The Goddess the Gods Had to Build

Mahishasura was no common demon. He could shift between the shape of a buffalo and the shape of a man. Fierce worship of Brahma had won him a strong boon. No man, and no god, would ever be able to kill him.

A boon like that is dangerous precisely for what it leaves open. He used his new invincibility with no restraint at all. He made war on the devas, the gods of the heavens, and he beat them again and again. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together could not bring him down in a plain fight. The terms of his boon closed that door completely. He took the throne of heaven for himself. He spread terror through the three worlds. Heaven, earth, and the world below.