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LALITA-SAHASRANAMA
 
Mohini, Maya etc Here agam she is described
as the sister of Krishna and as having been
born in the cowherd family of Nanda She is adorn
ed with various jewels and armed with spear and
sword and shiell She delights in battle and thirsts
for the blood of Mahisa She lives in inaccessible
 
places in places full of fears and
 
difficulties as well as
in chastyas and the abodes of her devotees She dwells
in the nether regions al o and conquers the demons in
battle Her virginity is not mentioned On the other
hand she is described as the mother of Skanda She
is the mother of the Vedas as well and she is hailed as
Brahma vidy among vidyas
 
12
 
In the Vişnu purana there is, again an interesting
passage on the goddess Visnu while giving instruc-
tions to his Yoga nidra as to what she should do in
connection with the birth of Krishna says
 
5
 
Those who shall reverently invoke you morning
and evening and praise you and call you Arya, Durga,
Vedagarbha, Ambika Bhadra Bhadrakalika, Ksemi or
Ksemankarı shall receive by my grace whatever they
desire And pleased with their offerings of wine and
flesh and various other kinds you shall grant the
prayers of mankind By my favour, all men shall have
perpetual faith in you Assured of this, go goddess,
and carry out my orders
 
Finally, there is a hymn in the Harivamsa which
throws some light again on the origins of the goddess
Here too she is described as the sister of Krishna and
as living in the Vindhya mountains and in all sorts of