śāṃkarī, Vaiṣṇavī, Brāhmī, honored by all the gods. With a bell in hand and trident as weapon, O great slayer of the buffalo demon; fierce in form, with distorted eyes, O supreme enchantress, source of immortality. O Goddess, benefactor of all beings, embodying all creatures, steadfast; mother of knowledge, scriptures, and arts, bearer of all elements. O auspicious one, knower of all divine secrets, incarnate among all beings; you alone are our refuge, O Goddess, knowledge and ignorance, fortune, O Ambikā; O distorted-eyed one, patience, disturbed in the waters within, unmanifest. Salutations to you, O great Goddess; salutations to you, supreme ruler; salutations to you, eternal, imperishable, unchanging among all the gods. Those who seek refuge in you, O Goddess, supreme ruler, nothing inauspicious befalls them in the dangers of battle. Whoever, in the terrible fear of tigers or in the fear of bandit kings, always recites this hymn, O Goddess, with self-control—even a person bound in chains, O Goddess, who remembers you, is freed from bondage and lives happily, content.” At that time, Śrī Varāha said, the beautiful-hipped goddess, praised with reverence by the gods, spoke to them: “Choose the highest boon.” The gods replied, “O sinless goddess, grant us this boon: whoever recites this hymn of yours, may you fulfill all their desires.” The supreme goddess responded, “So be it,” dismissed the gods, and remained there herself. Whoever knows this second birth of the goddess on earth becomes free from sorrow, pure, and attains the state without affliction.