As Aniruddha fought valiantly within the palace, warriors rushed from all sides to seize him. Yet, like a mighty boar scattering a pack of dogs, Aniruddha struck down his assailants. Those who had come to attack him were slain or wounded, their heads, thighs, and arms broken, and in terror, they fled from the palace. Then, Bāṇa’s powerful son, wielding magical serpent bonds, managed to bind Aniruddha, who, in his anger, had been slaying their own troops. Witnessing Aniruddha captured, Usha was overcome with sorrow and grief, her eyes brimming with tears as she wept for him. Thus concludes the chapter known as “The Binding of Aniruddha” in the great Purāṇa, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. After this, Śuka continued: O descendant of Bharata, while Aniruddha and his kin remained unseen, four months passed, filled with ceaseless grief for their families. Upon hearing from the sage Nārada about Aniruddha’s captivity and all that had transpired, the Vṛṣṇis—whose supreme deity is Kṛṣṇa—set out for Śoṇitapura. Pradyumna, Yuyudhāna, Gada, Sāmba, Sāraṇa, Nanda, Upananda, Bhadra, and others, all followers of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, joined together. With twelve divisions of troops, the foremost Sātvatas surrounded Bāṇa’s city on every side. Seeing his gardens, ramparts, towers, and gateways being destroyed, Bāṇa was seized by anger. Gathering an army equal in strength, he came forth to fight. For Bāṇa’s sake, the blessed Rudra (Śiva), along with his son and the hosts of Pramathas, mounted the bull Nandi and engaged in battle with Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. A tumultuous, wondrous, and hair-raising battle erupted between Kṛṣṇa and Śaṅkara (Śiva), and also between Pradyumna and Guha (Skanda). Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa fought with Balarāma; Sāmba faced Bāṇa’s son; Sātyaki contended with Bāṇa himself. Brahmā and other lords of the gods, sages, perfected beings, celestial singers, nymphs, and yakṣas arrived in their aerial vehicles to witness the battle. Kṛṣṇa, with his mighty Śārṅga bow, drove away the followers of Śaṅkara—spirits, pramathas, guhyakas, ḍākinīs, rākṣasas, vināyakas, pretas, mātṛs, piśācas, kuṣmāṇḍas, and brahmarākṣasas—by releasing sharp arrows. The wielder of Pināka (Śiva) unleashed many kinds of weapons at the bearer of Śārṅga (Kṛṣṇa), but Kṛṣṇa, undisturbed, neutralized them with counter-weapons. He opposed the Brahmāstra with his own Brahmāstra, the Vāyavya with the Pārvatāstra, the Āgneya with the Pārjanya, and the Pāśupata with his own weapon. Then, bewildering Giriśa (Śiva) with the Jṛmbhaṇa weapon, Śauri (Kṛṣṇa) struck down Bāṇa’s army with sword, mace, and arrows. Skanda, under a torrent of arrows from Pradyumna, bled from his limbs and, as the peacock-bannered one, withdrew from the battle. Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa, struck down by Balarāma’s plough, fell, and their leaderless troops fled in all directions. Seeing his forces shattered, Bāṇa, burning with rage, abandoned Sātyaki and charged straight at Kṛṣṇa in the midst of battle. Drawing his bows simultaneously, Bāṇa, mad with battle fury, set two arrows on each of five hundred shafts. But Lord Hari cut down all those bows at once, slew the charioteer, destroyed the chariot and horses, and sounded his conch. At that moment, Bāṇa’s mother Koṭarā stood naked with disheveled hair before Kṛṣṇa, seeking to protect her son’s life. Gadāgraja (Kṛṣṇa), out of respect, turned his face aside and did not look upon her; and Bāṇa, now without chariot and bow, retreated into the city. When the hosts of supernatural beings had been driven away, a fever demon with three heads and three feet rushed at the descendant of Dasarha (Kṛṣṇa), as if burning the ten directions. Seeing this, the divine Nārāyaṇa released his own fever demon; thus, the fever of Śiva and the fever of Viṣṇu fought each other. Overwhelmed by the power of Viṣṇu’s fever, Śiva’s fever cried out in distress; unable to find safety and frightened, he sought refuge in Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa), praising him with folded hands: “O Lord of infinite power, supreme ruler, soul of all, pure consciousness, cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, tranquil Brahman, mark of Brahman—I bow to you. Time, destiny, action, living being, nature, substance, field, breath, self, and transformation—all these, the flow of seed and sprout, are your illusion; I seek refuge in its negation. Through your play, assuming various forms, you support the gods, the virtuous, and the bridges of the worlds; you destroy those who stray by violence; your birth is for relieving the earth’s burden. I am scorched by your unbearable, fierce, and intense fever; so long as people are bound by hope, they do not worship the root of your feet, and their suffering continues.” The Blessed Lord replied: “O Triśiras, I am pleased with you; let your fear from fever be dispelled. Whoever remembers our conversation will not have fear from you.” Thus addressed, the fever demon of Śiva bowed to Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) and departed. Bāṇa, mounting his chariot once more, advanced to fight Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa). Then, O King, the demon Bāṇa, bearing a thousand arms and various weapons, released arrows in great fury at the wielder of the discus. Again and again, the Lord cut down the weapons coming from Bāṇa’s mouth with his razor-edged discus, severing Bāṇa’s arms like branches from a tree. As Bāṇa’s arms were being cut, Lord Bhava (Śiva), ever compassionate to his devotees, approached and spoke to the wielder of the discus: “O supreme Brahman, highest light, hidden within the Brahman expressed in words; those with pure souls see you as the sky, alone. Your navel is the ether, fire is your mouth, water is your semen, the sky is your head, the directions are your ears, your feet are the earth; the moon is your mind, the sun your eye, the self is your soul, I am the ocean, your belly, and the serpent king is your arm. Your hairs are the plants, the clouds are your waters, Brahmā is your hair, intelligence is your creative power, Prajāpati is your heart, and Dharma is your essence; truly, you are the cosmic person, the model of the worlds. This descent of yours, O unimpeded Lord, is for the protection of dharma and the welfare of the world; and we, all inspired by you, comprehend the seven realms.” Thus, the great battle reached its climax, and the supreme truth was revealed amidst the struggle, as the gods and sages watched with awe.