The three portions of
the Devimahatmya, the oldest and most significant source for Goddess mythology,
depict the goddess in three different manifestations: Mahasaraswati,
Mahalakshmi, and Mahakali.
Mahalakshmi is a fierce warrior goddess, the prime heavenly
force on the planet, unlike the goddess Lakshmi, who is a tranquil and
propitious wedded goddess.
She is created from all of the gods' collected brilliance
(tejas) in order to destroy Mahishasura, a demon that the gods had been unable
to defeat.
In the Devimahatmya, her climactic deed is to slay
Mahishasura, despite his frantic efforts to overcome and then evade her.
See David R. Kinsley's Hindu Deities, 1986, for further
information about Mahalakshmi and all the Hindu goddesses.
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