As the tumult of the Rājasūya sacrifice reached its climax, the sons of Pāṇḍu, joined by the kings of Matsya, Kekaya, and Sṛñjaya, suddenly rose in anger. With weapons drawn, they surged forward, intent on slaying Śiśupāla, whose insults against Kṛṣṇa had stirred the assembly. But the king of Cedi, Śiśupāla, stood undisturbed amidst the commotion. With sword and shield in hand, he rebuked the kings who had sided with Kṛṣṇa, his voice echoing through the hall. At that pivotal moment, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself stood forth. He restrained His own supporters, and, his anger blazing, hurled His razor-edged discus. The discus severed Śiśupāla’s head as he fell, ending his enmity in a single, decisive act. A great uproar erupted as Śiśupāla was slain. The kings who had followed him, fearing for their lives, fled in all directions, abandoning the assembly. As all watched, a radiant light emerged from the fallen king’s body and entered Vāsudeva—Kṛṣṇa—like a meteor descending from the heavens to earth. Śiśupāla’s mind, inflamed by enmity accumulated over three lifetimes, had been constantly fixed upon Kṛṣṇa. Thus, at the moment of death, he became absorbed in that very being, for indeed, the state of one’s mind determines the course of future birth. With the sacrifice’s conclusion, King Yudhiṣṭhira honored the officiating priests and assistants, giving them abundant gifts and observing all prescribed rites. The emperor then performed the concluding bath of the sacrifice. Kṛṣṇa, Lord of the yogis, remained for several months at the request of His friends, celebrating the successful completion of the king’s sacrifice. Eventually, Kṛṣṇa took leave of the king, though Yudhiṣṭhira wished Him to stay longer. With His wives and ministers, Devakī’s son departed for His own city. The story of the two residents of Vaikuṇṭha—whose repeated births were caused by a brāhmaṇa’s curse—had thus reached its fulfillment. After bathing at the conclusion of the Rājasūya, King Yudhiṣṭhira shone in the midst of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, radiant like the lord of the gods. All the gods, men, and celestial beings, honored by the king, joyfully returned to their own abodes, praising Kṛṣṇa and the sacrifice. Only Duryodhana, that sinful embodiment of Kali among the Kurus, could not tolerate the prosperity of Yudhiṣṭhira, his heart burning with envy. Whoever recites these deeds of Viṣṇu—the slaying of Śiśupāla, the king’s liberation, and the great sacrifice—is freed from all sins. Thus concludes the seventy-fourth chapter, “The Slaying of Śiśupāla,” in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. King Parīkṣit, eager to learn more, asked the sage: “O brāhmaṇa, seeing the grand Rājasūya sacrifice of Ajātaśatru, all the assembled kings, gods, and men rejoiced. Except for Duryodhana, all were joyful. O Lord, we have heard this—please tell us the reason for Duryodhana’s discontent.” Śrī Bādarāyaṇi replied: “At your great ancestor’s Rājasūya sacrifice, his relatives, bound by affection, were engaged in various services. Bhīma managed the kitchen, Suyodhana the treasury; Sahadeva oversaw the worship, and Nakula procured the materials. Arjuna attended to the elders, Kṛṣṇa washed the feet, Drupada’s daughter served the food, and noble-minded Karṇa distributed gifts. Yuyudhāna, Vikarṇa, Hārdikya, Vidura, the sons of Bāhlīka, Bhūri, and the Santardanas—all were assigned various duties. Each acted with the desire to please the king. When the officiating priests, assistants, and best of friends had been honored with gifts, sweet words, and proper hospitality, and when the Lord of the Sātvatas entered the sacrificial arena after slaying Śiśupāla, they performed the concluding bath in the celestial river. The festival resounded with the sounds of mridanga, conch, panava, dhundhuri, anaka, and gomukha—various instruments filling the air. Joyful dancers danced, groups of singers sang, and the sound of vina, flute, and clapping rose up to touch the heavens. Kings adorned with golden garlands departed, riding elephants and chariots decorated with colorful banners and flags, accompanied by their splendidly adorned warriors. The Yadus, Sṛñjayas, Kambojas, Kurus, Kekayas, and Kosalas, leading their armies, shook the earth as they proceeded to the sacrifice. Distinguished sages, officiants, and the best of the twice-born, loudly chanting Vedic hymns, were praised by gods, sages, ancestors, and gandharvas, who showered flowers from above. Men and women, adorned with fragrant garlands, ornaments, and fine garments, playfully sprinkled each other and enjoyed various delights. Women, smeared with oil, cow’s ghee, fragrant powders, turmeric, and rich saffron, playfully rubbed and enjoyed with the men. Protected by men, the queens went out unnoticed, like divine ladies in celestial chariots. As they were sprinkled by their maternal relatives and friends, their faces shone with bashful smiles. Together with their friends, the queens sprinkled the gods with enthusiasm; their garments wet, bodies and breasts exposed, their loosened garlands falling, they stirred the minds of those with impure thoughts through their charming play. The emperor, mounted on a chariot drawn by fine horses and adorned with gold, shone among his wives, like the lord of a sacrifice among its rituals. After performing the ritual bath with his wives, the officiants, having purified themselves, bathed him in the Ganges together with Kṛṣṇa. Divine drums resounded alongside human drums, and gods, sages, ancestors, and humans showered flowers upon the assembly. All men, from every class and stage of life, bathed in the sacred waters; even those guilty of great sins were instantly freed from impurity. The king, wearing fine silk and splendidly adorned, honored the officiants, sages, and brāhmins with ornaments and garments. Devoted to Nārāyaṇa, he repeatedly honored his relatives, acquaintances, kings, friends, and all others. All the people shone with divine radiance, adorned with jeweled earrings, garlands, turbans, jackets, fine cloth, and precious necklaces. The women, with pairs of earrings and groups of bangles, their faces beautiful, shone with golden girdles. Then the officiants of great virtue, the sages, and the brāhminical scholars, along with the assembled kings of the brāhmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra classes, gathered together, completing the glorious celebration of the Rājasūya sacrifice.