Who is Sarasvati's daughter Kotara?

Question

According to this extract from the Uttarakhanda of Padma Purana there is a Goddess named Kotara/Kotaraksi that was worshiped by Aniruddha (Krishna's grandson) during his battle against Banasura. Krishna established her tirtha at the bank of a river.

1-13. A little away from it is the excellent Siddhaksetra, O goddess. Formerly Aniruddha was chosen by Citralekha for Usá.

He was taken to Banasura's city formerly and he stayed in his (i.e. Banasura's) house. Checked by nooses and arrows, he then remembered Kotaraksi.

She is actually the power of Visnu, always engaged in protecting (the devotees). Krsna installed (the image of) this goddess here on the bank of the river. Due to the hymn of Aniruddha, returning to Dvaraka, after having vanquished Banasura in a battle, she actually came near (him).

She seems to be the same goddess mentioned in this portion of Harivamsa known as Kotavati.

Although I am more interested in this sentence that Mahadeva narrated to Parvati:

Kotaraksi has a universal form. She has great divine power. She is superior in strength. She in Tripura, is the destroyer of Tripura; is Siva and of the form of Siva. She is said to be the daughter of Sarasvati. She is Durga. She removes misery. She is Bhairavi, Bhairavaksi, and Laksmi, to whom the people (i.e. devotees) of the goddess are dear, O Chief goddess. Thus various names (of her) are mentioned.

How did Kotara come to be Sarasvati's daughter? I am assuming this refers to the Goddess Sarasvati consort of Brahma.

Here (page 601 of the pdf) are the Sanskrit verses of the above quote if it helps. I've put them up as a screenshot because the copy-paste translated them as gibberish.

Answer 1

Mata Kotarakshi is one of the 64 yoginis.

Sri Skanda Purana 4.1.45.:

Skanda said:

33. O Pot-born One, I shall mention the names of the Yoginīs, on hearing which all the sins of the persons of worldly existence perish instantaneously.

34-41. The sixty-four names of the Yoginīs: (1) Gajānanā, (2) Siṃhamukhī, (3) Gṛdhrāsyā, (4) Kākatuṇḍikā, (5) Uṣṭragrīvā, (6) Hayagrīvā, (7) Vārāhī, (8) Śarabhānanā, (9) Ulūkikā, (10) Śivārāvā, (11) Mayūrī, (12) Vikaṭānanā, (13) Aṣṭavakrā, (14) Koṭarākṣī, (15) Kubjā, (16) Vikaṭalocanā, (17) Śuṣkodarī, (18) Lalajjihvā, (19) Śvadaṃṣṭrā, (20) Vānarānanā, (21) Ṛkṣākṣī, (22) Kekarākṣī, (23) Bṛhattuṇḍa, (24) Surāpriyā, (25) Kapālahastā, (26) Raktākṣī, (27) Śukī, (28) Śyenī, (29) Kapotikā, (30) Pāśahastā, (31) Daṇḍahastā, (32) Pracaṇḍā Caṇḍavikramā, (33) Śiśughnī, (34) Pāpahantrī, (35) Kālī, (36) Rudhirapāyinī, (37) Vasādhayā, (38) Garbhabhakṣā, (39) Śavahastā, (40) Āntramālinī, (41) Sthūlakeśī, (42) Bṛhatkukṣī, (43) Sarpāsyā, (44) Pretavāhanā, (45) Dandaśūkakarā, (46) Krauñcī, (47) Mṛgaśīrṣā, (48) Vṛṣānanā, (49) Vyāttāsyā, (50) Dhūmaniḥśvāsā, (51) Vyomaikacaraṇā, (52) Urdhvadṛk, (53) Tāpanīdṛṣṭi, (54) Śoṣanīdṛṣti, (55) Koṭarī, (56) Sthūlanāsikā, (57) Vidyutprabhā, (58) Balākāsyā, (59) Mārjārī, (60) Kaṭapūtanā, (61) Aṭṭāṭṭahāsā, (62) Kāmākṣī, (63) Mṛgākṣī, (64) Mṛgalocanā.

42. If any man repeats these sixty-four names everyday at dawn, midday and dusk, all his sufferings due to evil spirits become subsided.

One of the Shaktis born of Maa Durga.

Sri Skanda Purana 4.2.72.:

Skanda said:

2. O Pot-born Sage, I shall tell the names of those great Śaktis born of the limbs of Umā. Listen to them factually:

3. Trailokyavijayā, Tārā, Kṣamā, Trailokyasundarī, Tripurā, Trijaganmātā, Bhīmā, Tripurabhairavī,

4. Kāmākhyā, Kamalākṣī, Dhṛti, Tripuratāpanī, Jayā, Jayantī, Vijayā, Jaleśī, Aparājitā,

5. Śaṅkhinī, Gajavaktrā, Mahiṣaghnī, Raṇapriyā, Śubhānandā, Koṭarākṣī, Vidyujjihvā, Śivāravā,

6. Trinetrā, Trivaktrā, Tripādā, Sarvamaṅgalā, Huṃkāraheti [Huṃkārahetī?], Tāleśī, Sarpāsyā, Sarvasundarī,

7. Siddhi, Buddhi, Svadhā, Svāhā, Mahānidrā, Śarāśanā, Pāśapāṇi, Kharamukhī, Vajratārā, Ṣaḍānanā,

8. Mayūravadanā, Kākī, Śukī, Bhāsī, Garutmatī, Padmāvatī, Padmakeśī, Padmāsyā, Padmavāsinī,

9. Akṣarā, Tryakṣarā, Tantu, Praṇaveśī, Svarātmikā, Trivargā, Garvarahitā, Ajapā, Japahāriṇī,

10. Japasiddhi, Tapaḥsiddhi, Yogasiddhi, Parā, Amṛtā, Maitrīkṛt, Mitranetrā, Rakṣoghnī, Daityatāpanī,

11. Staṃbhanī, Mohanī, Māyā, Bahumāyā, Balotkaṭā, Uccāṭanī, Maholkāsyā, Danujendrakṣayaṃkarī,

12. Kṣemaṃkarī, Siddhikarī, Chinnamastā, Śubhānanā, Śākaṃbharī, Mokṣalakṣmī, Trivargaphaladāyinī,

13-14. Vārtālī, Jaṃbhalī, Klinnā, Aśvārūḍhā, Sureśvarī, Jvālāmukhī and others. They numbered nine crores. All of them were extremely powerful. Sportingly the armies of the mighty Dānavas were shrunk by them like the worlds shrunk by the flames of the fire at the time of the ultimate annihilation.

• Koṭavī is said to be an eighth portion of Rudrāṇī, and the tutelary goddess (Kula Devi) of the Daityas, composed of incantations. The Hari V. calls her also Lambā, and intimates her being the mother of Bāṇa, and as identical with Durgā. The word in the lexicons designates a naked woman, and is thence applicable to Durgā, in some of her forms (like Kāli).

Sri Padma Purana 6.159.10.:

कन्या सारस्वती प्रोक्ता दुर्गा दुर्गतिहारिणी । भैरवी भैरवाक्षी च लक्ष्मी देवी जनप्रिया ॥ १० ॥

She (Koṭārākṣī) is said to be the girl Sarasvatī, she is Durgā, the destroyer of evil. She is Bhairavī, Bhairavākṣī and Lakshmi dear to everyone. ॥ 10 ॥

Note.: Here, Kanya Saraswati means Child/Girl Saraswati not the daughter of Saraswati same as we call the Child form of Maa Parvati as Kanya Kumari. As the Kanya is in the Prefix. If the word "Kanya" was placed at the suffix (Saraswati Kanya) then it would have mean daughter, same as the name Shaila Putri viz the Daughter of Shaila (Mountain).

Q.: As for why Girl Saraswati.?

A.: Because Saraswati is considered as a girl, Lakshmi as an Young Maiden and Kali as an Olderly Woman.

Shandilya Upanishad.:

Sitting in the paḍma posture, the person should meditate that there is at the tip of his nose Gāyaṭrī, a girl of red complexion surrounded by the numberless rays of the image of the moon and mounted on a hamsa (swan) and having a mace in her hand. She is the visible symbol of the letter A. The letter U has as its visible symbol Sāviṭrī, a young woman of white colour having a disk in her hand and riding on a garuda (eagle). The letter M has as its visible symbol Sarasvaṭī, an aged woman of black colour riding on a bull, having a trident in her hand.

I hope this clarifies all your queries. Prd..