A demonstration or apparition of Durga Devi, Devi Katyayani is worshipped on the sixth day of Navratri. The fiercest form of Shakti, Katyayani Devi is the warrior goddess known for slaying the demon Mahishasura. The Devi Mahatmyam and Devi Bhagavata Purana describe Devi Katyayani’s exploits, lauding her for her beauty and the fiery battles she won.
According to the Vamana Purana, it is said that Devi Katyayani was born from the combined anger of all the gods. When the demon, Mahishasura, was wreaking havoc and terrorising the gods, they approached Lord Vishnu to help them in their time of distress. The Purana describes the legend of Katyayani’s birth as that which happened when at Vishnu’s behest, as the preserver and protector, asked Shiva and Brahma and all the other gods shot flames out their eyes, focusing all of their anger into one mountain of flames or energy that then manifested into Katyayani Devi, refulgent as a thousand suns.
The Vamana Purana mentions that this combined rage crystallised in the ashram of sage Katyayana who then gave it the form of the goddess; this is also why she is called Katyayani, the daughter of Katyayana.
The goddess is depicted as having three eyes, black hair, and eighteen arms, and riding a lion as her mount. The Vamana Purana further describes all the weapons the gods respectively bestowed on her: Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu his Sudarshana Chakra, Brahma a kamandalu and prayer beads, Varuna a conch shell, Agni a dart, Vayu a bow, Surya a quiver of arrows, Indra a thunderbolt, Kubera a mace, Kala a shield and sword, and Vishvakarma a battle-axe. Thus armed and adorned by the gods, Katyayani proceeded to the Mysore hills to defeat the demon king Mahishasura, which is when he assumed the form of a bull, or a Mahisha. After a long and fierce battle, Katyayani struck Mahishasura down and cut off his head, and since then she has been known as Mahishasuramardini, the slayer of Mahishasura.
The second of the Shakti Pithas is that of Tulja Bhavani in Tuljapur, Maharashtra, where the founder of the Maratha empire, Shivaji, sought the blessings of the goddess. It is believed that Goddess Bhavani (Katyayani) gifted him a sword, also named Bhawani, with which he may achieve success in his expeditions.
