After the grand Rajasuya sacrifice was completed, the gods, sages, ancestors, spirits, and guardians of the worlds, along with their retinues, having been respectfully honored, gave their blessings and returned to their own celestial abodes. The royal sages present could not stop extolling the magnificence of the Rajasuya performed by Yudhishthira, the devotee of Hari; their praise was unending, as if they were mortals who could never tire of drinking nectar. With heartfelt affection, King Yudhishthira bid farewell to his friends, relatives, and kinsmen, and, though reluctant, he also parted from Krishna. The Blessed Lord, Krishna—He who brings joy to His beloved ones—remained there for a while after sending the Yadu heroes, including Samba and others, back to Kusasthali. Thus, with Krishna’s guidance, Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, crossed the vast and difficult ocean of his cherished desires and attained freedom from all distress. Yet, in the palace, Duryodhana beheld the unparalleled splendor surrounding the Rajasuya and the glory of Lord Achyuta, and his heart was tormented by envy. In that marvelous assembly, where the wealth of kings, demons, and gods—arranged in wondrous variety by the Creator—shone in abundance, Krishna stood beside Draupadi, the daughter of Drupada. There, the heart of Duryodhana, king of the Kurus, was ensnared and troubled. At that very moment, a thousand queens of Krishna, their hips heavy and anklets softly tinkling, surrounded Him. Their beauty was dazzling: their faces radiant, adorned with crimson necklaces, exquisite earrings, and flowing locks. Within the assembly hall built by Maya, the son of Dharma, Emperor Yudhishthira, sat surrounded by his followers and kinsmen, with Krishna watching everything with His own eyes. Yudhishthira sat upon a golden throne, like Indra himself, graced with supreme prosperity and praised by bards. Duryodhana, proud and flanked by his brothers, sat there too, wearing a crown and garland, sword in hand. In a fit of anger, he cast his sword down. Confused by Maya’s magical architecture, he grasped the edge of a garment on the floor, thinking it was water, but it was dry; and when he stepped into water, he mistook it for solid ground. Thus, he was bewildered by illusion. At this, Bhima burst into laughter, as did the women and other kings present. Though Yudhishthira tried to restrain them, Krishna approved their laughter. Ashamed and burning with anger, Duryodhana, his face downcast, left silently for Gajaha. A great cry of “Alas!” arose among the virtuous, and Yudhishthira was deeply troubled. Krishna, the Blessed Lord, remained silent, His gaze wandering, for He wished to relieve the earth of its burden. O King, thus have I recounted what you asked about—the wickedness and humiliation of Suyodhana (Duryodhana) at the great Rajasuya sacrifice. Thus ends the seventy-fifth chapter, called "The Humbling of Duryodhana’s Pride," in the tenth canto, second half, of the glorious Bhagavata Purana, the scripture of the supreme swans. Now, O King, listen to another wondrous deed of Krishna—how the playful, bodyless Lord slew the mighty Shalva, lord of Saubha. Shalva, a friend of Shishupala, had once come to the wedding of Rukmini. There, he, along with Jarasandha and others, was vanquished in battle by the Yadus. Stung by defeat, Shalva made a bold vow before all the assembled kings: “I will rid the earth of the Yadavas—witness my valor!” Having uttered this rash vow, Shalva undertook a severe austerity, worshipping the Lord, the master of all creatures, by swallowing a handful of dust just once. At the end of a year, Lord Shiva, the gracious husband of Uma, being easily pleased, offered Shalva a boon. Shalva asked for a vehicle, terrifying to the Vrishnis, that could go anywhere at will and could not be destroyed by gods, demons, humans, Gandharvas, serpents, or Rakshasas. “So be it,” said Lord Shiva. Then, at Shiva’s command, Maya, the great architect and conqueror of enemy cities, constructed an iron city called Saubha and gave it to Shalva. Having obtained this formidable, wish-fulfilling, and impenetrable vehicle, Shalva, remembering his enmity with the Vrishnis, set out for Dvaravati. O best of the Bharatas, Shalva besieged the city with his great army, laying waste to its suburbs and gardens. The city’s gates and towers, palaces, balconies, pleasure grounds, and lofty mansions were all struck by showers of weapons. Stones, trees, thunderbolts, serpents, and showers of gravel rained down, while a fierce whirlwind arose, filling all directions with choking dust. Thus, Krishna’s city was harassed severely by Saubha, just as the earth had once been shaken by Tripura’s attack. Seeing his people so afflicted, the glorious and valiant Pradyumna mounted his chariot and reassured them, saying, “Do not fear!” Satyaki, Charudeshna, Samba, Akrura with his younger brother, Hardikya, Bhanuvinda, Gada, Shuka, Sarana, and other great archers and commanders of chariot divisions joined him. They went forth, fully armed and protected, with chariots, elephants, horses, and infantry. A tumultuous and hair-raising battle then erupted between the Shalvas and the Yadus, fierce as the battles between gods and demons. Pradyumna, the son of Rukmini, wielding divine weapons, swiftly destroyed all the magical illusions conjured by the lord of Saubha, just as the sun dispels the darkness of night. With twenty-five arrows, their shafts golden and tips iron, he pierced the commander of Shalva’s army. With a hundred arrows he struck Shalva himself; with single arrows he targeted Shalva’s soldiers, with ten arrows each their leaders, and with three arrows each their vehicles. Witnessing Pradyumna’s wondrous and mighty feat, all the soldiers—both friend and foe—honored him. Yet, that creation of Maya, woven of illusion, appeared in many forms and in one, was seen and unseen, and was impossible for the enemy to comprehend. Sometimes it was on the ground, sometimes in the sky, on mountain peaks, or in the water; the Saubha city spun about like a wheel of firebrands in its dire condition. Wherever Shalva, together with his Saubha and his army, was perceived, the chiefs of the Sātvatas released their arrows. Afflicted by those missiles, blazing like fire and the sun and as deadly as venomous serpents, Shalva’s forces became bewildered and were driven back. Thus unfolded these wondrous events—by the Lord’s will, the pride of the wicked was humbled, and the courage of the righteous shone forth.