O King, a wondrous and tumultuous battle unfolded, hair-raising in its ferocity, between Kṛṣṇa and Lord Śaṅkara (Śiva), and also between Pradyumna and Guha (Kārtikeya). On the battlefield, Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa challenged Balarāma, while Sāmba faced the son of Bāṇa, and Sātyaki contended with Bāṇa himself. The spectacle of this great war drew the attention of the highest beings: Brahmā, the lords of the gods, sages, perfected souls, celestial singers, nymphs, and yakṣas—all arrived in their aerial chariots to witness the unfolding drama. Kṛṣṇa, wielding his mighty Śārṅga bow, drove away the fierce followers of Śaṅkara—spirits, pramathas, guhyakas, ḍākinīs, rākṣasas, vināyakas, pretas, mātṛs, piśācas, kuṣmāṇḍas, and brahmarākṣasas—by releasing a rain of sharp arrows. Śiva, the wielder of the Pināka bow, launched a variety of divine weapons at Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa, unshaken, countered each one with his own celestial arsenal. He matched the Brahmāstra with his own Brahmāstra, the Vāyavya weapon with the Pārvatāstra, the Āgneya with the Pārjanya, and the fearsome Pāśupata with a weapon of his own. Then, bewildering Giriśa (Śiva) by deploying the Jṛmbhaṇa weapon, Śauri (Kṛṣṇa) struck down the ranks of Bāṇa’s army with sword, mace, and arrows. Pradyumna, meanwhile, assailed Skanda (Kārtikeya) with torrents of arrows from all sides, causing the peacock-bannered god to bleed and eventually withdraw from the battle. Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa, struck down by Balarāma’s plough, fell to the ground, and their now-leaderless troops scattered in all directions. Witnessing the destruction of his forces, Bāṇa, burning with rage, abandoned his fight with Sātyaki and charged straight at Kṛṣṇa in the thick of battle. In his fury, Bāṇa drew multiple bows at once, setting two arrows on each of five hundred shafts, and loosed them all at Kṛṣṇa. But Lord Hari, with supreme skill, cut down all those bows simultaneously, slew Bāṇa’s charioteer, shattered his chariot and horses, and then sounded his conch shell. At that moment, Bāṇa’s mother, Koṭarā, desperate to save her son, stood before Kṛṣṇa—naked, with hair disheveled. Out of respect, Kṛṣṇa turned his face aside and did not look at her, and Bāṇa, stripped of his chariot and weapons, entered the city in defeat. With the hosts of beings vanquished, a terrifying fever demon with three heads and three feet, burning like fire in all ten directions, rushed at Kṛṣṇa, the descendant of Dasarha. In response, the divine Nārāyaṇa released his own fever demon, and thus the fever of Śiva and the fever of Viṣṇu clashed in battle. Overwhelmed by the power of Viṣṇu’s fever, the fever demon of Śiva cried out in distress. Unable to find safety anywhere and filled with fear, he sought refuge in Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa), approaching him with folded hands and praise. The fever demon spoke with reverence: “I bow to you, Lord of infinite power, supreme ruler, soul of all, pure consciousness, the cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, the tranquil Brahman, the mark of Brahman. Time, destiny, action, living beings, nature, substance, field, breath, self, and transformation—all these, the flow of seed and sprout, are your illusion. I seek refuge in the negation of this illusion. “By your play, assuming various forms, you support the gods, the virtuous, and the bridges of the worlds; you destroy the violent and relieve the burden of the earth through your birth. Scorched by your unbearable, fierce fever, I see how those bound by hope fail to worship your feet and so continue to suffer.” Hearing this, the Blessed Lord said, “O Triśiras, I am pleased with you. Let your fear of fever be dispelled. Whoever remembers our conversation will never fear you.” Thus reassured, the fever demon of Śiva bowed to Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) and departed. Meanwhile, Bāṇa, having re-mounted his chariot, returned to the fray to confront Janārdana. Now, O King, Bāṇa, bearing a thousand arms and wielding many weapons, unleashed a furious volley of arrows at the wielder of the discus. Time and again, the Lord cut down the weapons that Bāṇa hurled from his many hands, using his razor-edged discus to sever Bāṇa’s arms as if they were branches from a tree. As Bāṇa’s arms were being shorn away, Lord Bhava (Śiva), ever compassionate to his devotees, approached and addressed Kṛṣṇa, the bearer of the discus: “O Supreme Brahman, the highest light, hidden within the Brahman described in words, you are perceived by pure souls as the all-pervading sky. The ether is your navel, fire your mouth, water your seed, the sky your head, the directions your ears, the earth your feet; the moon is your mind, the sun your eye, the self your soul; I am the ocean, your belly, and the serpent king is your arm. “Your hairs are plants, clouds are your waters, Brahmā is your hair, intelligence your creative power, Prajāpati your heart, and Dharma your very 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. You alone are the primordial, unique Person, the fourth beyond; self-seeing, cause and causeless, O Lord; you appear, yet are unchanged, manifesting all qualities by your own power. “Just as the sun, concealed by its own shadow, projects both shadow and form, so you, hidden by your own qualities, illuminate the qualities and those possessing them, O boundless light of the self. “Those whose minds are deluded by your maya become attached to children, spouses, homes, and so forth, and rise and sink, engrossed in the ocean of misfortune. Having gained this human birth, if one with uncontrolled senses does not honor your feet, he is to be pitied, for he deceives himself. He who abandons you, his own beloved self, and pursues sense objects instead, consumes poison while forsaking nectar. “I, Brahmā, the gods, and the sages of pure mind, have all surrendered to you, the dearest Lord, with our whole being. You are the cause of the world’s creation, sustenance, and dissolution; equal, tranquil, friend, self, and god—the sole, nondual source of the universe. We worship you, O Lord, for liberation from birth and death. “This Bāṇa is dear to me, beloved and obedient; I have granted him fearlessness, O Lord. Please, bestow your favor upon him, just as you showed mercy to the lord of the daityas.” To this, the Blessed Lord replied, “O revered one, whatever you say, I shall do as pleases you. Whatever you decide is agreeable and approved by me.” Thus, the tumult of battle gave way to peace through the mutual respect and devotion of the great gods, and the will of the Supreme Lord prevailed.