Book excerpt: These twelve names of goddess vārāhī are given in the seventeenth chapter of lalitopākhyāna – the narration about goddess lalitā. This is a conversation between Lord Hayagreeva and sage Agastya, Hayagreeva teaches Agastya the twelve names of goddess vārāhī. These are called the secretive names of vārāhī as these names contain the key to understanding who vārāhī is. The gods and goddesses standing in the sky praise her with these names, says the brahmanda purana. All twelve names describe the attributes of goddess vārāhī, apart from that, some names also indicate various forms of goddess vārāhī. This hymn also acts as a great protective armour for those who chant it.