Maghavan, the lord of the immortals, resolved to destroy the Asuras, and with him went all the guardians of the worlds and the leaders of the celestial hosts. Filled with delight, these lords ascended into the sky, moving through the air like winged mountains, their brilliance lighting up the heavens. Their purpose was clear: to lay siege to the mighty city of Tripura, descending upon it like diseases upon a body. As they approached, they sounded conches, drums, and many other instruments, making their presence known to the inhabitants of Tripura. Upon hearing the tumult and recognizing the arrival of Hara, the mighty Asuras were thrown into great agitation, their unrest likened to the oceans during cataclysmic upheavals. The divine drums echoed, and the terrifying Dānavas responded with their own roar, playing a multitude of instruments in defiance. Those who had once displayed their strength—both former gods and present gods—now, having wronged one another, turned upon each other, beginning to destroy one another. As they shouted with equal fury, a fierce and unparalleled battle erupted, weapons clashing and bodies being severed amidst the deafening clamor. The combatants advanced like blazing suns, fires burning bright, roaring like great serpents, whirling like birds, shaking like lordly mountains, and thundering like storm clouds. Their cries echoed like lions yawning, rain clouds thundering, and the surging waves of the ocean, all agitated as the sea itself. The mighty Pramathas and powerful Dānavas fought steadfastly, their blows like thunderbolts striking great mountains. Terrible sounds arose from drawn bows, rumbling like storm clouds driven by wind across the sky. In the heat of battle, they cried out: “Do not fear! Where will you go? You are as good as dead! Strike quickly, I stand here—come, show your valor!” Shouting, “Seize! Cut! Break! Eat! Kill! Tear apart!” they rushed toward the abode of Yama. Some were struck down by swords, others cut by axes, some crushed by maces, and some beaten by fists. Dānavas were split by spears, pierced by tridents, and others, shining like flowers of arrows, fell into the ocean waters like mountains plunging into the sea, amidst fearsome crocodiles and whales. Bodies, well-joined but lifeless, of fallen gods and others, made a sound in the ocean like the roaring of rain-filled clouds. This noise stirred the sea creatures—crocodiles, sharks, and whales—intoxicated by the scent of blood, and they churned the great ocean. With terrifying forms, these creatures fought among themselves, circling and devouring the blood of the Dānavas. The sharks, driving away other aquatic beings, devoured Daityas along with their chariots, weapons, horses, garments, and ornaments. Just as battles raged between Asuras and Pramathas in the sky and waters, so too did the aquatic beings wage war. As the Pramathas and Daityas whirled about, so did the sharks and crocodiles; as they struck each other, the wounded cried out with broken bodies. In moments, the ocean’s waters became blood-red and surging, as gods, Asuras, crocodiles, and whales, their wounds gaping and limbs streaming, mingled together. Indra, endowed with the great strength of the immortals, pressed upon the massive gateway of Tripura, which resembled a great mountain or cloud. Skanda, whose complexion shone like young gold or the rising sun, ascended the northern inner gate of Hara’s city, like an aged sun falling upon a mountain with eight peaks. Yama and the lord of wealth, armed with staff and noose, stood at the western gate, barring it against the enemies of the gods. Rudra, the enemy of Daksha, shone with the brilliance of ten thousand suns, radiant on his divine chariot, the blessed three-eyed one, blocking the southern gate of the enemy’s city. Lofty mansions with gateways, golden and shining like the moon on Kailasa, delightful in form, were besieged by the Pramathas, blazing like storm clouds raining stones. Uprooting and tearing out their houses, with mountain ranges and altars, the Pramathas hurled them into the midst of the ocean, roaring like dark storm clouds. The houses, red and filled with countless groves, sorrowful fragments and cuckoos, echoed with cries—“O lord! Father! Son! Brother! Beloved! Dear one!”—as their homes were torn apart, the women uttered all manner of unseemly cries. As wives, sons, and lives were destroyed, and the battle in the city raged fiercely, the great Asuras, swift as the ocean, turned back the furious lords of the hosts. There, with axes, stones, tridents, thunderbolts, and mighty clubs, a most terrible battle broke out, bent on mutual destruction, bound by deep enmity. As they rushed at each other, clashing and striking, the sound of gods and Asuras was like the roar of oceans at the end of an age. Streaming with wounds, vomiting blood, flushed with wrath, roaring in many ways, the lords of the hosts and the foremost Asuras fought, sending forth a mighty tumult. The streets of the city became muddy with blood, scattered with broken gold bricks and crystal, and in a moment, the fierce ones, their heads, feet, and hands severed, lay strewn, making passage easy. Then Taraka, his eyes red with rage, concealed among trees and mountains in the battle, stood with wondrous might to defend the blocked main gate. That being of great strength and courage, proud of his mastery over his senses, drove away the spirits who had come to the ramparts, and, emerging from the city, let out a terrible roar. The foremost Daitya, towering like a great mountain, rushed like an enraged elephant, seeking to seize Rudra’s chariot, but was restrained, as the ocean is held back at its limit. Shesha, Sudhanvan, the god Girisha, and the four-faced one, the three-eyed god—all approached Taraka, but were shaken in battle, like oceans disturbed by the wind. Shesha, Girisha, and the lord of grandsires, greatly agitated, stood on their chariot in the sky, assailed at the joints by force, making dreadful sounds. Bhava, with bow and arrow raised, stood with one foot on the back of the Rigveda-horse and one on the bull, observing the mass of the city. Thus raged the great battle for Tripura, with gods and Asuras, celestial hosts and mighty beasts, all locked in fierce conflict, shaking the heavens and the earth.