The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1450 page)

(Skt., ‘water-buffalo’).
1
Name of a demon (
asura
, thus also frequently Mahi
sura) in the shape of a buffalo, in Hindu mythology. The classical version of the myth about the Goddess killing the demon was told in the
Dev
m
h
tmya
of the
M
rkan
eya-Pur
a
, and from there acquired pan-Indian popularity. In the text itself, the Goddess is most frequently referred to as Ambik
(‘little mother’, see
AMB
) or Ca
ik