As the fierce battle raged on, Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa confronted mighty Balarāma, while Sāmba engaged Bāṇa’s son, and Sātyaki faced Bāṇa himself. The clash drew the attention of the entire cosmos: Lord Brahmā, accompanied by other divine rulers, sages, perfected beings, celestial singers, nymphs, and yakṣas, all arrived in their aerial chariots to witness the unfolding drama. Meanwhile, Krishna, the bearer of the Śārṅga bow, drove away the followers of Śaṅkara—spirits, pramathas, guhyakas, ḍākinīs, rākṣasas, and vināyakas—along with pretas, mātṛs, piśācas, kuṣmāṇḍas, and brahmarākṣasas, scattering them with sharp arrows from his bow. The wielder of Pināka, Lord Shiva, launched a barrage of celestial weapons at Krishna, but Krishna, calm and unshaken, countered each one with his own divine arsenal. He opposed the Brahmāstra with his own Brahmāstra, the Vāyavya with the Pārvatāstra, the Āgneya with the Pārjanya, and the mighty Pāśupata with his own weapon. Krishna then bewildered Giriśa (Shiva), who had been stupefied by the Jṛmbhaṇa weapon, and struck down Bāṇa’s army with sword, mace, and arrows. Skanda, Shiva’s son, assailed from all sides by Pradyumna’s relentless arrows, bled from his limbs and, bearing the peacock banner, withdrew from the fray. Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa, struck down by Balarāma’s plough, fell, and their leaderless troops scattered in panic. Seeing his forces shattered, Bāṇa, burning with rage, abandoned his duel with Sātyaki and charged directly at Krishna. Drawing five hundred bows at once, Bāṇa, frenzied with battle fury, set two arrows on each shaft. But Lord Hari simultaneously cut down all his bows, slew his charioteer, destroyed his chariot and horses, and then sounded his mighty conch. At this moment, Bāṇa’s mother, Koṭarā, appeared before Krishna, naked and with disheveled hair, seeking to protect her son’s life. Out of respect, Krishna turned his face aside, refusing to look at her. Bāṇa, now bereft of his chariot and with his bow broken, retreated into the city. With the hosts of beings driven away, the fever demon with three heads and three feet rushed at Krishna, as if burning the ten directions. Seeing this, the divine Nārāyaṇa released his own fever demon, and the fever of Shiva and the fever of Vishnu battled each other. Overwhelmed by the power of Vishnu’s fever, Shiva’s fever cried out in distress; unable to find safety and frightened, he sought refuge in Krishna, praising him with folded hands. The fever demon addressed Krishna: “I bow to you, O Lord of infinite power, supreme ruler, the soul of all, pure consciousness, the cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, tranquil Brahman, the mark of Brahman. Time, destiny, action, living beings, nature, substance, field, breath, self, and transformation—this aggregate, the flow of seed and sprout, is your illusion; I seek refuge in its negation. By 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 burden of the earth. I am scorched by your unbearable, fierce, and exceedingly intense fever; so long as people are bound by hope, they do not worship your feet, and thus their suffering continues.” Krishna 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 comforted, Shiva’s fever demon bowed to Krishna and departed. Bāṇa, remounting his chariot, advanced to fight Janārdana. Bearing a thousand arms and wielding various weapons, he released a torrent of arrows in great fury at Krishna, the wielder of the discus. Again and again, Krishna 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 (Shiva), compassionate to his devotee, approached Krishna and spoke: “You are the supreme Brahman, the 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. You alone are the primordial, unique Person, the fourth beyond; self-seeing, cause and causeless, O Lord; you appear, yet unchanged, by your own power, for the manifestation of all qualities. Just as the sun, concealed by its own shadow, projects both the shadow and forms, so you, hidden by your quality, illuminate the qualities and those possessing qualities, 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 obtained 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, O Lord, his own beloved self, and pursues the objects of the senses in reverse, consumes poison, forsaking nectar. I, Brahma, the gods, and the sages of pure mind, have all surrendered to you, the dearest Lord, with our whole being. You, 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 one is dear to me, beloved, obedient; I have granted him fearlessness, O Lord; let your favor be bestowed upon him, just as you showed mercy to the lord of the daityas.” Krishna replied with warmth, “O revered one, whatever you say, I shall do what pleases you; whatever you decide, that is agreeable and approved by me. This son of Virocana, an asura, is not to be slain even by me; a boon was granted to Prahlada, so neither he nor your lineage shall be killed by me.” Thus, the tumultuous battle concluded with Krishna’s grace and Shiva’s intercession, preserving Bāṇa’s life in honor of ancient boons and divine compassion.