In The Devi Mahatmya, in the third episode the demons are more complex and subtler. This time the chief demons are
- Sumbha (Asmita: “I”/ “Me”, the pseudo-self) and
- Nisumbha (Mamata: “Mine”, the attachment to things that the false self clings to) who along with their generals
- Canda (pra-vrtti or extraverted psychic energy),
- Munda (ni-vritti or introverted psychic energy),
- Dhumralochana (distorted perception) and
- Raktabija (citta vrttis or incessant compulsive thought processes), are a formidable force to reckon with.
Overcoming these subtler demons requires a luminous, benevolent and beautiful manifestation, one that can enlighten and liberate. This is the manifestation as Maha Sarasvati predominated by Sattva.
