Śauri, with effortless might, subdued the proud and powerful bulls, binding them with ropes and dragging them as easily as a child might pull along wooden toys. Witnessing this astonishing feat, the king, his heart filled with delight and amazement, joyfully gave his daughter in marriage to Kṛṣṇa. The Lord graciously accepted her, honoring the proper customs and recognizing her as his equal bride. The royal ladies, now blessed with Kṛṣṇa as their beloved son-in-law, were filled with supreme joy, and a grand festival blossomed throughout the kingdom. The air vibrated with the sounds of conch shells, kettledrums, and trumpets. Songs and musical instruments enlivened the celebration, while brāhmaṇas offered auspicious blessings. Men and women, adorned in splendid garments, garlands, and ornaments, rejoiced together. As dowry, the Lord bestowed ten thousand cows and three thousand young women bedecked with necklaces and fine clothes. He also gave nine thousand elephants, chariots numbering a hundred times more than the elephants, horses a hundred times more than the chariots, and men a hundred times more than the horses. The king of Kośala, his heart softened by affection, placed the newly wedded couple upon a chariot and, surrounded by a vast army, sent them off with honor. But the kings, whose pride had been broken by the Yadus and the bulls, could not bear this triumph. As the maiden was being led away, they gathered to block the procession. Arjuna, the mighty wielder of Gāṇḍīva and dear friend of Kṛṣṇa, stood as their protector. He scattered the volleys of arrows from the opposing kings, felling them as a lion brings down small beasts. Having received the splendid dowry, Kṛṣṇa, the foremost of the Yadus and son of Devakī, returned to Dvārakā and enjoyed happiness with his new bride, Satyā. In time, Kṛṣṇa also married Bhadrā, the daughter of his paternal aunt Śrutakīrti, a princess of the Kaikeyas, who was given to him by her brothers, such as Santardana. He alone carried away Lakṣmaṇā, the daughter of the king of Madra, radiant with auspicious marks, from her svayaṃvara, just as Garuḍa seized the nectar. In this way, after slaying Bhauma and rescuing them from captivity, thousands of beautiful women became Kṛṣṇa’s wives. At this, the king inquired, “O sage, tell me how Bhauma was slain by the Lord, and how those captive women were rescued by the wielder of Śārṅga.” Śuka replied: When Indra had taken away his umbrella, earrings, and companions, and his place upon the mountain of the gods was usurped, the Lord, informed of the earth-born’s deeds, mounted Garuḍa with his wife and set out for the city of Prāgjyotiṣa. That city was fortified on all sides by formidable mountain ramparts, weapon fortresses, and barriers of water, fire, and wind, as well as by the fierce, strong bonds of the demon Mura. With his mace, Kṛṣṇa shattered the mountains; with arrows, he destroyed the weapon fortresses. His discus overcame the barriers of fire, water, and wind, and his sword cut through the bonds of Mura. The blast of his conch, Pāñcajanya, broke the machines and struck terror into the hearts of the proud; with his mighty mace, Gadādhara smashed the ramparts. Hearing the thunderous sound of Pāñcajanya, as fearsome as the thunder at the end of an age, Mura, the five-headed demon, rose from the waters where he lay. Brandishing a blazing trident, dreadful to behold, he rushed at the son of Tārkṣya with all five mouths, like a serpent attacking its prey. He hurled his trident at Garuḍa and roared with all his mouths, filling the heavens and all directions with his terrible sound, as if enveloping the cosmic egg. The three-pronged weapon struck Garuḍa, but Hari countered with two triple-powered arrows and filled Mura’s mouths with his shafts. Enraged, Mura hurled his mace at Kṛṣṇa, but the Lord, elder among mace-wielders, shattered it with his own, splitting it into a thousand fragments. Raising his arms, the unconquered one rushed forward and, with playful ease, severed Mura’s heads with the discus. Headless, Mura’s massive form crashed into the waters like a mountain peak cut off by Indra’s thunderbolt. His seven sons—Tāmra, Antarikṣa, Śravaṇa, Vibhāvasu, Vasu, Nabhasvān, and Aruṇa—placed their commander Pīṭha at the front and, armed for battle, advanced in wrath at the behest of the earth-born. They unleashed a torrent of arrows, swords, maces, spears, javelins, and tridents, but the Lord, whose power never fails, cut their weapons to pieces with his own arrows. With his discus and arrows, he dispatched them all, sending those chiefs, led by Pīṭha, to the abode of Yama. Thus, Naraka, the son of the earth, was left alone. Witnessing this, Durmarṣaṇa, swollen with pride, attacked with elephants born from the ocean. Seeing Kṛṣṇa and his wife seated upon Garuḍa, like the sun atop a cloud accompanied by lightning, he hurled a deadly weapon at the Lord, and all the warriors attacked at once. Bhagavān, the elder of maces, struck down the earth-born army with wondrous steeds and sharp arrows, cutting off their limbs and slaying their horses and elephants. Whatever weapons and missiles the warriors launched, Hari cut them down with his own sharp arrows and sword-bearing shafts. Garuḍa, the mighty Suparṇa, aided the Lord by striking the elephants with his wings and slaying them with his beak, wings, and claws. Seeing his army routed and tormented by Garuḍa, Naraka retreated into his city, fighting fiercely as he went. He struck Kṛṣṇa with his weapon, but the thunderbolt was repelled and did not trouble the Lord, like a garland striking an elephant. In desperation, Naraka seized a spear, intent on slaying Acyuta, but before he could release it, Hari severed his head with the razor-edged discus as he sat upon his elephant. Naraka’s head, adorned with earrings and a beautiful crown, shone brilliantly as it fell to the earth. The sages and lords of the gods cried out in wonder and praise, showering Mukunda with garlands. Then Bhūmi, the earth goddess, approached Kṛṣṇa, bringing radiant earrings set with refined gold and jewels, the Vaijayanti garland, a great jewel, and a royal umbrella, and offered them to the son of Prachetas. Reverently, with hands joined and mind devoted, she praised the Lord of the universe: “Obeisance to you, Lord of gods, bearer of conch, discus, and mace. You who assume forms according to your devotees’ wishes, Supreme Soul, I bow to you. Salutations to you, lotus-naveled one, adorned with a garland of lotuses, lotus-eyed one, whose feet are like lotuses. Salutations to you, Bhagavān, Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu, the Supreme Person, the original seed, the knower of all. I bow to you.