As the fierce battle raged on, both warriors tumbled from the back of the elephant to the ground, their hearts ablaze with fury. There, they clashed with blows so terrible that the earth itself seemed to tremble. Suddenly, the lion leapt high into the sky and, descending swiftly, struck Camara with his mighty paw, severing his head in one decisive blow. Elsewhere on the battlefield, Udagra fell beneath the Goddess’s onslaught, struck down by rocks, trees, and whatever else she could wield. Karala too was vanquished, laid low by the force of her teeth, fists, and palms. Enraged, the Goddess crushed Uddhata with her mace, shattered Vaskala with her club, and brought down Tamra and Andhaka with her deadly arrows. Her wrath unspent, the Supreme Lady struck down Ugrāsya, Ugravīrya, and Mahāhanu, and then, with her trident, the three-eyed Goddess slew Trinetra. With a swift stroke of her sword, she severed Bidāla’s head from his body. Her arrows sent Durdhara and Durmukha to the abode of Yama, the god of death, while Kālarātri struck down Kāla himself with the staff of death. Agradarśana fell beneath the Goddess’s fierce sword-blows, and Asilomā too was cut down by her blade amidst the tumult of battle. All the while, the hosts of the Goddess and her lion rejoiced, exulting in their victory. Witnessing the destruction of his army, Mahiṣāsura—the mighty buffalo demon—was filled with rage. In his buffalo form, he charged into the fray, terrifying the Goddess’s hosts. Some he struck with his beak, others he battered with his hooves; many he lashed with his tail, and some he tore apart with his horns. With astonishing speed, he knocked down warriors, felling others with his deafening roar and whirling motion, and casting more to the ground with the sheer force of his breath. After scattering the hosts of Pramathas, the demon rushed forward, intent on killing the lion of Mahadevi. This sight filled Ambika with fury. Mahiṣāsura, mighty in his wrath, trampled the earth with his hooves, hurled mountains high with his horns, and let out a thunderous roar. The earth was shattered by his furious spinning and speed, while the ocean overflowed in every direction, lashed by his tail. Clouds, split apart by his swinging horns, scattered in pieces across the sky, and hundreds of mountains fell from above, swept down by the force of his breath. Seeing the great demon, swollen with rage and charging to attack, Caṇḍikā’s anger blazed forth for his destruction. She cast her noose upon him, binding the mighty demon. Even so, in the midst of that great battle, he slipped free from the form of a buffalo. In an instant, he became a lion. But as Ambikā struck off his head, a man wielding a sword appeared in his place. The Goddess immediately shot him down with her arrows, and, together with his sword and shield, he transformed into a great elephant. With his trunk, he seized the lion and roared mightily. But as he dragged the beast, the Goddess severed his trunk with her sword. Once again, the great demon assumed the form of a buffalo, shaking the three worlds—everything that moves and does not move—with his power. Enraged, the Mother of the Universe, Chandika, drank her excellent liquor again and again, laughing, her eyes reddened with fury. The demon too roared, intoxicated by his strength, and hurled mountains at Chandika with his horns. She shattered those mountains with volleys of arrows and, her words tinged with agitation and intoxication, she spoke to him: “Roar, roar for a moment, fool, while I drink my liquor. When I slay you here, the gods will soon roar instead!” Having spoken, she leapt upon the great demon, mounted him, pressed his neck with her foot, and struck him with her spear. As she pinned him down, he began to emerge from his own mouth, but was restrained by the Goddess’s power. While the demon was still half-emerged and struggling, the Goddess struck off his head with her mighty sword and cast him down. Thus, Mahisha by name, together with his army and companions—who had bewildered the three worlds—was destroyed by the Goddess. When Mahisha fell, all beings throughout the three worlds—gods, demons, and humans—cried out in triumph, “Victory!” The demon army, overcome with grief, perished, while the hosts of gods rejoiced in supreme happiness. The gods, joined by the divine sages, praised the Goddess; the lords of the Gandharvas sang her glory, and the Apsaras danced in celebration. Then, the entire host of gods, led by Indra, began to offer hymns to the Goddess after the slaying of Mahishasura. When that powerful and evil foe was vanquished, the gods, their heads bowed in reverence, bodies thrilled with joy, and hearts filled with delight, praised her: “To her by whom, with her own inherent power, this universe is pervaded; who is the very form of the combined energies of all the gods; to that Ambika, worshipped by gods and sages alike, we bow in devotion—may she grant us auspiciousness. Whose incomparable power neither the infinite Lord, nor Brahma, nor Shiva can describe or comprehend—may that Chandika, who protects the world and destroys all that is inauspicious, direct our minds. She who is prosperity in the homes of the virtuous, misfortune among the wicked, wisdom in the wise, faith among the good, and modesty in noble families—to you, O Goddess, we bow; protect the universe. How can we describe your form, which is beyond thought? How can we recount your immense power that destroys the demons? How can we tell of your wondrous deeds in battle among all the hosts of gods, demons, and others? You are the cause of all worlds; though composed of the three gunas, you are not known even by Vishnu, Shiva, and others, being boundless. You are the support of all; this entire universe is but a portion of you. Indeed, you are the primordial, unmanifest Supreme Nature. O Goddess, by whose utterance all the gods are satisfied and rejoice in every sacrifice; you are indeed Svāhā, the cause of fulfillment for the hosts of ancestors, and thus you are invoked by people as Svadhā as well. You are the source of liberation, of inconceivable and great vows, practiced by those whose senses and understanding are well-disciplined; by sages free from all faults who seek release, you are that supreme knowledge, O blessed Goddess.” Thus did the gods, sages, and all celestial beings praise and worship the great Goddess, their hearts overflowing with gratitude and awe for her boundless power and compassion.