Chandika, the Mother of the Universe, was seized by wrath. Her eyes, red with fury, sparkled as she laughed and drank the excellent liquor again and again. Before her, the mighty demon Mahisha, intoxicated by his own strength and power, roared thunderously. With his horns, he hurled mountains at the goddess, seeking to overwhelm her. Unmoved, Chandika shattered each mountain with volleys of arrows. Her words, colored by intoxication and agitation, rang out: “Roar, roar for a moment, fool, while I drink my liquor. When I slay you here, the gods will soon roar instead.” With these fierce words, she leapt upon Mahisha, mounted him, pressed his neck with her foot, and struck him with her spear. As she pinned him down, Mahisha began to emerge from his own mouth in another form, but the goddess’s power restrained him. While he was still half-emerged and fighting, Chandika struck off his head with her mighty sword and cast him down. Thus, Mahisha, along with his army and circle of friends—who had bewildered the three worlds—was destroyed by the goddess. The moment Mahisha fell, all beings present in the three worlds—gods, demons, and humans—cried out in triumph, “Victory!” The demon army was overcome with grief and perished, while all the hosts of gods rejoiced in supreme happiness. Together with the divine sages, the gods praised the goddess; Gandharvas sang, and the Apsaras danced in celebration. Then, led by Indra, all the gods began to offer hymns to the goddess, their heads bowed in reverence, their bodies thrilled with joy, and their words filled with delight. They praised her, who pervades the universe with her own inherent power, who is the very form of the combined energies of all the gods. To Ambika, worshipped by all gods and sages, they bowed in devotion, praying for auspiciousness. They extolled her incomparable power, which neither the infinite Lord nor Brahma nor Shiva can describe or comprehend. Chandika, protector of the world and destroyer of all that is inauspicious, was invoked to direct their minds. The gods hailed her as prosperity in the homes of the virtuous, misfortune among the wicked, wisdom in the hearts of the wise, faith among the good, and modesty in noble families, beseeching her to protect the universe. “How can we describe your form, which is beyond thought?” they wondered. “How can we recount your immense power that destroys demons? How can we tell of your wondrous deeds in battle among gods, demons, and others?” They acknowledged her as the cause of all worlds, composed of the three gunas yet unknown even to Vishnu and Shiva, boundless and primordial, the unmanifest Supreme Nature. The gods praised her utterance, which satisfies all gods and brings joy in every sacrifice. She is Svāhā, invoked by people as Svadhā, the cause of fulfillment for the hosts of ancestors. She is the source of liberation, the supreme knowledge sought by sages free from faults, whose senses and understanding are disciplined. She is the essence of sound, the pure repository for those who perform sacred offerings, the delight of those who recite the melodious Sāman hymns. She is the threefold Veda, the blessed one who brings forth the world, and the supreme destroyer of all suffering. She is wisdom, the essence of all scriptures; Durgā, the boat that carries across the ocean of existence; Śrī, dwelling in the heart of the slayer of Kaitabha; Gaurī, established by the moon-crested one. They recalled how Mahishasura, upon suddenly beholding her face—slightly smiling, spotless, radiant with golden brilliance, wondrous and fierce in wrath—was struck with awe. Her angry face, terrible with furrowed brows and shining like the rising moon, was so fierce that it was astonishing Mahisha did not instantly perish; for who can endure the sight of death itself enraged? “O supreme Goddess, be gracious!” the gods pleaded. “For the sake of the world, you destroy entire lineages in your wrath. Now it is clear that the immense power of Mahishasura has come to its end.” They declared that those who honor her in their lands possess wealth and fame, and their paths of righteousness never falter. Blessed are those whose families are secure, for the pleased goddess grants prosperity. The virtuous, ever devoted, perform righteous deeds daily and, by her grace, attain heaven; she bestows rewards in all three worlds. Remembered, she removes the fear of all beings; remembered by the healthy, she grants supreme auspiciousness. Who but her, destroyer of poverty, sorrow, and fear, is ever compassionate and intent on helping all? With the demons slain, the world rejoices. The wicked, committing evil, are sent to hell, yet the goddess destroys them in battle so they may ascend to heaven. The gods marveled that she does not simply reduce all demons to ashes with her gaze, but sends forth weapons so that, purified by arms, even enemies may reach the worlds—a sign of her noble intention. The fierce brilliance of her sword and spear, the dazzling radiance of her face—fit to be adorned with the crescent moon—were unbearable to the asuras, dissolving them. Her nature is to subdue the wicked; her form wondrous, beyond thought and unequalled. Her valor, unmatched, is paired with compassion even toward her foes. The gods wondered by what comparison her valor could be measured, where one could find a form that dispels fear as hers does. Only in her is both compassion and fierceness seen, even among all three worlds. She has protected the threefold world by striking down enemies in battle, sending foes to heaven, and dispelling the gods’ fear born of the arrogance of asura enemies. They prayed, “Protect us, O Goddess, with your spear; protect us, O Ambika, with your sword. Guard us with the ringing of your bell and the twang of your bowstring. Guard us in the east and west, O Chandika; protect us in the south and, by your whirling spear, in the north. With your gentle forms and your terrifying ones, protect us and the earth. With your weapons—sword, spear, mace, and others—held in your tender hands, protect us on all sides.” Thus, the gods praised her with divine flowers from Nandana and worshipped her with fragrant ointments. All the immortals, with devotion and divine incense, honored her. The goddess, gracious-faced, addressed all the gods who had bowed before her, their hearts full of reverence and gratitude.