With great purpose, the noble Kṣupa approached the best of Brahmins and declared, “O king, I shall do everything in my power to secure your victory over the sage Dadhīca.” Hearing these words, Kṣupa addressed Janārdana, and together they set out for the hermitage of the illustrious Brahmin Dadhīca. The Lord, ever devoted to his devotees, assumed the humble form of a Brahmin and approached the sage. Bowing in reverence to Dadhīca, who was renowned as a teacher of the world, the Lord spoke with gentle respect: “O Dadhīca, great sage among Brahmins, ever intent on worship of the Divine, I ask you for one boon; grant it to me.” Dadhīca, perceiving the Lord’s intent, replied without fear: “I know all that you desire, O Lord of gods. I do not fear even you. You have come disguised as a Brahmin, O Janārdana, but you are the past, present, and future. By the grace of Rudra, I see through your form. Cast aside this disguise, steadfast one, for I know you have been worshipped by Kṣupa, O slayer of Madhu. Your affection for your devotees is well-known, O Hari, and such devotion is fitting for you.” He continued, “If there is any fear in me, who am ever absorbed in worship of the Divine, you should tell me truly, O lotus-eyed giver of boons. But I speak honestly: I do not fear, O Janārdana. There is no one in this world—god, demon, or Brahmin—whom I fear.” Hearing these fearless words, Janārdana shed his Brahmin guise in an instant. Smiling, the Lord revealed his true form and spoke: “O Dadhīca, truly, there is no fear for you anywhere, for you are steadfast in worship and all-knowing. Yet, for my sake, say just once, ‘I am afraid,’ and repeat this to Kṣupa in the assembly.” But even after hearing these conciliatory words, the great sage Dadhīca replied firmly to the Lord of gods, “I do not fear.” He added, “By the power of Śambhu, the god of gods, the wielder of Pināka, of Śarva, of Śaṅkara, the all-knowing one, I stand unshaken.” The Lord Hari, angered by this response, raised his divine discus, Sudarśana, intending to burn the sage. But, in the presence of Kṣupa, the discus became blunt at the tip—rendered powerless by Dadhīca’s spiritual might. Observing his weapon dulled, Viṣṇu was addressed by Dadhīca, who smiled and, as the very cause of all manifestation and dissolution, said, “O Lord, the discus Sudarśana, which you obtained with great effort, is renowned as your weapon. Yet this auspicious discus, belonging to Bhava, does not wish to harm me here. Therefore, you should strive with other weapons—those of Brahmā and others.” Hearing this and seeing his weapon made powerless, Viṣṇu unleashed all manner of celestial missiles from every side. The imperishable gods themselves came to assist him, and together they set out to fight the Brahmin sage. Dadhīca, undaunted, took a handful of sacred kusa grass and, remembering Bhava, created for the gods the thunderbolt-bone, sovereign in every way. From this act, a divine trident appeared, blazing like the fire at the end of an age, poised to consume the gods like a cosmic conflagration. All the weapons of Indra, Nārāyaṇa, and the other gods bowed in submission to the trident. Their strength broken, the gods fled in defeat. Then, the blessed Viṣṇu, supreme among men, created from his own body countless divine hosts, each resembling himself. Yet Dadhīca, the best of sages, burned them all in an instant. For the sake of wonder, Hari revealed himself in his universal form, and Dadhīca beheld this cosmic vision directly. The sage saw, within that form, the hosts of gods, the multitudes of Rudras, and their entire retinues. He also witnessed myriad cosmic eggs contained within the universal body. Seeing this, Cyavana, who was present, was filled with amazement. Addressing Viṣṇu, Lord of the universe, the sage sprinkled water upon the universal form and spoke, “Abandon illusion, O mighty-armed one; appearances are deceptive. O Madhava, the thousands of forms of knowledge are difficult to comprehend. See the whole world in me, together with yourself, Brahma, and Rudra; I grant you divine sight.” Having spoken thus, the sage revealed the entirety of creation within his own body and addressed Hari, the origin of all gods, “Is this your doing by illusion, by the power of mantra, by substance, or by meditation, O Lord?” He concluded, “Therefore, abandon this illusion and strive to fight.” Witnessing the sage’s wondrous greatness, the gods again fled. But Brahmā, the Lotus-born, restrained Nārāyaṇa, who stood motionless. Hearing Brahmā’s words and recognizing his own defeat, the blessed Viṣṇu approached Dadhīca and bowed to him. Kṣupa, overwhelmed by sorrow, honored the sage, bowed, and pleaded, “Dadhīca, forgive me, O god. What I did was out of ignorance, O friend. What have you, devoted to Rudra, to fear from Viṣṇu or even the other gods?