O Mādhava, whatever weapon you hurl again and again in battle at your foes, after vanquishing them, that unfailing weapon will always return to your hand. At this moment, Varuṇa bestowed upon you a mighty mace, dreadful and thunderous, destroyer of demons, known as Kaumodakī. Delighted by these gifts, Arjuna and Acyuta—both masters of weapons, their chariots adorned with banners—turned to Agni, the god of fire, and spoke with confidence. “O Lord,” they declared, “today we are prepared to face not only all the gods and demons together in battle, but what is Indra alone, who seeks to fight merely for the sake of the serpents? Hrishikesha, wielder of the discus, is valiant in battle and, with his discus, can reduce everything to ashes; in all the three worlds, there is nothing that Janardana cannot accomplish. And I, Arjuna, with the Gandiva bow and inexhaustible arrows, am also able to conquer the worlds in battle. So, O Agni, let this blazing fire be surrounded on all sides; let it burn as it wishes today. We are ready to assist you in your task.” They continued, “If Mahendra himself, with all his celestial hosts, comes here to protect Khandava out of carelessness, he will witness the slaughter of the divine armies, their bodies pierced by our sharp arrows, adorned with earrings.” Thus addressed by Dāśārha (Krishna) and Arjuna, the divine Agni, assuming a fiery form, began to consume the Khandava forest. The seven-flamed, blazing fire surrounded everything, burning Khandava like the fire that marks the end of an age. With Agni’s permission, a great cloud entered the forest, its thunderous roar shaking all creatures. As the forest burned, the form of the fire shone brilliantly, like Mount Meru veiled in the rays of the sun. Arjuna and Krishna, the two best of charioteers, stationed their chariots on either side of the fire and wrought great destruction among the beings fleeing in all directions. Wherever the creatures of Khandava tried to escape, those two mighty warriors pursued and cornered them. There seemed no opening in the path of their swift-moving chariots; the two charioteers appeared as if joined together. As Khandava burned, thousands of beings arose, their cries terrifying and echoing on all sides. Many perished where they stood, others were scorched, some had their eyes burst, others were shattered, and still others were scattered. Some clung to their sons, fathers, or brothers—bound by affection, unable to abandon one another, they met their end together. Others, with clenched teeth, sprang up in countless numbers, only to stagger and rush back into the flames. Wings, eyes, and feet scorched, bodies writhed upon the earth, perishing everywhere. In the water reservoirs, now heated and boiling by fire, lifeless turtles and fish floated everywhere. Other creatures, their bodies ablaze, appeared like living fires as life was being destroyed throughout the forest. Arjuna, with his arrows, struck down those trying to fly away, cutting them to pieces and causing the birds to fall into the blazing Khandava. Those whose bodies were pierced with arrows cried out loudly, leapt upward, and fell again into the flames. From the forest-dwellers struck by arrows, a terrible roar arose, like the churning of the ocean. From the blazing fire, great flames rose up to the sky, causing immense alarm among the dwellers of heaven. Tormented by the intense blaze, the gods, led by the sages and all the celestial beings, approached Śatakratu, Indra, the thousand-eyed lord and destroyer of asuras. They cried, “Why are all these mortals being burned by this brilliant fire? Has destruction come upon the worlds, O lord of immortals?” Hearing their plea, Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, considered the matter and set out with the carrier of Hari to release Khandava from its torment. With a great host of chariots of various forms, Vāsava, the lord of gods, filled the sky and began to pour down rain. Urged by the king of gods, the clouds unleashed streams of water by the hundreds of thousands, each as thick as an axle, toward the burning forest. But the streams never reached the ground; dried up in the sky by the brilliance of Jātavedas, none of the water touched the fire. Enraged by the unyielding flames, Indra, slayer of Namuci, again released abundant waters with great clouds. The forest became dreadful, filled with streams of flame, smoke, and lightning, and thunder rolled across the sky. Terrified by the falling of burning trees and rocks, the inhabitants of Khandava—Dānavas, Rākṣasas, Nāgas, tigers, bears, and other forest-dwellers—fled in panic. Elephants, tigers, lions, those with manes, deer, buffaloes, and hundreds of birds joined the desperate exodus. All the living beings, deeply disturbed, tried to escape; they beheld the raging forest fire, and Krishna and Arjuna, both with weapons raised, blocking their path. Frightened by the ominous uproar and the sight of the burning forest, they saw Krishna with his weapon ready and let out a terrible cry. With that fierce sound and the roar of the fire, the entire sky resounded as if filled with clouds of ill omen. Then Krishna, mighty-armed, released his great and radiant discus.