Who is Dēvī Gaṅgā and her consort?

 Dēvī Gaṅgā is a manifestation of Mā Ādya Śakti Lakṣmī and embodies pure Sattva.

According to the Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 9, Chapter 12, Verses 76–79, Gaṅgā originated in Goloka from the supreme bodies of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhā, embodying pure consciousness and divine water:

आविर्बभूव श्रीकृष्णो राधया सहितस्ततः । तं सुदृष्ट्वा च संहृष्टास्तुष्टुवुः पुरुषोत्तमम् ॥ ७६॥ परमानन्दपूर्णाश्च चकुश्च पुनरुत्सवम् । कालेन शम्भुर्भगवान् मुक्तिदीपं चकार सः ॥ ७७॥ इत्येवं कथितं सर्वं सुगोप्यं च सुदुर्लभम् । स एव द्रवरूपा सा गङ्गा गोलोकसम्भवा ॥ ७८॥ राधाकृष्णाङ्गसम्भूता भुक्तिमुक्तिफलप्रदा । स्थाने स्थाने स्थापिता सा कृष्णेन च परात्मना । कृष्णस्वरूपा परमा सर्वब्रह्माण्डपूजिता ॥ ७९॥ इति श्रीमद्देवीभागवते महापुराणेऽष्टादशसाहस्र्यां संहितायां नवमस्कन्ध

Translation - Then, Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested Himself once again, accompanied by Rādhā. Beholding Him clearly, everyone was overjoyed and sang praises to the Supreme Being (Puruṣottama). Filled with supreme bliss, they resumed their grand celebrations. In due course of time, the divine Lord Śambhu (Śiva) authored the sacred treatises that serve as a beacon lamp of liberation (muktīdīpa). Thus, all this exceedingly confidential and rare knowledge has been narrated to you. That very liquid essence is Gaṅgā, whose origin took place in Goloka. Born from the transcendental limbs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, she bestows the fruits of both worldly enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti). She was established in various realms by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Self. She is of the very essence of Kṛṣṇa, supreme, and worshipped throughout all the universes.

In Lakṣmī Tantra, Chapter 8, Verses 35, Dēvī Lakṣmī proclaims that when she emanates from the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, she assumes the form of Dēvī Gaṅgā:

āhlādajananī gaṅgā tatpādātprabhavāmyaham | anantaśayano nāma yo'vatāro hareraham || 35 ||

"From His foot, I originate as the river Gaṅgā, the bestower of supreme bliss. And in that incarnation of Hari known as Anantaśayana (He who reclines upon the serpent Ananta), I—"

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and her consort?

Throughout the ancient Śāstras, Dēvī Gaṅgā is associated with three divine consorts across different realms and Kalpas: Lord Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha, the Salt Ocean (Lavaṇa Samudra) as her eternal physical lord in the aqueous realm, and King Śāntanu during her terrestrial manifestation on Earth.

In the Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 9, Chapters 6 and 14 describe the realm of Vaikuṇṭha, where Dēvī Gaṅgā dwells as one of Lord Nārāyaṇa’s principal consorts, alongside Mahālakṣmī and Sarasvatī.

In Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 9, Chapter 14, Verses 3–23, Lord Brahmā brings Dēvī Gaṅgā to Vaikuṇṭha and requests Lord Nārāyaṇa to accept her as his wedded wife:

“Brahmā said to Nārāyaṇa: ‘O Lord! Gaṅgā, born of the bodies of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, full of youth, modest, extraordinarily beautiful, of pure Śuddha Sattva, and void of anger and egoism, does not like to marry anyone save Thee as She is born of Thee... Now marry this Lady who has come of Her own accord to Thee.’... Nārāyaṇa, then, married Gaṅgā smeared with sandal paste and flowers, according to the rules of the Gāndharva marriage. The Lord of Lakṣmī then spent his time happily in enjoyment with Gaṅgā.”

Because of her manifestation from the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu during his Trivikrama manifestation, she is universally celebrated in the Śāstras by the holy name Viṣṇupadī:

• In Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 9, Chapter 14, Verse 23:

“As Gaṅgā appeared from the feet of Viṣṇu, She is denominated Viṣṇupadī.”

Owing to a divine play and a curse exchanged between Dēvī Sarasvatī and Dēvī Gaṅgā in Vaikuṇṭha, Lord Nārāyaṇa decreed their descent to the Bhārata-varṣa as sacred rivers to purify all living beings.

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Dēvī Gaṅgā as the Consort of King Śāntanu

When Dēvī Gaṅgā came down to the mortal realm, she became the queen and wife of King Śāntanu, the distinguished ruler of the Kuru dynasty and the earthly incarnation of King Mahābhiṣa.

According to the Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 2, Chapter 3, Verses 1–25, King Mahābhiṣa of the Ikṣvāku dynasty once visited Lord Brahmā’s assembly, where Dēvī Gaṅgā was also present. A sudden gust of wind loosened Gaṅgā’s upper garment, and Mahābhiṣa gazed at her with desire. Noticing their mutual attraction, Lord Brahmā pronounced a curse.

“Brahmā, seeing that both of them are love-stricken and are shameless, became angry and cursed them immediately: ‘O king! You better take your birth again in the human world and practise great meritorious deeds and come again to this Heaven.’ Thus saying, Brahmā looked at Gaṅgā, who was attached to the king, and addressed her: ‘You too better go to the human world and become his wife.’”

At the same time, the Eight Vasus were cursed by Sage Vasiṣṭha to be born as humans. They went to Dēvī Gaṅgā, asking her to be their mother and to release them into her river waters right after birth, freeing them from mortal life.

The Marriage to Śāntanu and the Birth of Bhīṣma

According to Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 2, Chapter 4, Verses 9–26 and Skanda Purāṇa, Book V, Caturāśiti Liṅga Māhātmya, Chapter 71, Verses 18–27:

1. King Mahābhiṣa was born as Śāntanu, the son of King Pratīpa.
2. Dēvī Gaṅgā appeared before King Śāntanu on the banks of the Ganges in a human form.
3. She agreed to marry Śāntanu under a strict pre-nuptial covenant:

“Whatever I will do, be it good or bad, auspicious or inauspicious, you must not hinder or interrupt me nor ever say that it is not to your liking and satisfaction. Whenever you will break this my resolve, I will instantly quit you and go to another place wherever I like.”

1. Over successive years, Gaṅgā bore seven sons (the first seven Vasus) and cast them into the river immediately upon birth, freeing them from their curse.
2. When the eighth child was born, King Śāntanu intervened to save the infant, thereby breaking his promise.
3. Dēvī Gaṅgā revealed her identity, explained the cosmic necessity of the Vasus' liberation, named the eighth child Gāṅgeya (who later became famous as Bhīṣma), and departed after raising the child to maturity.

In Skanda Purāṇa, Book V, Caturāśiti Liṅga Māhātmya, Chapter 71, Verses 43–49, Sage Nārada reveals to Gaṅgā the underlying identity of King Śāntanu:

“Nārada said: ‘O divine one worthy of being revered by the whole universe!... Śāntanu is remembered as Samudra (the Ocean) himself, whose incarnation was caused by you alone.’”

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Dēvī Gaṅgā as the Consort of the Ocean (Lavaṇa Samudra)

Across multiple Purāṇas, the eternal, physical husband of Dēvī Gaṅgā in her river form is the Ocean (Samudra or Lavaṇa Sāgara)

• Devī Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, Book 9, Chapter 15, Verses 1-6: Lord Nārāyaṇa instructs Dēvī Gaṅgā regarding her manifestation on Earth:

“You will be the Presiding Deity of the river Gaṇḍakī and thus bestow religious merits in Bhārata; you will be the wife of the Salt Ocean, which is My part.”

• Skanda Purāṇa, Book V, Caturāśiti Liṅga Māhātmya, Chapter 42:

“She became the chief queen of Samudra (Ocean), dearer to him than his own life. Gaṅgā was made the most excellent one among the rivers by Samudra. That Samudra, the Lord of rivers, sported about with her.”

The Birth of Jālandhara from Gaṅgā and Samudra

In Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, the union of Gaṅgā and the Ocean gave birth to Asura Jālandhara:

“The celestial river due to the heat of her excessive youth, was excited... and seeing her, the lordly Ocean was full of the billows of water. Then, O best king, the union between Gaṅgā and the Ocean took place... Meantime, a mighty, very brave son was born on the great river by the Ocean. O king, the son of the great Ocean, weeping as soon as he was born, shook the earth.”

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In the Skanda Purāṇa (Nāgara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 130, Verses 50-64), Lord Śiva clarifies to Dēvī Pārvatī that his holding of Dēvī Gaṅgā on his head is a protective cosmic act performed for the salvation of the world, rather than a marital or lustful engagement:

“The Lord said: ‘O goddess of Suras, it is not for my pleasure that I hold Gaṅgā. After performing severe penance for a period of a thousand years according to the divine reckoning I had been requested by King Bhagīratha on behalf of his ancestors: “O Lord, do hold on your head Jāhnavī, so that after falling from Svarga she may not flow towards Pātāla. Do this at my request.” I had promised to him, “I shall undoubtedly hold the rapid current of Jāhnavī falling on the earth from the firmament.”... It is for this reason, O fair lady, that I hold Gaṅgā and not through affection or lust. On account of this the world goes on. If for any reason I were to let her off from my head, it would pierce through the earth in full force and flow into Rasātala.’ ”

(In some texts, Śrī Gaṅgā is called the consort of Shiva. It’s possible that this Gaṅgā is different from Viṣṇupatnī Gaṅgā or due to a variation in the kalpa.)

Śrī Gaṅgāyai Namaḥ

Who is the consort of Maa Katyani, Lord Krishna or Lord Shiv?

 Kātyāyanī is the wife of Śiva. In the Radha Tantra, Padminī (Radha) addresses Goddess Katyayani with deep reverence, calling her the “beloved of Śiva.” Later, in the same text, Lord Krishna prays to her for a boon to perfect his spiritual practices, saying, “I bow to you, dear to Śankara” it also notes that in the sacred circle of Mathurā, where Mahāmāyā appears as Goddess Kātyāyanī, she always resides with Śiva.

However, Kātyāyanī is also used for Śrī Lakṣmī.

Mṛtyuñjaya Tantra -

"गोविन्दमहिषीं देवीं कात्यायन्यां भयङ्करीम्,"

which directly translates to "The one who Kātyāyanī is the consort of Govinda".

In the context of Yogamaya, the Sarārthadarśinī commentary by Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the Yogamāyā Devī, worshipped by the gopīs as Katyayani, is Lord Krishna’s own svarūpa-śakti. The commentary uses the term patitvaṁ to indicate her status as a consort of Lord Krishna, affirming that “YogaMāyā Katyāyanī, worshipped by the Gopakaṇyas, is the wife of the Lord.” Additionally, the Brahmāṇḍa Mahāpurāṇa describes Vṛndāvananāyikā Kātyāyanīdevī incarnating as the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, directly connecting her identity to Radha, Lord Krishna’s eternal beloved.

Who is Shakambari Devi and her consort?

 शाकम्भरि जगद्वन्द्ये शशांकललितालके । नमस्तुभ्यं-नमस्तुभ्यं शङ्कातङ्कानि संहर ॥

O Pārvatī ! You are Śākambharī, revered by the entire world, O You whose beautiful locks are adorned with the moon ! Salutations to You, salutations to You , destroy all fears, anxieties, and afflictions.❞ ~Śiva Rahasya Mahāitihāsa

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Mā - Śatākṣī 🫶🌸✨

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🌸Bhagavatī Śākambharī is an incarnation of Devī Pārvatī and the beloved consort of Lord Śiva. Her detailed māhātmya is described in the Devī Bhāgavatam, Śiva Purāṇa, and Skanda Purāṇa.

🌸 Firstly, Devī Śatākṣī, Devī Śākambharī, Devī Durgā, and Devī Pārvatī are not four distinct deities; rather, they are one and the same.

❝Devī Śākambharī is none other than Devī Śatākṣī herself. She herself is described as Durgā. She is called Umā because she constitutes half of Lord Śiva’s body; She is Satī because of her observance of pātivratya.And she herself is indeed proclaimed as Pārvatī by the noble one.❞ ~bhāṣya on the Durgā Saptashatī

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🌸 In ancient times, the demon Durgama (दुर्गमाख्यो महादैत्यः) , son of Ruru (जातो रुरुपुत्रो महाखलः) and descendant of Hiranyaksha (हिरण्याक्षान्वये जातो) , sought to destroy the gods by taking away the source of their power, the vedas (देवानां तु बलं वेदो नाशे तस्य सुरा अपि) .

After performing severe penance for a thousand years in the Himalayas, he pleased Brahmā and obtained a boon granting him the Vedas, all sacred mantras, and power to defeat all the deities. Lord Brahmā gave him the boon.

As a result, Rishi Munis forgot the Vedas, rituals and sacrifices ceased, and chaos spread across the world. Deprived of sacrificial offerings, the gods became weak and after that Durgama to attack Amarāvatī, the city of the Indra where all the deities resides.

🌸 Unable to defeat Durgama, the gods hid in mountain caves and prayed to the Umā Devī. Since Vedic rituals had stopped, rain ceased, causing a hundred year drought, famine, and mass death. To end this suffering, they went to the Himalayas and worshipped Bhagwati Parāmbikā Pārvatī, seeking her protection.

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🌸 Pārvatī Stutī - composed by Devtas -

दयां कुरु महेशानि पामरेषु जनेषु हि । सर्वापराधयुक्तेषु नैतच्छ्लाघ्यं तवाम्बिके ॥

❝O wife of Maheshwar, show compassion to these ignorant and helpless people. Ambikā, though we are filled with every kind of offense, it does not befit Your nature to abandon them.❞

कोपं संहर देवेशि सर्वान्तर्यामिरूपिणि । त्वया-यथा-प्रेर्यतेऽयं करोति स तथा जनः ॥

❝O Mahādevī, withdraw Your anger, O You who exist as the indwelling controller within all beings. A person acts only according to the way he is impelled by You.❞

नान्या गतिर्जनस्यास्य किं पश्यसि पुनः पुनः । यथेच्छसि तथा कर्तुं समर्थासि महेश्वरि ॥

❝We have no other refuge. Why do You delay again and again? O Great Goddess, You are fully capable of doing whatever You wish.❞

समुद्धर महेशानि संकटात्परमोत्थितात् । जीवनेनविनास्माकं कथं स्यात्स्थितिरम्बिके ॥

❝O Maheshānī, rescue us from this exceedingly great calamity that has arisen. O Ambikā, without sustenance and life, how can our existence continue?❞

प्रसीद त्वं महेशानि प्रसीद जगदम्बिके ।अनन्तकोटिब्रह्माण्डनायिके ते नमो नमः ॥

❝Be gracious, O Maheshānī! Be gracious, O Mother of the Universe! O sovereign Lady of countless millions of universes, salutations to You again and again.❞

नमः कूटस्थरूपायै चिद्रूपायै नमो नमः । नमो वेदान्तवेद्यायै भुवनेश्यै नमो नमः ॥

❝Salutations to Her whose nature is immutable and transcendent; salutations again and again to Her whose essence is pure consciousness . Salutations to Her who is knowable through Vedānta, and salutations to Mā Bhuvaneśī.❞

नेति नेतीति वाक्यैर्या बोध्यते सकलागमैः । तां सर्वकारणां देवीं सर्वभावेन सन्नताः ॥

❝We bow in every way to that Goddess, the cause of all, who is realized through all the scriptures and by statements such as “neti neti”.❞

-Devi Bhāgwatam 7.28.26–32

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🌸 Hearing the cries of the devas, ṛṣis, munis, and all beings, Mā Pārvatī was filled with motherly compassion, and she manifested the form of Śatākṣī, the Goddess with innumerable eyes.

इति सम्प्रार्थिता देवी भुवनेशी महेश्वरी। अनन्ताक्षिमयं रूपं दर्शयामास पार्वती ॥

❝Thus prayed to, the Devī , Bhuvaneśvarī, Maheśvarī, Pārvatī, revealed a form consisting of innumerable eyes.❞

-Devi Bhāgwatam 7.28.33

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🌸Mā Bhuvaneśwarī appeared with thousand radiant eyes and filled with compassion. From those eyes she shed streams of water across the worlds, causing a continuous rainfall for nine nights (नवरात्रं महावृष्टिरभून्नेत्रोद्भवैर्जलैः) .

Her tears restored rivers, oceans, plants, and all living beings. The gods emerged from hiding, and together with the sages they praised her as the supreme Goddess. They named her Śatākṣī (त्वया यतो धृतं देवि शताक्षी त्वं ततो) and prayed for relief and the restoration of the Vedas.

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-Śatākṣī Stutī composed by Devtas ✨

नमो वेदान्तवेद्ये ते नमो ब्रह्मस्वरूपिणि ॥

❝Salutations to You, who are known through the Vedānta, and salutations to You who are the very form of Brahman. ❞

स्वमायया सर्वजगद्विधात्र्यै ते नमो नमः । भक्तकल्पद्रुमे देवि भक्तार्थं देहधारिणि ॥

❝Salutations again and again to You who, by Your own Māyā, create the entire universe.O Goddess, You are the wish-fulfilling tree for devotees, and You take a body for the sake of Your devotees.❞

नित्यतृप्ते निरुपमे भुवनेश्वरि ते नमः। अस्मच्छान्त्यर्थमतुलं लोचनानां सहस्त्रकम् ॥

❝Salutations to You, O Bhuvaneśvarī, who are ever content and beyond comparison. For the sake of our peace, You have assumed this incomparable form with a thousand eyes.❞

त्वया यतो धृतं देवि शताक्षी त्वं ततो भव । क्षुधया पीडिता मातः स्तोतुं शक्तिर्न चास्ति नः ।।

❝Since, O Goddess, You have thus manifested , therefore may You be known as Śatākṣī. O Mother, afflicted by hunger, we have no strength even to praise You.❞

कृपां कुरु महेशानि वेदानप्याहराम्बिके।

❝O Maheshānī, show mercy upon us, Ambikā, please grant us even the Vedas.❞

-Devi Bhāgwatam 7.28.41–45

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🌸 The Goddess gave food from her own hands to the devas and Brahmins, nourishing them with fruits, roots, grains, and other sustenance until new crops grew, and she came to be known as Śākambharī.

काम्यानन्तरसैर्युक्तान्यानवीनोद्भवं ददौ। शाकम्भरीति नामापि तद्दिनात्समभून्नृप ।॥

She bestowed desirable foods endowed with various juices and newly sprouted vegetation. O King, from that very day she came to be known as ‘Śākambharī’.

Meanwhile, the demon Durgama, enraged, marched with a vast army of ten hundred akṣauhiṇīs, blocking the divine forces and surrounding the devas and sages, causing panic among them.

The Goddess created a protective circle for them and faced him alone, leading to a fierce battle filled with volleys of arrows, fire, and thunderous bow sounds across the battlefield.

Then Many Devī’s appeared from the body of Girijā to accompany her. They were :

कालिका तारिणी बाला त्रिपुरा भैरवी रमा ।

बगला चैव मातङ्गी तथा त्रिपुरसुन्दरी ॥

कामाक्षी तुलजा देवी जम्भिनी मोहिनी तथा।

छिन्नमस्ता गुह्यकाली दशसाहस्त्रबाहुका ॥

The battlefield resounded with drums, conches, and musical instruments as the Goddess’s destroyed the demon’s army. Then Durgama himself entered the fight, engaging the divine powers in a fierce battle. Within ten days, all his armies were completely destroyed.

On the eleventh day, the demon, adorned in red and riding a chariot, launched a final assault against the Goddess. A terrible battle followed. The Goddess swiftly struck him down, killing his horses and charioteer, destroying his weapons, piercing his limbs and chest with arrows.

Wounded and vomiting blood, Durgama died before the Supreme Goddess, and his Tej merged back into her. With his death, peace was restored across the three worlds.

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🌸 Devatā-kṛta Śākambharī Stuti :

जगद्भमविवर्तेककारणे परमेश्वरि। नमः शाकम्भरि शिवे नमस्ते शतलोचने ।।

❝O Supreme Goddess, the cause of the transformation and appearance of the universe, salutations to You, O Śākambharī! O beloved of Śiva , salutations to You, O Śatālocanā (one with a hundred eyes).❞

सर्वोपनिषदुद्घष्टे दुर्गमासुरनाशिनि । नमो मायेश्वरि शिवे पञ्चकोशान्तरस्थिते ॥

❝Salutations to You, O Māyeśvarī, O auspicious Goddess who is proclaimed in all the Upaniṣads and who destroys the demon Durgama. You reside within the pañca-kośas.❞

चेतसा निर्विकल्पेन यां ध्यायन्ति मुनीश्वराः । प्रणवार्थस्वरूपां तां भजामो भुवनेश्वरीम् ॥

❝We worship that Bhuvaneśvarī, whose nature is the meaning of the sacred syllable Praṇava, and whom great sages meditate upon with a mind free from all modifications.❞

अनन्तकोटिब्रह्माण्डजननीं दिव्यविग्रहाम् । ब्रह्मविष्ण्वादिजननीं सर्वभावैर्नता वयम् ॥

❝We bow in every way to that Goddess with divine form, the mother of countless millions of universes, and the origin of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and all other deities.❞

कः कुर्यात्पामरान्दृष्ट्वा रोदनं सकलेश्वरः । सदयां परमेशानीं शताक्षीं मातरं विना ॥

❝Who, indeed, would not weep upon seeing the suffering of ignorant beings, except the compassionate Supreme Goddess Śatākṣī, the Mother of all?❞

-Devi Bhāgwatam 7.28.69–73

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🌸 Devī said :

दुर्गमासुरहन्त्रीत्वा‌दुर्गेति मम नाम यः। गृह्णाति च शताक्षीति मायां भित्त्वा व्रजत्यसौ ॥

❝Because I am the slayer of the demon Durgama, I am called ‘Durgā’. Whoever also understands Me as ‘Śatākṣī’ breaks through Māyā and attains Me.❞

-Devi Bhāgwatam 7.28.79

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So yah, Devi Bhāgwatam describes the story of Devi Durgā/Śākambharī/Śatākṣī. Devī Umā fulfilled the vow she had taken in the form of Kauśikī.

ततः शतेन नेत्राणां निरीक्षिष्यामि यन्मुनीन् ।

Being praised by the sages, I (Kaushiki) shall manifest on earth, assuming a form endowed with a hundred eyes.

कीर्तयिष्यन्ति मनुजाः शताक्षीमिति मां ततः ॥

People will call this form of mine as Śatākṣī (one who is endowed with hundred eyes) .

शाकम्भरीति विख्यातिं तदा यास्याम्यहं भुवि ।

Then I shall become renowned on earth by the name ‘Śākambharī’.

तत्रैव च वधिष्यामि दुर्गमाख्यं महासुरम् ॥

I shall slay the great demon named Durgama.

दुर्गा देवीति विख्यातं तन्मे नाम भविष्यति ।

And My name will become famous as ‘Durgā Devī’.”

~Durga saptshati

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Śrī Mātre Namaḥ ☘️🌼✨❣️