With feet as immense as palm trees, a fiery being advanced, shaking the earth as it marched, surrounded by spirits and burning all directions on its way toward Dvaraka. The inhabitants of Dvaraka, seeing this sorcerous fire approaching, were seized with terror, like deer caught in a forest blaze. In their fear, 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 that threatens our city!” Hearing their distress and seeing his people afraid, Krishna, the refuge of all, smiled gently and reassured them, “Do not fear; I am your protector.” The all-pervading Lord, witness within and without, recognized the sorcerous act of Maheshvara and, to thwart it, ordered his mighty discus, Sudarshana, which stood at his side. Suddenly, the Sudarshana discus, blazing like ten million suns and shining with the radiance of the fire at the world’s dissolution, illuminated the sky, the directions, and the earth by its own brilliance. As the weapon of Mukunda, 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 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 itself, with its palaces, assembly halls, and markets, crowded with gates, towers, and granaries, filled with treasuries, elephants, horses, chariots, and stores of grain. Having burned all of Varanasi, the Sudarshana discus of Vishnu once again stood by the side of Krishna, 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. The king, eager for more, said: “Once more I wish to hear of the wondrous deeds 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 fallen 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, Dvivida 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 he 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, making loud noises, and drawing attention to himself. Seeing the monkey’s insolence, the young women, playful and fond of laughter, who were companions of Balarama, burst into laughter. The monkey mocked them by throwing clods of earth and other things, 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; seeing his disrespect and the regions disturbed by him— Angry, Balarama took up his club and plough, desiring to kill his foe; but Dvivida, of great might, raised a giant tree with his hand. Rushing swiftly, he struck Balarama on the head with it; but Sankarshana stood unmoved, like a mountain struck from above. Powerful Balarama caught the tree and struck Dvivida with his club; his skull shattered by the blow, blood streamed forth. Like a mountain stained with red ochre, Dvivida did not heed the blow; again, seizing another tree, he stripped it of branches with force. With it, he struck fiercely, but Balarama cut it to pieces a hundredfold; then, with another, he attacked in anger, and that too was cut to pieces a hundredfold. Thus, fighting with the Lord, as each tree was destroyed again and again, Dvivida pulled up all the trees around and made the forest treeless. Then, enraged at Balarama, he released a shower of rocks upon him; but Balarama, wielding his club, effortlessly crushed them all. The lord of monkeys, making his arms like palm trunks, formed his fists; approaching the son of Rohini, he struck him on the chest with both. But the chief of the Yadus, abandoning his club and plough, seized him with both arms in anger and pressed upon his collarbone; Dvivida fell, vomiting blood. As he fell, the earth trembled in fear, along with the trees; O tiger among Kurus, like a mountain rocked by the wind, or a boat on the water. In the sky arose shouts of “Victory!” and “Homage!” and cries of “Well done! Well done!” from the gods, siddhas, and great sages, as flowers rained down. Thus, having slain Dvivida, who brought distress to the world, the Lord, praised by the people, entered his own city. Thus ends the sixty-seventh chapter, entitled “The Slaying of Dvivida,” in the tenth book, second half, of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Next, Sāmbha’s marriage and Balarāma’s dragging of Hastināpura are recounted.