At that very moment, as the great contest raged, Śala was struck on the head by Kṛṣṇa’s foot, and together with Tośalaka, both were split in two and fell to the ground. With Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, Kūṭa, Śala, and Tośalaka all slain, the remaining wrestlers, gripped by fear for their lives, fled from the arena. Gathering their cowherd friends, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma played joyfully amidst the jubilant sounds of musical instruments, their anklets ringing as they danced. The people erupted in celebration at the heroic deeds of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa; all, except Kaṃsa, the foremost brāhmaṇas and the virtuous ones exclaimed, “Well done! Well done!” Seeing his best wrestlers dead and himself thrown into turmoil, the king of the Bhojas, Kaṃsa, silenced his musicians and spoke harshly: “Expel those two wicked sons of Vasudeva from the city! Seize the wealth of the cowherds! Bind Nanda, that evil-minded man! Kill Vasudeva at once, along with the best of horses! And Ugrasena, my father, who sides with the enemy—him and his followers, let them be slain!” As Kaṃsa thus raged, the imperishable Lord, now angered, leapt swiftly and mounted the high platform. Sensing the approach of his own death, Kaṃsa sprang up from his seat, resolute, and seized his shield and sword. He moved about with his weapon, swift and circling like a hawk in the sky, but Kṛṣṇa, of irresistible and fierce energy, seized him forcefully—just as Garuḍa would seize a serpent. Grabbing Kaṃsa by the hair, his crown trembling, Kṛṣṇa hurled him from the high platform down onto the arena floor. Then, the lotus-naveled Lord himself, the very refuge of the universe, cast himself down upon Kaṃsa from above. Hari dragged the lifeless body of Kaṃsa across the ground, as one would drag an elephant, while all the world looked on. A great cry of “Alas! Alas!” arose from all the people, O King. Kaṃsa, whose mind was always restless—whether eating, speaking, moving, sleeping, or breathing—had constantly envisioned the Lord with the discus weapon before him. Thus, at the end, he attained that very form, which is difficult to obtain. At once, Kaṃsa’s eight brothers—Kaṅka, Nyagrodhaka, and the others—rushed forward, enraged and seeking vengeance for their brother’s death. Then Balarāma, son of Rohiṇī, struck them down with great speed, wielding his club as a lion fells wild beasts. The drums resounded in the sky, and the divine powers, led by Brahmā and Śiva, delightedly showered flowers upon Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, praised them, and the women danced in celebration. Meanwhile, the wives of the slain, overwhelmed with grief, approached the bodies of their beloveds, beating their heads and weeping, their eyes brimming with tears. Embracing their husbands as they lay upon the heroes’ beds, the women lamented in sweet voices, again and again releasing their sorrow: “Alas, lord, beloved, knower of righteousness, compassionate protector of the helpless! With you slain, we and our children and households are destroyed. Bereft of you, O best of men, this city has lost all beauty, just as we have, with all festivals and auspiciousness ended. You have committed a grievous wrong against innocent beings; O slayer of creatures, who, having brought us to this state, can ever find peace?” They mourned, acknowledging that for all beings, this is the source of creation and dissolution, and that as the protector, one who disregards this never finds happiness anywhere. Śuka continued: The Lord, creator of the worlds, comforted the royal women and performed the proper funeral rites for the slain, as is customary in the world. Then, having released his mother and father from their bonds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma bowed to them, touching their feet with their heads. Devakī and Vasudeva, recognizing their sons as the Lords of the universe, after receiving their reverence, embraced them without fear. The Supreme Person, seeing that his parents’ desires had been fulfilled, spread his own deluding power, saying, “Do not grieve,” bewildering the minds of all. Approaching his parents with his elder brother, the best of the Sātvatas, he bowed respectfully and, to please them, addressed them affectionately as “Mother” and “Father.” “O Father,” Kṛṣṇa said, “though you and Mother always longed for us, your sons, we were never able to spend our childhood, boyhood, or youth with you. Because fate prevented us, we could not dwell near you; the happiness that children, cherished in their father’s house, usually enjoy, we did not experience. Even if a mortal lives a hundred years, he cannot repay his parents, from whom his body—the source of all attainments—is born and nourished. If a son, able in body and wealth, does not provide for the livelihood of his parents, after death he is made to eat his own flesh. One who, though able, neglects his aged mother and father, virtuous wife, young child, teacher, brāhmaṇa, or one who has sought refuge, is as good as dead though living. For us, whose minds were always anxious because of Kaṃsa, these days passed in vain, without worshipping your feet. Therefore, O Father and Mother, you should forgive us, who were dependent and much afflicted by a cruel-hearted man, for not serving you.” Śuka said: Thus, by the words of Hari, the Soul of the universe who had assumed a human form through his māyā, Devakī and Vasudeva were deluded; lifting Kṛṣṇa onto their laps and embracing him, they attained joy. Flooded with tears and bound by the ties of affection, they could say nothing, O King—their throats choked with emotion and their minds bewildered. Having thus comforted his parents, the son of Devakī, the Lord, installed Ugrasena, his maternal grandfather, as king over the Yadus. He said, “O great king, you should command us and the people; because of Yayāti’s curse, the Yadus must not sit on the royal throne. When I, your servant, am present, even the gods and others bow down and offer tribute—what then of other human kings?” All their relatives and kin—the Yadus, Vrishnis, Andhakas, Madhus, Dasharhas, Kukuras, and others—who had been distressed in all directions by fear of Kaṃsa, now found relief and hope under the protection of the Lord.