ଶ୍ରୀ ଵିଶାଲାକ୍ଷୀ ସ୍ତୋତ୍ରମ୍

Nine verses from the eighth chapter of the Saura Purana, spoken by Vyasa at Varanasi to Vishalakshi, the goddess of the shrine there, and the hymn is almost entirely a list of who else she is. It opens by calling her the mother of Brahma and of all the gods, and then identifies her in turn with the three powers of will and action and knowledge, with the kundalini, with Svaha and Svadha, with Medha and Lakshmi and Sarasvati, with Sati the daughter of Daksha, with Aparna and Ekaparna and Ekapatala, with Uma Haimavati, with the one the world knows as Gauri, and onward through Kalaratri, Revati, Kaushiki, Chandi and Katyayani to Parvati riding her lion. Its last verse steps outside the praise to say that Vyasa, having praised Vishalakshi with these names, had done what he came to Varanasi to do.