Śuka spoke: Upon hearing the Lord’s words, Yudhiṣṭhira’s face blossomed with delight. Empowered by Viṣṇu’s own energy, he sent forth his brothers to conquer the four directions of the world. Sahadeva, accompanied by the Sṛñjayas, was dispatched to the south; Nakula journeyed west; Arjuna set out for the north; and Bhīma, with the Matsyas, Kekayas, and Madras, marched eastward. These mighty heroes, through their strength and valor, subdued the kings in all quarters and returned with great wealth for Ajātaśatru, Yudhiṣṭhira, who was preparing to perform the grand sacrifice. Yet, when Yudhiṣṭhira learned that Jarāsandha, the powerful king of Magadha, remained undefeated, he became pensive. At that moment, Hari—Lord Kṛṣṇa—spoke of the means to overcome Jarāsandha, just as Uddhava had previously advised. Thus, Bhīmasena, Arjuna, and Kṛṣṇa—three who bore the marks of Brahmins—set out for Girivraja, the city where Jarāsandha, son of Bṛhadratha, resided. Arriving at the proper hour for guests, they entered the house of the king, disguised as Brahmins, and conducted themselves according to custom. They addressed the king, saying, “O King, know that guests have arrived—seekers who have come from afar. O fortunate one, grant us what we desire.” They spoke further: “What is unbearable for the patient? What is improper for the unrighteous? What is not to be given by the generous? Who is superior to those who see all beings equally? One who, though able, fails to earn lasting fame among the virtuous with this impermanent body, is truly pitiable. Even Hariścandra, Rantideva, Śibi, Bali, the hunter, the pigeon—many have attained the eternal through the impermanent.” Śuka continued: By their voices, their appearance, and the calluses on their hands from the bowstring, Jarāsandha recognized these guests as royal warriors he had seen before, and he pondered. “These are kṣatriya relatives bearing the marks of Brahmins. To them, I will give even my own self, which is so hard to relinquish.” He remembered: “It is said that Bali’s fame, pure and widespread, endured even after Viṣṇu, in the guise of a Brahmin, deprived him of his wealth. Desiring Indra’s wealth, Viṣṇu took the form of a Brahmin and received the earth from Bali, who, though aware and self-controlled, still gave it. What purpose does the body of a kṣatriya serve, if not to live for the sake of Brahmins? When this body falls here, great fame is attained.” With noble resolve, Jarāsandha spoke to Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, and Bhīmasena: “O Brahmins, choose your desire; I will give even my own head if you wish.” The Blessed Lord replied, “O King, if you deem it fit, grant us battle, in single combat. We have come seeking nothing but a contest with the royal order.” Then Kṛṣṇa revealed their true identities: “This is Bhīmasena, O Partha; his brother is Arjuna. Know me, Kṛṣṇa, as their maternal uncle and your enemy.” Realizing this, the king of Magadha laughed loudly in anger and said, “Very well, I will grant you battle, O fools! But I will not fight with you, coward, who fled your own city, Mathurā, and took refuge by the sea. This one”—he pointed at Arjuna—“is equal to me in age, but not in strength; Arjuna is not fit to fight, but Bhīma is my equal.” With these words, Jarāsandha handed a great mace to Bhīmasena, took another for himself, and led them out of the city. The two mighty heroes, evenly matched, met on the field and, wild with the lust of battle, struck each other with maces as powerful as thunderbolts. They circled each other, moving left and right like dancers on a stage, and the sound of their maces clashing was like the crash of thunder, reminiscent of elephant tusks colliding. Their blows, delivered with the swiftness of their arms, struck shoulders, hips, feet, knees, and heads, shattering the maces as if they were branches broken by two raging elephants. When their weapons were destroyed, the two, burning with anger, battered one another with their iron-hard fists. The sound of their blows was as fierce as thunderbolts, echoing from the slapping of their palms. So equally matched were they in skill, strength, and vigor that neither’s speed diminished, and the contest was indistinguishable. Thus, O king, they fought for twenty-seven days, while their friends kept watch at night. At last, Bhīma said quietly to his cousin Kṛṣṇa, “O Mādhava, I am not able to defeat Jarāsandha in battle.” Knowing the secret of Jarāsandha’s birth and death—that his life was sustained by the being Jara—Hari infused Pārtha with his own energy and pondered the solution. Then, the all-seeing Lord gave a subtle sign to Bhīma by tearing a branch, as if to demonstrate a method. Understanding the message, the mighty Bhīma seized Jarāsandha by the feet and hurled him to the ground. Placing one foot upon his enemy’s leg and grasping the other with his arms, he tore Jarāsandha apart from the anus, like a great elephant splitting a branch. The people saw the body split into two: one part with a single leg, thigh, testicle, hip, back, breast, and shoulder; the other with one arm, eye, brow, and ear. A great outcry arose at the death of the king of Magadha, and Bhīma, along with the victorious and infallible ones, was embraced and honored. The Lord, creator of beings and master of himself, anointed Sahadeva, Jarāsandha’s son, as king of the Magadhas, and released the kings whom Jarāsandha had imprisoned. Thus ends the seventy-second chapter, entitled “The Slaying of Jarāsandha,” in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Śuka continued: Sixteen thousand eight hundred kings, who had been defeated in battle and imprisoned, emerged from their mountain cave. They were dirty, clad in soiled garments, and emaciated from hunger, their faces dried up and tormented by their long captivity. Before them stood the dark-complexioned Lord, clad in yellow silk.