The clash of Bhīma and Jarāsandha resounded like thunder, O King, as their mighty maces struck each other with the force of crashing elephants’ tusks. The speed of their blows was astonishing—their maces battered shoulders, hips, feet, knees, and heads, splintering apart like the rays of the sun when two blazing elephants collide in fury. Their anger mounting, the two heroes abandoned shattered maces and began pummeling each other with iron-hard fists; the sound of their slaps and blows echoed like thunderbolts through the air. Both warriors were equally matched in skill, strength, and vigor. As they fought, neither showed any sign of tiring or slowing, and it became impossible to tell who might prevail. Thus, O great king, twenty-seven days passed in relentless combat, while their friends waited and watched through the nights. At last, Bhīma, Vṛkodara, turned to his maternal cousin, Kṛṣṇa, and confessed, “O Mādhava, I cannot defeat Jarāsandha in battle.” Hari, knowing both the secret of Jarāsandha’s birth and the means of his death, infused Pārtha with his own energy and began to consider how to bring the contest to its end. Then, the Lord of unfailing vision gave Bhīma a subtle sign: he tore a branch in two, demonstrating the method of victory. Understanding the instruction, mighty Bhīma seized Jarāsandha by his feet and hurled him to the ground. Placing one foot firmly on his enemy’s leg and grasping the other with his powerful arms, Bhīma tore Jarāsandha apart from the anus, just as a great elephant splits a branch. All who witnessed saw Jarāsandha’s body separated into two parts: one 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 slaying of the king of Magadha, and Bhīma was embraced and honored by his companions and the victorious, infallible Kṛṣṇa. The Lord, creator of all beings and master of himself, anointed Sahadeva, Jarāsandha’s son, as the new king of Magadha and released all the kings whom Jarāsandha had imprisoned. Thus concludes the seventy-second chapter, “The Slaying of Jarāsandha,” in the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Śuka continued: From the mountain cave where they had been held, sixteen thousand eight hundred kings, defeated and imprisoned by Jarāsandha, emerged. They were dirty, clothed in soiled garments, emaciated by hunger, their faces dried up and tormented by long captivity. Before them stood the dark-complexioned Lord, clad in yellow silk, marked with the Śrīvatsa, four-armed, his lotus-like eyes reddish, his face beautiful and gracious, his makara-shaped earrings shining. He held lotus, mace, conch, and discus; he was adorned with crown, necklace, bracelets, girdle, and armlets. His neck gleamed with the finest jewels and was garlanded with wild forest flowers. The kings gazed upon him, drinking him in with their eyes as if tasting him with their tongues; they seemed to smell his fragrance with their noses and embrace him with their arms. Freed from sin, they bowed their heads at Hari’s feet. Delight filled their hearts at the sight of Kṛṣṇa, and all fatigue from captivity vanished. With palms joined, the kings praised Hṛṣīkeśa: “Salutations to you, Lord of gods, imperishable remover of distress for those who seek your refuge! We have come to you, O Kṛṣṇa—protect us, who are weary of this terrible cycle of birth and death. “O Madhusūdana, we do not blame you for the loss of our kingdoms at the hands of the Magadhan; O Lord, for us kings, your favor is the true cause. A king, swollen with pride from sovereignty and opulence, does not attain true welfare; deluded by your māyā, he imagines impermanent riches to be unshakable—just as children imagine water in a mirage, so do the undiscerning mistake illusion for reality. “Blinded by prosperity and the desire to conquer, we competed with one another, O Lord, recklessly destroying our own subjects and ignoring the nearness of death. Yet those very riches have been swept away by your irresistible power; by time, by your form, and by your compassion, our pride is destroyed and we remember your feet. “Therefore, we no longer desire kingdoms, which are like mirages, nor bodies that are ever subject to decay and pain. O Lord, we long to worship you, for the fruit of such acts, in this life and beyond, is pleasing to the ear. Instruct us, O Lord, how we may never forget your lotus feet, even as we move through this world. “Obeisance again and again to Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, to Hari, the Supreme Self, to Govinda, destroyer of the distress of those who take refuge in him.” Śuka said: Thus praised by the freed kings, the compassionate Lord, shelter of all, addressed them with gentle words. The Blessed Lord said, “From this day forward, O kings, firm devotion to me—the Self, the Lord of all—will arise in you, as you have wished. By good fortune, you have resolved rightly and spoken truthfully; see how pride in wealth and power drives men mad. Haihaya, Nahuṣa, Vena, Rāvaṇa, Naraka, and others—lords of gods, demons, and men—were all cast down from their positions by pride in prosperity. “Knowing this, that all arising from the body and so on is perishable, worship me through sacrifice, and protect your subjects with righteousness. Sustain the threads of your people, experience happiness and sorrow, birth and death as they come; serve what comes your way, moving about with your minds fixed on me. Detached from body and so forth, delighting in the Self, firm in your vows and fixing your minds wholly on me, you shall attain Brahman at the end.” Śuka continued: Having thus instructed the kings, Kṛṣṇa, Lord of the world, assigned attendants to them for the bathing ceremony of their wives. He had the ceremonial worship performed by Sahadeva, providing garments, ornaments, garlands, and ointments fit for kings. After bathing and adorning them, he fed them with excellent food, offered them various enjoyments, and gave them betel and other things suitable for kings.