O King, see this world as a fleeting dream, an illusion, a mere fantasy. Know yourself by yourself, and remain equal-minded and peaceful, O master. Hearing these words, Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied, “O lord of charity, your auspicious counsel is like nectar, and yet I am never satisfied by it—just as a mortal is never content to drink nectar.” Still, he confessed, “Though your words are sweet, they do not linger in my heart, which is restless and poisoned by attachment to my children, just as lightning does not stay in the sky.” He reflected further, “Who can overturn the will of the Lord, O man? The Lord who has descended in the Yadu dynasty to relieve the earth’s burden. He who, by his own inscrutable power, creates this world, divides its qualities, and enters into it—unto him, the Supreme Lord whose play is beyond comprehension, who moves within the cycle of worldly existence, I offer my respects.” Understanding the king’s intention, that noble Yadava, having been permitted by his friends, returned to the city of the Yadus. There, he reported to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa all that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had done regarding the Pāṇḍavas, for which he himself had been sent. Thus concludes the forty-ninth chapter of the first half of the tenth book in the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Śuka continued: O best of the Bharatas, Asti and Prāpti, the wives of Kaṃsa, grieving at the death of their husband, went to their father’s house. They revealed everything—the cause of their widowhood—to their father, Jarāsandha, king of Magadha, who was deeply distressed. Hearing this painful news, Jarāsandha, filled with grief and anger, resolved to destroy the Yadava clan. Gathering twenty akṣauhiṇīs of troops, and three more, he besieged Mathurā, the capital of the Yadus, on all sides. The army swelled like the ocean, and as the city was surrounded and his people trembled in fear, Kṛṣṇa thoughtfully considered the situation. The Lord Hari, in his human form, reflected on the purpose of his descent, weighing the time, place, and circumstances. He resolved, “I will destroy this force, which has gathered as a burden upon the earth, assembled by the king of Magadha from all the subjugated rulers. These armies, counted by akṣauhiṇīs, with soldiers, horses, chariots, and elephants, must be destroyed. But the king of Magadha himself should not be slain, for he will gather another force. This is the purpose of my descent: to relieve the earth of its burden, to protect the virtuous, and to destroy others. Another body is assumed by me for the protection of dharma, and, when adharma arises at certain times, for its cessation.” As Govinda thus meditated, two chariots, radiant as the sun, suddenly appeared from the sky, complete with drivers and all equipment. Divine, ancient weapons also appeared by chance; seeing them, Hṛṣīkeśa spoke to Saṅkarṣaṇa: “Behold, O noble one, the calamity that has befallen the Yadus, O Lord of those who have descended to earth; here is your chariot, along with your beloved weapons. Indeed, for this very purpose have we been born, O Lord, bringer of happiness to the virtuous: remove the burden of the earth, known as the twenty-three armies.” Having consulted together, the two sons of Dasharha, resolute and armed for battle since ancient times, set out, equipped with their weapons and accompanied by a small force. Hari, with Daruka as his charioteer, blew his conch as he set forth; terror and trembling arose in the hearts of the enemy soldiers. Seeing them approach, Jarāsandha, king of Magadha, said, “O Krishna, lowest of men, I do not wish to fight with you, a mere boy, out of shame; nor with you, who hide behind others, O dullard—go away, destroyer of kin, I will not fight you. But you, Rama, if you have faith, fight and show your courage; either abandon your body, cut down by my arrows, and ascend to heaven, or kill me.” The Blessed Lord replied, “Truly, heroes do not boast; they simply display their valor. We do not heed the words of one who is distressed and facing death, O King.” Then, Jarāsandha rushed at the two Madhavas, surrounding them with a mighty host—chariots, elephants, horses, and banners—like the wind enveloping the sun and fire with clouds of dust. The women, seeing the two chariots of Hari and Rama, marked with the emblems of Garuda and the palm tree, in the midst of battle, fled to the ancient towers, palaces, and gateways, overcome with grief and confusion. Hari, seeing his own army—honored by gods and demons—afflicted again and again by the fierce rain of arrows from the enemy host, sounded his supreme Sharnga bow with a thunderous twang. Drawing arrows from his quiver, stringing and releasing volleys of sharp shafts, he struck down chariots, elephants, horses, and foot soldiers, his whirling discus never leaving his hand. Elephants with shattered tusks fell in great numbers; horses, their necks severed by arrows, collapsed; chariots, with their horses, banners, drivers, and leaders slain, and foot soldiers with arms, thighs, and necks cut, lay scattered. As the limbs of elephants, horses, and men were severed, rivers of blood flowed in hundreds, filled with arms, horse heads, human skulls, and turtle-like torsos, crowded with the corpses of slain elephants, horses, and warriors. These rivers had waves of arms, hair as waterweeds, bows as currents, and were choked with clusters of weapons; their terrifying whirlpools were formed by spinning swords, and they sparkled with gems, pearls, ornaments, and stones. In that battle, Sankarshana, of immeasurable brilliance, wielding his mace, struck down the arrogant foes, causing terror among the timid and joy among the brave, as the warriors destroyed each other. That army, vast and dreadful as a sea of fire, guarded by the king of Magadha and seemingly insurmountable, was utterly destroyed by the sons of Vasudeva, whose play is supreme in the world. He whose power, infinite in qualities, brings about the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the three worlds by his own play—there is nothing remarkable in his subduing of enemies; yet, for the sake of mortals, it is described. Rama seized Jarasandha, mighty though he was, after his chariot was destroyed and his army slain, just as a lion seizes another lion, overpowering him by sheer strength. Govinda stopped him from being bound with human and Varuna’s ropes, after his enemies had been slain, in order to accomplish a certain purpose. Freed by the Lords of the world, Jarasandha, esteemed among heroes, felt ashamed; resolved upon penance, he was blocked on the road by the kings.