O King, listen now as I recount another wondrous act of Krishna, the playful, bodyless Lord, who destroyed the mighty lord of Saubha. In days past, Shalva, a close friend of Shishupala, attended the wedding of Rukmini but was defeated in battle by the Yadus, just as Jarasandha and other kings were. Humiliated before the gathered monarchs, Shalva made a reckless vow: “Let all bear witness to my valor—I shall rid the earth of the Yadavas!” Having made this rash promise, Shalva sought the favor of the Lord, the master of all beings. As a sign of his determination, he performed a severe act of worship, swallowing a handful of dust in a single sitting. Pleased by his devotion at the end of a year, the gracious Lord Shiva, husband of Uma, appeared before Shalva and offered him a boon. Shalva requested a formidable vehicle, one that would strike terror in the hearts of the Vrishnis, able to travel anywhere at will and impervious to gods, demons, humans, Gandharvas, serpents, or Rakshasas. “So be it,” said Shiva. At his command, the great architect Maya, conqueror of enemy cities, constructed an iron city called Saubha and presented it to Shalva. Armed with this wish-fulfilling, unassailable flying city, Shalva, burning with enmity toward the Vrishnis, set out for Dvaraka. With a vast army, he besieged the Yadava capital, laying waste to its suburbs and gardens. The city’s gates and towers, its palaces, balconies, pleasure grounds, and lofty mansions—all were battered by a relentless rain of weapons. Stones, trees, thunderbolts, serpents, and showers of gravel fell from the sky, while a fierce whirlwind rose, shrouding all directions in dust. Thus, Krishna’s city was tormented by the assault of Saubha, finding no peace—just as the earth once suffered under the attack of Tripura. Witnessing his people’s distress, the glorious and heroic Pradyumna, Krishna’s son, mounted his chariot and reassured the citizens, “Do not fear!” He was joined by Satyaki, Charudeshna, Samba, Akrura with his younger brother, Hardikya, Bhanuvinda, Gada, Shuka, Sarana, and many other great archers and commanders, all arrayed with chariots, elephants, horses, and infantry. Then began a tumultuous, hair-raising battle between the Shalvas and the Yadus—a spectacle rivaling the ancient wars between gods and demons. Pradyumna, son of Rukmini and Krishna, wielding divine weapons, swiftly destroyed all the magical illusions conjured by the lord of Saubha, just as the sun dispels the darkness of night. He struck the commander of Shalva’s army with twenty-five well-crafted arrows, their shafts golden and tips of iron. Shalva himself was pierced by a hundred arrows, his soldiers by single shafts, their leaders by ten apiece, and their vehicles by three each. Amazed by Pradyumna’s prowess, all who witnessed—friend and foe alike—honored him. Yet, the creation of Maya, wrought from illusion, was bewildering: it appeared in many forms and in one, was seen and unseen, impossible for the enemy to comprehend. Sometimes it was on the ground, sometimes in the sky, sometimes atop mountain peaks, and sometimes in the water—Saubha spun about wildly, like a wheel of firebrands. Wherever Shalva, his Saubha, and his army appeared, the chiefs of the Sātvatas loosed their arrows. Blazing missiles, as fierce as fire and the sun and as deadly as venomous serpents, rained down on Shalva’s forces, leaving them bewildered and routed. Yet, despite being battered by torrents of weapons from Shalva’s army, the heroic Vrishnis did not retreat; each was determined to conquer both worlds. At that time, Dyumān, a minister of Shalva who had previously overpowered Pradyumna, advanced with a heavy mace and struck Pradyumna with a mighty blow, roaring triumphantly. Pradyumna’s chest shattered, he fell unconscious, but his charioteer—the righteous son of Daruka—carried him from the battlefield. When Pradyumna regained his senses, he reproached his charioteer: “Alas, how improper, O charioteer, that you have withdrawn me from the fight! Never has it been heard that a Yadava leaves the battlefield—except for a charioteer who has lost his courage and accrued sin. What shall I say to my fathers, Rama and Keshava, when I return, having retreated? What answer will suffice when questioned? Surely, my brothers’ wives will mock me, laughing, ‘How did your cowardice, O hero, become known to others in battle?’” The charioteer replied humbly, “O lord, I acted knowing righteousness. A charioteer must protect a warrior in distress, and a warrior his charioteer. Knowing this, my lord, I withdrew you from the field, for you had fallen unconscious, struck by the enemy’s mace.” Having performed purification, Pradyumna took up his bow and said to his charioteer, “Take me to Dyumān, the hero.” Smiling, Rukmini’s son struck down Dyumān, who was attacking the Yadava troops, with eight iron arrows. With four arrows he felled the four horses, with one he struck the charioteer, with two he shattered the bow and banner, and with another arrow he severed Dyumān’s head. Meanwhile, Gada, Satyaki, Samba, and others slew the forces of the lord of Saubha; the warriors of Saubha, their necks severed, fell into the sea. Thus, as the Yadus and Shalvas slaughtered each other, the battle raged on, fierce and tumultuous, for twenty-seven days and nights. At this time, Krishna himself was away, having been invited to Indraprastha by Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma. There, after the Rajasuya sacrifice was completed and Shishupala was slain, the stage was set for the Lord to return and bring about the destruction of Shalva and his Saubha.