In plain words
So he boasted in his Ahaṅkāra. Brahman, who had resolved to root out this Ahaṅkāra, laid a little blade of grass before him and said, "O Agni! Burn this; let me see." Thinking, "What a small task this is," he carelessly tried to burn it. But however much he tried, Agni could not burn that blade of grass at all. He used all his power. But it came to nothing. With that he went away with his head bowed. Coming forward: "Sir! I am the god of wind. When my wind blows, the oceans swell up, and I can turn villages, towns, hamlets, hills and trees upside down. Do you not know the disasters that happen in the world through storm floods? All of these are my greatness and nothing else." So in many ways he went on showing his pride. "Oho! So mighty as that? Then move this blade of grass," said the Yakṣa. He put forth his power and tried in every way. But he could not move it. Meanwhile Indra came. By the time Indra came, the Yakṣa who had been in the court vanished. In the court a woman came and stood. Indra looked! "Mother, who are you? Who was the one who was here before?" he asked. My name is Umā. The one who was here before is Brahman. Because your Ahaṅkāra had gone beyond all bounds, he appeared in order to root out your Ahaṅkāra, to show you nothing but your own true nature, and to teach you right Jñāna. As long as there is Ahaṅkāra, the vision of one's own true nature is not gained. That is why he took the form of a Yakṣa. You could not recognise as Brahman even the Brahman who stood in the form of a Yakṣa. This fire, water and wind are all equal to the senses, the indriyas. You are the master of all of these. Even you are not at all fit for the vision of Brahman. That is why that Brahman vanished; and because you are Indra, you are simply the embodiment of desire. To root out these desires of yours, I have appeared as a woman, the embodiment of desire. Through these teachings the gods rooted out their Ahaṅkāra to some extent, opened their eyes, gained the dawning of Jñāna, and went on praying to Brahman. Though the gods had so much power, they could not move one blade of grass. Where does such power come from?