Krishna, standing before Paundraka, spoke with piercing clarity, “I will abandon the name you have falsely claimed as mine, O fool. Today, if I do not desire battle, I will seek refuge with you.” But the time for mercy had passed. With a storm of sharp arrows, Krishna shattered Paundraka’s chariot and, in a feat reminiscent of Indra cleaving a mountain with his thunderbolt, he severed Paundraka’s head using a chariot wheel. Not only Paundraka, but the king of Kashi too met his end. Krishna cut off the king’s head with arrows and cast it down into the city of Kashi, as effortlessly as the wind drops a lotus bud. Having slain the envious Paundraka and his ally, Krishna—Hari—returned to Dvaraka, accompanied by the melodious praise sung by the perfected beings. Meanwhile, the king of Kashi, who had constantly meditated upon the Blessed Lord and bore the form of Hari, was freed from all bonds at death and became absorbed in Him. When the severed head, adorned with earrings, appeared at the royal gate, the people were bewildered. “What is this? Whose face could this be?” they wondered. Upon recognizing it as the king’s, his queens, sons, relatives, and the 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 burned with resolve: “I will destroy my father’s killer and thus honor my father.” Determined, Sudakshina, along with his priest, worshipped Maheshvara—Shiva—with supreme concentration. Pleased at Avimukta, the Lord granted him a boon, and Sudakshina asked for the means to slay his father’s killer. Maheshvara 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.” Following these instructions, Sudakshina performed the sorcery rite against Krishna, observing the prescribed vow. From the fire-pit arose a terrifying embodied fire, with blazing copper-red hair and beard, and eyes emitting streams of flames. Its fierce fangs, dreadful brow, harsh mouth, and lips licked by its own tongue gave it a ghastly appearance. Naked and shaking a blazing trident, it made a rattling sound as it advanced, its feet as large as palm trees shaking the earth. Surrounded by spirits, it burned all directions as it headed for Dvaraka. The inhabitants of Dvaraka, seeing the sorcerous fire approaching, 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, witness within and without all, recognized the sorcerous act of Maheshvara. To thwart it, he ordered his Sudarshana discus, which stood at his side. The 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. Then, as the weapon of Mukunda, it subdued the fiery being. The fiery being created by the ritual, struck down by the power of Krishna’s weapon, was broken and turned back, its face defeated. Entering Varanasi, it consumed Sudakshina and his priests—the very abhicara they had performed turned upon them. Then, the discus of Vishnu entered Varanasi, with its palaces, assembly halls, and markets, crowded with gates, towers, and granaries, filled with treasuries, elephants, horses, chariots, and stores of grain. The Sudarshana discus burned all of Varanasi and then returned to Krishna’s side, the doer of flawless deeds. Whoever, with focused mind, recites or hears this account of the exploits of the praiseworthy Lord is freed from all sins. Desiring to hear more wondrous deeds, the king asked, “Once more I wish to hear of Rama, the immeasurable and infinite Lord—what else did that master accomplish?” Shuka replied, “There was a certain monkey named Dvivida, a friend of Naraka, a counselor of Sugriva, and the valiant brother of Mainda.” Seeking to avenge his friend, Dvivida brought ruin to the land. He set fire to cities, villages, settlements, and cowherds’ hamlets. Sometimes, uprooting mountains, he crushed regions with them—especially in Anarta, where Hari, the slayer of his friend, resided. At times, standing in the middle of the ocean, he would lift up its waters with his arms and submerge lands along the shore, possessing the strength of ten thousand elephants. He destroyed the hermitages of great sages by breaking their trees and, wicked as he was, defiled their sacred fires with urine and excrement. Arrogant, he seized men and women and cast them into mountain caves and valleys, then crushed them with rocks as a craftsman crushes insects. Thus, as he ravaged the lands and violated noble women, he heard sweet singing and went to Mount Raivataka. There, Dvivida saw Rama, the Lord of the Yadus, adorned with a garland of lotuses, beautiful in every limb, surrounded by groups of women. He saw Rama singing, his eyes unsteady from drinking Varuni, his form radiant like a mighty elephant in rut. The wicked monkey climbed a tree, shaking its branches and making loud noises, drawing attention to himself. Seeing the monkey’s insolence, the young women, playful by nature and fond of laughter—companions of Balarama—burst into laughter. The monkey mocked them by throwing clods of earth and other things from the front, displaying his backside to them, all while being watched by Rama. Enraged, Balarama—the foremost of those who strike—hurled a rock at him; but the monkey, deceiving the rock, seized the wine jar. Taking hold of it, the cunning monkey mocked him, provoking him with laughter; wickedly breaking the jar, he scattered the garments of Balarama. Overpowering Balarama, intoxicated with pride, Dvivida acted insolently. Witnessing his disrespect and the regions disturbed by him...