Once Brahman won a victory for the devas, and in that victory the devas grew great. They thought: "This victory is ours. This glory is ours."
Brahman knew what they were thinking, and appeared before them. They did not know what it was, and asked one another: "What is this wonder, this yaksha, standing before us?"
They said to Agni: "Jataveda, go and find out what this yaksha is." Agni ran to it. It asked him, "Who are you?" "I am Agni," he said. "I am Jataveda." "And what power is in you?" "I could burn all that is on the earth." It set a blade of grass before him: "Burn this." Agni went at it with all his speed, and could not burn it. He turned back and said, "I could not find out what this yaksha is."
Then they said to Vayu: "Vayu, go and find out what this yaksha is." Vayu ran to it. "Who are you?" "I am Vayu. I am Matarishva." "And what power is in you?" "I could carry off all that is on the earth." It set the blade of grass before him: "Take this." Vayu went at it with all his speed, and could not move it. He too turned back and said, "I could not find out what this yaksha is."
Then they said to Indra: "Maghavan, go and find out what this yaksha is." Indra ran toward it, and it vanished from before him. And in that same sky he came upon a woman of great radiance — Uma, the daughter of the Himalaya, shining as if adorned in gold. He asked Her: "What is this yaksha?"
She said: "It is Brahman. It was in Brahman's victory that you were growing great." Then Indra knew that it was Brahman. And so Agni, Vayu and Indra stand above the other devas, for they came nearest to it; and Indra above them all, for he was the first to know it was Brahman.
Bengal tells the rest from the Katyayani Tantra. Indra, Agni, Vayu and Chandra had forgotten that their strength was never their own, that they were strong only by the strength of the great Shakti. So the Devi stood before them in a light of millions of suns and set a blade of grass before each of them, and not one of the four could move it or burn it. When they understood, She drew Her light in and showed them a form of Her own: three-eyed and four-armed, clothed in red, adorned, a serpent for Her sacred cord, praised by the devas and the rishis. In that form She filled the whole world, and the devas offered Her their praise. She is Jagaddhatri, the one who holds the world.
The Durga Kalpa says She appeared in the bright half of Kartik, at the dawn of an age, for the good of all the devas, to calm the wicked and to bring peace to the world; and the Kalaviveka says She is to be offered puja on the Navami of the bright half of Kartik, seated on the lion. Under the lion lies an elephant, Karindrasura. Sri Ramakrishna said of it: whoever can master the elephant of the mind, in that heart Jagaddhatri rises.
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