Then, in the midst of the great battle, Lord Śiva, the wielder of the mighty Pināka bow, unleashed a torrent of weapons against Kṛṣṇa, the bearer of the Śārṅga bow. Yet Kṛṣṇa, unshaken and serene, countered each assault with precise and matching weapons of his own. When Śiva released the formidable Brahmāstra, Kṛṣṇa answered with his own Brahmāstra; the Vāyavya weapon was met with the Pārvatāstra, the Āgneya with the Pārjanya, and the terrifying Pāśupata with Kṛṣṇa’s own divine weapon. Having bewildered Giriśa (another name for Śiva), stupefied by the Jṛmbhaṇa weapon, Śauri—Kṛṣṇa—turned his attention to Bāṇa’s army. With sword, mace, and a rain of arrows, he struck down their ranks. Meanwhile, Skanda, the peacock-bannered god, found himself beset on all sides by Pradyumna’s relentless arrows. Blood streamed from his limbs, and, overwhelmed, Skanda withdrew from the field. Elsewhere, Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa were felled by the power of the plough weapon, and, seeing their leaders fall, their troops scattered in terror. Witnessing his forces being shattered, Bāṇa, burning with fury, abandoned his struggle with Sātyaki and rushed toward Kṛṣṇa in the heart of the battle. Mad with battle-lust, Bāṇa drew five hundred bows at once and set two arrows to each, unleashing a storm of projectiles. But Lord Hari, with effortless mastery, cut down every bow in a single instant, slew Bāṇa’s charioteer, destroyed his chariot and horses, and sounded his conch, filling the field with its divine resonance. At this, Bāṇa’s mother, Koṭarā, desperate to save her son, stood before Kṛṣṇa—naked and with her hair disheveled. Out of respect, Kṛṣṇa, Gadāgraja, turned his face aside, not gazing upon her. Thus Bāṇa, now bereft of chariot and weapons, slipped away into the city. With Bāṇa’s forces routed, the fever demon—three-headed and three-footed—rushed at Kṛṣṇa, descendant of Daśārha, blazing as if to burn the ten directions. Seeing this, the divine Nārāyaṇa released his own fever demon. The fever of Śiva and the fever of Viṣṇu clashed in a fierce battle. Overpowered by the might of Viṣṇu’s fever, Śiva’s fever demon cried out in distress, unable to find safety, and, trembling with fear, sought refuge in Hṛṣīkeśa, praising him with folded hands. He offered his obeisance: “O Lord of infinite power, supreme ruler, soul of all, pure consciousness, cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, tranquil Brahman, the mark of Brahman—I bow to you. Time, destiny, action, living beings, nature, substance, field, breath, self, and transformation—all this aggregate, the flow of seed and sprout, is your illusion. I seek refuge in its negation. “By your play, assuming many forms, you support the gods and the virtuous, uphold the bridges of the worlds, and destroy the violent. Your birth relieves the earth’s burden. I am scorched by your fierce and unbearable fever; as long as people are bound by hope, they do not worship your feet, and thus their suffering endures.” The Blessed Lord replied: “O Triśiras, I am pleased with you. Let your fear of fever be dispelled. Whoever remembers our conversation shall not suffer fear from you.” Thus addressed, Śiva’s fever demon bowed to Acyuta and departed. Meanwhile, Bāṇa, having regained a chariot, returned to confront Janārdana. The demon, now bearing a thousand arms and brandishing many weapons, unleashed a furious barrage of arrows at the wielder of the discus. Again and again, the Lord cut down the weapons flying from Bāṇa’s many hands with his razor-edged discus and, like branches from a tree, severed Bāṇa’s arms. As Bāṇa’s arms fell away, Lord Bhava (Śiva), ever compassionate to his devotees, approached Kṛṣṇa and spoke reverently to the wielder of the discus: “You are the supreme Brahman, the highest light, hidden within the Brahman described by words. The pure-hearted see you alone, as the sky itself. “Your navel is the ether, fire your mouth, water your semen, the sky your head, the directions your ears, your feet the earth, the moon 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 the plants, the clouds your waters, Brahmā your hair, intelligence your creative power, Prajāpati your heart, Dharma 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; all of us, 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. “As the sun, concealed by its own shadow, projects both shadow and forms, so you, hidden by your own qualities, illuminate all qualities, O boundless light of the self, and those who possess qualities. Those whose minds are deluded by your māyā become attached to children, spouses, homes, and so forth, and rise and sink, engrossed, in the ocean of misfortune. “He who, having gained this human birth, does not honor your feet, O Lord, is to be pitied, for he deceives himself. He who abandons you, his own beloved self, and pursues the objects of the senses, consumes poison, forsaking nectar. I, Brahmā, the gods, and the pure-minded sages 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—Bāṇa—is dear to me, beloved and obedient. I have granted him fearlessness, O Lord; let your favor fall upon him as you showed mercy to the lord of the daityas.” The Blessed Lord replied: “O revered one, whatever you say, I shall do. Whatever pleases you is agreeable to me. This son of Virocana, an asura, is not to be slain even by me; a boon was granted to Prahlāda, so neither he nor your lineage shall be killed by me. To humble his pride, I have broken his arms; his vast army, which burdened the earth, has been destroyed by me. Four of his arms remain; he will be ageless and immortal, chief among your attendants, and, O asura, he shall have no fear from anywhere.” Thus, having received the boon of fearlessness, Bāṇa bowed his head to Kṛṣṇa, placed Pradyumna on a chariot with his wife, and brought him forward. Then, surrounded by a division of troops, adorned in fine garments and ornaments, with his wife beside him, Bāṇa departed, honored by Lord Rudra.