Hari, the Supreme Lord, created eleven Rudras to lead the charge at the front of the divine army. These Rudras were mighty, their throats blue, their limbs adorned with coils of serpents. Their crests were decorated with fragments of the moon and human skulls, and their bodies were smeared with the fiery glow of tridents. Their arms bore terrifying ornaments, and their tawny, towering matted locks gave them a formidable appearance. Clad in lion skins, the Rudras, led by Kapālī, drove away the great demons. The names of these eleven Rudras were Kapālī, Piṅgala, Bhīma, Virūpākṣa, Vilohita, Ajeśa, Śāsana, Śāstā, Śaṃbhu, Caṇḍa, and Dhruva. Possessing boundless strength and power, these Rudras guarded the front lines of the army, tearing apart the demon hosts. Their thunderous roars invigorated the gods, echoing like storm clouds, and their forms were vast as the Himalayas, adorned with garlands of golden lotuses. Indra, the lord of a hundred sacrifices, stood unmoving atop Airavata, his four-tusked elephant, which was adorned with moving fans and clusters of golden bells. Indra's radiant form shone from the snowy mountain's peak, brilliant as the sun, while intoxicating streams flowed from his elephant. On Indra's left, the powerful Wind guarded his position; on his right, Agni, his mouth filled with flames, stood watch. Vishnu protected Indra and his army from the rear, and the Adityas, Vasus, Visvedevas, Maruts, and Ashvins were all present. A great assembly gathered: Gandharvas, Rakshasas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, and mighty serpents, bearing wondrous weapons and adorned with golden ornaments. Countless groups, each marked with distinctive signs, led by bands of bards, joyfully celebrated their own glory, delighted at the destruction of the demons, together with Indra and the divine hosts. Indra's army, guarded by immortal hosts, displayed banners and lofty white flag-cloths. The roar of hundreds of elephants and horses resounded, and the sight brought sorrow to the sons of Diti, the demon race. As the gods’ army advanced, the elephant-demon appeared, terrifying as a mass of storm clouds. Armed with a battle-axe, his lips curled in rage, the demon crushed the gods in battle, hurling others aside with his hand. The demon king, fierce in valor, struck down his foes with his axe, destroying their ranks. The Yakshas, Gandharvas, and Kinnaras responded together, unleashing a mass of wondrous weapons and missiles: nooses, axes, discs, spears, and maces. Javelins, lances, sharp swords, and formidable maces rained upon the demon, but he devoured them all like a herd-leader swallowing morsels. With his long, furious trunk, the elephant-demon struck and felled the gods, roaming the battlefield, dreadful to behold. Wherever he fell upon a group of gods, cries of lament arose. Seeing the army fleeing in all directions, the Rudras, their pride flaring, spoke among themselves: “Ho, ho! Seize the demon king! Crush him, whose refuge is destroyed! Drag him with sharp spears, break him at his vital points!” Hearing these words, Kapālī, his eyes wide with wrath, grasped his sharp-tipped spear with his left hand and wiped it clean. With furrowed brow, he rushed toward the demon king, gripping his spotless spear firmly. Kapālī struck the elephant-demon in the flank, and all ten Rudras attacked in battle with flawless iron weapons. They pierced the lord of the demons, massive as a mountain, with their spears. Blood flowed from his wounds, tormented by the sharp spear-points. The demon, dark-hued, shone like a spotless autumn lake surrounded by blooming red and blue lotuses. His body, pale as ashes, was encircled by Rudras like swans. Afflicted, the demon approached, his ear-flaps quivering. The elephant-demon pierced Śambhu in the navel with his ten tusks; seeing him caught between two Rudras, the nine other Rudras performed a wondrous act, striking the foe of the immortals with various weapons, fearless and strong. Like jackals gathering around a dead buffalo in the forest, the chief of the demons abandoned Kapālī and departed. Angered, the demon rushed at the nine Rudras with speed, trampling them with his feet, tusks, and trunk. When he was exhausted by their fierce battle, Kapālī seized the hand of the enemy of the immortals. He whirled the elephant-demon violently, seeing him weary, barely alive, his life flickering. In that battle, the demon lost all spirit, abandoning the effort for victory. As he fell, Kapālī tore off his hide, making it a terrifying garment. With streams of blood flowing from every limb, Kapālī fashioned a cloak for himself. Seeing the demon slain, the mighty leaders of the demons were terrified; they fled, departed, and fell by the thousands, beholding Kapālī’s form draped in the elephant-hide cloak. The demons witnessed that fierce Rudra on the earth and in all directions. As the mighty demon king was laid low, the demon king, mounted on an elephant, with his drum destroyed, appeared like a storm-cloud at the end of an age, formidable even to the powerful. Swiftly, he charged, shaking the armies of the gods.