Having bewildered Lord Śiva, who had been overcome by the power of the Jṛmbhaṇa weapon, Kṛṣṇa—known as Śauri—turned his attention to Bāṇa’s formidable army. With sword, mace, and a shower of arrows, he struck down the asura forces, scattering them in all directions. Meanwhile, Skanda, the mighty commander with the peacock banner, found himself under relentless attack from Pradyumna. Torrents of arrows pierced his limbs, drawing blood, and at last, overwhelmed, Skanda withdrew from the battlefield. Elsewhere, the fearsome warriors Kumbhāṇḍa and Kūpakarṇa were struck down by the plough weapon, falling to the earth. Bereft of their leaders, their troops broke ranks and fled in panic. Witnessing the destruction of his army, Bāṇa was consumed with fury. Leaving his struggle with Sātyaki behind, he charged straight at Kṛṣṇa in the heart of the battle. In a display of wild rage, Bāṇa drew his many bows at once, setting two arrows upon each of five hundred shafts, and unleashed them all together. But the Lord Hari, with supreme skill, cut down every bow in an instant. He killed Bāṇa’s charioteer, destroyed his chariot and horses, and then sounded his conch, filling the field with its divine resonance. At that moment, Bāṇa’s mother, Koṭarā, desperate to save her son, rushed forward. She stood naked, her hair disheveled, placing herself before Kṛṣṇa as a shield for Bāṇa’s life. Out of respect, Kṛṣṇa, known as Gadāgraja, turned his face away and did not look upon her. Bāṇa, now without chariot or bow, slipped away and entered the city. With the armies routed, a fever demon with three heads and three feet—sent by Śiva—rushed at Kṛṣṇa, burning as if to consume the ten directions. Seeing this, the divine Nārāyaṇa released his own fever spirit. The fever of Śiva and the fever of Viṣṇu clashed in fierce combat. Overwhelmed by the might of Viṣṇu’s fever, the fever of Śiva cried out in pain. Frightened and unable to find refuge elsewhere, he approached Lord Hṛṣīkeśa with folded hands, seeking protection and praising him: “I bow to you, O Lord of infinite power, supreme ruler, pure consciousness, the cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, the tranquil Brahman, the very mark of Brahman. Time, destiny, action, the living being, nature, substance, the field, breath, the self, and transformation—this whole aggregate, the flow of seed and sprout, is your illusion. I seek refuge in the negation of this illusion. By your playful power, assuming many forms, you support the gods, the virtuous, and the very bridges between worlds. You destroy those who stray by violence; your birth is to relieve the earth’s burden. I am scorched by your unbearable, fierce fever. As long as people are bound by hope, they do not worship 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 never fear you.” Thus reassured, the fever demon of Śiva bowed to Acyuta and departed. Meanwhile, Bāṇa, regaining his chariot, returned to the fray to face Janārdana once more. Bāṇa, the demon with a thousand arms and wielding many weapons, unleashed a furious barrage of arrows at the Lord, the wielder of the discus. But time and again, Kṛṣṇa cut down every weapon, even those launched from Bāṇa’s very mouth, with his razor-sharp discus. With swift precision, he severed Bāṇa’s arms as easily as one lops branches from a tree. As Bāṇa’s arms fell, Lord Bhava—compassionate to his devotees—approached Kṛṣṇa and addressed him: “You are the supreme Brahman, the highest light, hidden within the Brahman known by words; the pure see you as the all-pervading sky. Your navel is ether, fire your mouth, water your semen, the sky your head, the directions your ears, your feet the earth; 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 the plants, the clouds your waters, Brahmā your hair, intelligence your creative power, Prajāpati your heart, and Dharma your essence. Truly, you are the cosmic person, the model of all worlds. Your descent, O Lord, is for the protection of dharma and the welfare of the world; inspired by you, we comprehend the seven realms. You alone are the primordial, unique Person, the fourth beyond, self-seeing, cause and causeless. You appear, yet remain unchanged, manifesting all qualities by your own power. Just as the sun, hidden by its own shadow, projects both shadow and form, so you, concealed by your own qualities, illuminate the qualities and those possessing them, O boundless light. 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. If, having gained this human birth, one does not honor your feet, he 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 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 Bāṇa is dear to me, beloved and 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.” The Blessed Lord replied, “O revered one, whatever you wish, I shall do. Your decision is agreeable and approved by me. This son of Virocana, an asura, is not to be slain even by me. I have granted a boon to Prahlāda; neither he nor your lineage shall be killed by me. To humble Bāṇa’s pride, I have broken his arms and destroyed his vast army, which burdened the earth. Four of his arms remain; he will be ageless and immortal, chief among your attendants, and shall have no fear from anywhere.” Thus, having received fearlessness, Bāṇa bowed his head to Kṛṣṇa. He placed Pradyumna on a chariot with his wife and brought him forward. Surrounded by a division of the army, adorned in fine garments and ornaments, with his wife at his side, Bāṇa departed, honored by Rudra. He entered his royal city, splendid with flags and gateways, its crossroads well guarded, as the sounds of conch, trumpet, and drum resounded. Citizens, friends, and the twice-born welcomed him with joy. Whoever remembers Kṛṣṇa’s victory and his great battle with Śaṅkara, rising in the morning, will never suffer defeat.