may be understood to represent the darker chthonic, transformative qualities of Devi's power or Shakti. Kali's emergence is chronicled in the 7th chapter. Kali, in the form of Chamunda emerges from Devi's eyebrows as a burst of psychic energy. She overpowers and beheads Chanda and Munda, and when she delivers their severed heads to Devi, she is dubbed Chamunda. During a fierce battle in which the Great Goddess demonstrates her omnipotence by defeating powerful demons who terrify the devas, she encounters the fierce Raktabīja (chapter 8). Every drop of blood Raktabīja sheds transforms into another demon as it touches the earth. A unique strategy has to be devised to vanquish him. While Kaushiki attacks him with various weapons, Kali, with her huge mouth and enormous tongue ferociously laps up Raktabīja's blood, thus preventing the uprising of further demons. The story continues in which Devi, Kali and a group of Matrikas destroy the demonic brothers Sumbha (chapter 10) and Nisumbha (chapter 9). In the final battle against Shumbha, Devi absorbs Kali and the matrikas and stands alone for the final battle. After the battle, the devas praise Devi as the support of this universe, as the intelligence in all men, as space, time and causation etc. Devi pleased with the Devas grants them a boon that she will always destroy the demons and bring peace to earth. She mentions her future incarnations and their respective acts (Chapter 11). Then the Devi mentions the benefits, accrual of peace, bliss, etc., of worshipping her and disappears (Chapter 12). The sage finishes the tale. He tells the king and the merchant to take refuge in Devi to rid themselves of their delusion. Both the king and the merchant undertake penance and Devi grants them her vision. The king asks Devi for his lost kingdom and Devi grants it to him. The merchants asks Devi for wisdom and she grants it to him (Chapter 13). Symbolism of the three episodes Devadatta Kali states that the three tales are "allegories of outer and inner experience". The evil adversaries of the Goddess, states Kali, symbolize the all-too-human impulses, such as pursuit of power, or possessions, or delusions such as arrogance. The Goddess wages war against this. Like the philosophical and symbolic battlefield of the Bhagavad Gita, the Devi Mahatmya symbolic killing grounds target human frailties, according to Kali, and the Goddess targets the demons of ego and