Paundraka, filled with delusion, sent a bold message to Krishna. “O Sātvata,” he declared, “the emblems you bear—my own symbols—you wear out of ignorance. Relinquish them and take refuge in me, or, if you will not, prepare for battle!” When Paundraka’s messenger delivered these boastful words, the entire assembly—Ugrasena and the others—burst into laughter at such foolishness. Krishna, the Blessed Lord, amused by the absurdity, addressed the messenger with playful scorn: “Fool! I will indeed relinquish these emblems, since you boast of them so. But know this: you shall soon lie slain, your face covered, surrounded by vultures, crows, and jackals. Your only refuge will be among the dogs.” The messenger returned and faithfully reported Krishna’s words to Paundraka. Without delay, Krishna ascended his chariot and set forth for Kashi. Learning of Krishna’s approach, Paundraka—mighty among chariot-warriors—hurried out of the city, leading two divisions of troops. His ally, the king of Kashi, followed with three more divisions, and together they beheld Paundraka in his full regalia. Paundraka had decked himself in Krishna’s very emblems: the conch, discus, mace, bow, the mark of Śrīvatsa, the Kaustubha gem, and a garland of forest flowers. He wore yellow silk, bore the banner of Garuda, and was adorned with a priceless crown, ornaments, and makara-shaped earrings—everything an imitation of Krishna’s divine form. When Krishna saw Paundraka thus attired, imitating his own appearance like an actor on a stage, he laughed heartily. The allied kings, arrayed in battle, rushed upon Krishna with a hail of weapons—spears, maces, clubs, javelins, lances, darts, swords, sabres, and arrows. But Krishna, wielding his mace, sword, discus, and arrows, struck fiercely at the armies of Paundraka and the king of Kashi. Elephants, chariots, horses, and foot soldiers fell before him, as if consumed by the fire that ends an age. The battlefield became a grim spectacle, strewn with the bodies of elephants, horses, camels, donkeys, and men—a terrifying sight, like a cremation ground, delightful to heroes and dreadful as the playground of the Lord of beings. Then Krishna addressed Paundraka: “Ho, Paundraka! Since you have spoken to me through your messenger, I shall now relinquish these weapons to you. And as for the name you have falsely assumed, O fool, I will abandon it as well. If I do not desire battle, I will seek refuge with you today.” With sharp arrows, Krishna shattered Paundraka’s defenses and deprived him of his chariot. Then, with a chariot wheel, he severed Paundraka’s head, just as Indra cleaves a mountain with his thunderbolt. In the same manner, Krishna cut off the head of the king of Kashi and cast it down into the city, as the wind drops a lotus bud. Having slain the envious Paundraka and his ally, Krishna—Hari—returned to Dvaraka, greeted by the songs of perfected beings who praised his nectar-like deeds. Paundraka, who had constantly meditated on the Blessed Lord, was freed from all bonds and, assuming the form of Hari, became absorbed in Him. Meanwhile, at the royal gate of Kashi, people saw the severed head, adorned with earrings, and wondered, “What is this? Whose face could it 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, his heart burning with resolve: “I will destroy my father’s killer and thus honor his memory.” With this vow, Sudakshina, aided by his priest, worshipped Maheshvara—Shiva—with supreme concentration. Pleased in Avimukta, Shiva granted Sudakshina a boon. Sudakshina asked for the means to slay his father’s killer. Shiva instructed him: “Worship the southern fire, together with Brahmins and your officiating priest, performing the ritual of sorcery. That fire, surrounded by spirits, when directed against one who is unrighteous, will accomplish your intent.” Thus instructed, Sudakshina performed the sorcery rite against Krishna, observing all the necessary vows. From the fire-pit arose a terrifying embodied fire. Its hair and beard blazed copper-red, its eyes streamed flames. With fierce fangs, a dreadful brow, a harsh mouth, and lips licked by its own tongue, the naked being shook a blazing trident and made a rattling sound. Its feet, as large as palm trees, shook the earth as it advanced, surrounded by spirits, burning all directions as it made for Dvaraka. Seeing this monstrous fire approach, the people of Dvaraka were seized with terror, like deer trapped in a forest fire. Frightened, they rushed to Bhagavan Krishna, who was playing dice in the assembly hall, and cried, “Save us, O Lord of the three worlds, from the fire burning the city!” Hearing their cries and seeing their fear, Krishna, the refuge of all, smiled reassuringly. “Do not fear,” he said. “I am your protector.” The all-pervading Lord, witness within and without, recognized the sorcerous act of Maheshvara. To counter it, he ordered his Sudarshana discus, which stood by his side. The Sudarshana discus, blazing like ten million suns and shining with the radiance of the cosmic fire at dissolution, illuminated the sky, the directions, and the earth by its own brilliance. As the weapon of Mukunda, it subdued the fiery being. Struck by the power of the discus, the fire demon was broken and turned back, its face defeated. Entering Varanasi, it consumed Sudakshina and his priests—the very ritual they had performed turned upon them. Then, the discus of Vishnu entered Varanasi itself, burning its palaces, assembly halls, markets, gates, towers, granaries, treasuries, elephants, horses, chariots, and stores of grain. Having consumed all of Varanasi, the Sudarshana discus returned to Krishna’s side, the doer of flawless deeds. Whoever, with focused mind, recites or hears this account of the Lord’s glorious exploits is freed from all sins. At this point, the king asked, “Once more, I wish to hear of the wondrous deeds of Rama, the immeasurable and infinite Lord. What else did that master accomplish?