The Purana Index v1.c3.s4.4

v1.c3.s4.4

The Devī worship in India can be traced to remote antiquity, and in Vedic literature the Devī who is named Umā is no other than Brahmavidyā. In other words Devī has pleasing aspects and evokes not awe or dread, but lofty spiritualism and philosophic calm. In this book of the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa the Devī is elevated to a very high place, a place even worshipped by Trimūrtis. In this section we have a description of the origin of the goddess, of the construction of Śrīpuram on which was modelled the Śrichakra, the war with Bhaṇḍāsura and the final triumph of Lalitā. The Lalitā worship or Devī worship is not anything new but one accepted and approved by the Vedas. The Devī for one purpose or other manifested herself in different ways and with different names, and the manifestation of Lalitā was to get rid of Bhaṇḍāsura who was even a match for gods like Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Her glory and greatness are celebrated in the extant work entitled the Lalitā Sahasranāmam but this seems to be a composition later than the celebrated Śankara, who is commonly placed in the early years of the eighth century.