A royal messenger, sent by Paundraka, arrived in Dvaraka and entered the august assembly where Krishna, the lotus-eyed Lord, was present. Standing before Krishna, the messenger delivered Paundraka’s bold proclamation: “I alone am Vasudeva incarnate; there is no other. Out of compassion for all beings, I have descended to this world. Therefore, you should abandon your false claim.” He continued, “The emblems you bear—my conch, discus, mace, bow, and all—are mine. You wear them out of ignorance, O Sātvata. Give them up and take refuge in me, or else, prepare to grant me battle.” Śrī Śuka, the sage, narrates that when the assembly heard these arrogant words from Paundraka, who was deluded and lacking in sense, Ugrasena and the other noble members burst into loud laughter, unable to contain their amusement at such folly. Krishna, the Blessed Lord, smiled at the jest and addressed the messenger: “Fool, I will indeed relinquish the emblems by which you boast in this way. Soon, you will lie slain on the battlefield, your face covered, surrounded by vultures, crows, and jackals; then, your only refuge will be among the dogs.” With this, the messenger departed and reported all of Krishna’s words to Paundraka. Meanwhile, Krishna mounted his chariot and set out for Kashi. Learning of Krishna’s advance, Paundraka, a mighty chariot-warrior, left the city swiftly, accompanied by two divisions of troops. The king of Kashi, his ally, followed with three divisions. When he beheld Paundraka, he saw him adorned with all the emblems of Krishna: the conch, discus, mace, bow, the mark of Śrīvatsa, the Kaustubha gem, and a forest-flower garland. Paundraka was dressed in yellow silk, bearing a banner of Garuda, crowned with priceless jewels, shining with makara-shaped earrings, and decked in splendid ornaments. Krishna saw Paundraka, dressed as a poor imitation of himself, like an actor on a stage, and laughed heartily at the sight. Then, the enemy kings attacked Krishna with a storm of weapons—spears, maces, clubs, javelins, lances, darts, swords, sabres, and arrows. But Krishna, with his own mighty weapons—mace, sword, discus, and arrows—struck hard at the armies of Paundraka and the king of Kashi, who came with elephants, chariots, horses, and infantry. He swept through them like fire at the end of the age, consuming all beings. The battlefield became a fearsome sight, strewn with the bodies of elephants, horses, camels, donkeys, and men, broken by the warriors’ onslaught. It shone like a cremation ground, a place of delight for the bold, and as terrifying as the playground of the Lord of beings. Then Krishna, Śauri, called out to Paundraka: “Ho, Paundraka! Since you have spoken to me through your messenger, I will now relinquish these weapons to you. I will abandon the name you have falsely assumed of me, O fool. Today I will seek refuge with you, if I do not desire battle.” With sharp arrows, Krishna struck Paundraka, deprived him of his chariot, and then, with a chariot wheel, severed his head, just as Indra would cleave a mountain with his thunderbolt. In the same way, he cut off the head of the king of Kashi with arrows and cast it down into the city, like the wind dropping a lotus bud. Thus, having slain the envious Paundraka and his ally, Hari returned to Dvaraka, while the perfected beings sang nectar-like tales of his glory. Paundraka, who had constantly meditated on the Blessed Lord, was freed from all bonds at death, and, bearing the form of Hari, became absorbed in Him. When the severed head of the king of Kashi, adorned with earrings, was found at the royal gate, the people wondered in shock, “What is this? Whose face could this be?” Recognizing it as their king’s, his queens, sons, relatives, and citizens wailed in grief, “Alas, the king is slain! Our protector is gone!” Sudakshina, the king’s son, performed the funeral rites for his father and resolved, “I will destroy my father’s killer and thus honor my father.” With this determination, Sudakshina and his priest worshipped Maheshvara—Shiva—with supreme concentration. Pleased at Avimukta, Shiva granted Sudakshina a boon. Sudakshina asked for the means to slay his father’s killer. Shiva instructed him: “Worship the southern fire with Brahmins and your officiating priest, performing the ritual of sorcery. That fire, surrounded by spirits, when employed against one who is unrighteous, will accomplish your intent.” Thus instructed, Sudakshina performed the sorcery rite against Krishna, observing the necessary vows. From the fire-pit arose a terrifying embodied fire, with blazing copper-red hair and beard, eyes streaming with flame, fierce fangs, a dreadful brow, a harsh mouth, licking its lips, naked, shaking a blazing trident, and making a rattling sound. With feet as large as palm trees, shaking the earth, this fiery being advanced, surrounded by spirits, burning in all directions as it made its way toward Dvaraka. Seeing this sorcerous fire approaching, the inhabitants of Dvaraka were seized with terror, like deer caught in a forest fire. Frightened, they rushed to Bhagavan Krishna, who was playing dice in the assembly hall, and cried out, “Save us, O Lord of the three worlds, from the fire burning the city!” Hearing their distress and seeing his people afraid, Krishna, the refuge of all, smiled and reassured them, “Do not fear; I am your protector.” The all-pervading Lord, who is the witness within and without, recognized the sorcerous act of Maheshvara. To counter it, he ordered his discus, Sudarshana, which stood by his side. That Sudarshana discus, blazing like ten million suns and shining with the radiance of the fire at dissolution, illuminated the sky, the directions, and the earth by its own brilliance. As Mukunda’s weapon, it subdued the fiery being. O King, the fiery being created by the ritual, struck down by the power of the discus-wielder’s weapon, was defeated and turned back. Entering Varanasi, it consumed Sudakshina and his priests—the very sorcery they had performed turned upon them. Then, Sudarshana, the discus of Vishnu, entered Varanasi, burning its palaces, assembly halls, markets, gates, towers, granaries, treasuries, elephants, horses, chariots, and stores of grain. Having burned all of Varanasi, the Sudarshana discus returned and stood once again by Krishna’s side, the Lord of flawless deeds. Whoever, with focused mind, recites or hears this account of the praiseworthy Lord’s exploits is freed from all sins.