As the mighty conflict raged, Triśiras—the fever demon sent by Śiva—addressed Lord Krishna with reverence. He spoke of Krishna’s wondrous play, how, assuming countless forms, Krishna upheld the gods, the virtuous, and the very bridges between worlds. He destroyed those who wandered from righteousness through violence, and his birth itself was for relieving the earth’s burden. Triśiras confessed that he was scorched by Krishna’s unbearable, fierce, and intense fever. He lamented that as long as people were bound by hope, they failed to worship the root of Krishna’s feet, and thus their suffering endured. Hearing this, the Blessed Lord Krishna replied, “O Triśiras, I am pleased with you. Let your fear of fever be dispelled. Whoever remembers our conversation will never have fear from you.” Thus comforted, the fever demon of Śiva bowed to Acyuta and departed. Meanwhile, Bāṇa, the asura with a thousand arms, mounted his chariot and advanced to do battle with Janārdana. O King, Bāṇa, bearing his thousand arms and wielding many weapons, released a furious barrage of arrows toward Krishna, the wielder of the discus. Again and again, Krishna cut down the weapons launched from Bāṇa’s mouths with his razor-edged discus, severing Bāṇa’s arms like branches from a tree. As Bāṇa’s arms were being cut, Lord Bhava—Śiva himself, compassionate to his devotees—approached Krishna and spoke. Śrī Rudra declared, “You are the supreme Brahman, the highest light, hidden within the Brahman expressed in words. Those of pure soul see you alone, as the sky itself. Your navel is the ether, fire is your mouth, water is your seed, 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, Dharma your essence. Truly, you are the cosmic person, the model of all worlds. This descent of yours, O unimpeded Lord, is for the protection of dharma and the welfare of the world. 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, O boundless light of the self, and those possessing qualities. 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, Bāṇa, 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.” The Blessed Lord replied, “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. 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 fearlessness, Bāṇa bowed his head to Krishna, placed Pradyumna on his chariot with his wife, and brought him forward. Surrounded by an army division, adorned in fine garments and ornaments, with his wife beside him, he departed, honored by Rudra. He entered his royal city, splendid with flags, gateways, and guarded crossroads, amid the sounds of conch, trumpet, and drum, welcomed by citizens, friends, and the twice-born. Whoever remembers Krishna’s victory and his battle with Shankara, rising in the morning, will never suffer defeat. Thus ends the sixty-third chapter, entitled ‘The Bringing of Aniruddha,’ in the tenth canto, second half, of the holy Bhagavata Mahapurana, the scripture of the supreme swan. *** Śrī Śuka continued his narration: “O best of the Kurus, Lord Balarāma, eager to see his dear friends, mounted his chariot and journeyed to Nanda’s Gokula. There, he was embraced for a long time by the cowherds and the cowherd women, who had yearned for him. Rāma bowed to his parents and was joyfully blessed by them. ‘May you and your brother, O Lord of the universe, protect us always, O Dāśārha,’ they said, lifting him onto their laps, embracing him, and bathing him with tears from their eyes. He respectfully greeted the elder cowherds, who were seated according to custom, each according to their age, friendship, and relationship to himself. Then, approaching the cowherd men, with laughter, handshakes, and other gestures, those who had gathered around asked him, as he sat comfortably at ease. And he, in turn, asked after their well-being and that of their families, his voice choked with affection, for in Kṛṣṇa, whose eyes are like lotus petals, all their burdens had been placed. ‘O Rāma, are all your relatives well? Do you, with your wives and children, still remember us? By good fortune, the wicked Kaṃsa has been slain; by good fortune, your friends have been freed; by good fortune, having defeated your enemies, you have taken shelter in a stronghold.’ The cowherd women, delighted by the sight of Rāma, laughed and asked, ‘Is Kṛṣṇa, beloved of the city women, living happily? Does he remember his relatives, his father and mother? Will he ever come, even once, to see his mother? Or does that mighty-armed one remember our service to him? For whose sake, O Dāśārha, did you, O Lord, abandon your mother, father, brothers, husbands, sons, and even sisters—your dearest kin? He left us suddenly, severing our bonds of affection. How, then, could such a one be trusted by women to keep his word?