As the battle raged, wherever King Nimi’s mighty elephant advanced, the gods were overcome with terror. They abandoned their celestial vehicles, fleeing in panic and forsaking their purpose. Even the divine elephants recoiled from the scent of Nimi’s beast, retreating in fear. Yet, amidst the chaos, Indra stood his ground, accompanied by the eight guardians of the directions and by Keśava. As Nimi’s elephant drew near to Indra’s own Airāvata, Indra’s elephant surged forward, unleashing a terrible roar. Despite Indra’s efforts to restrain him, Airāvata could not stand firm in the fray; as he turned to flee, Indra, known as Pākaśāsana, mounted him. Though Airāvata faced away from the enemy, Indra continued to fight against the army of the Daitya lord. Śatakratu, Indra, hurled his thunderbolt, striking Nimi on the chest. With his mace, Indra dealt a powerful blow to Nimi’s elephant’s cheek, but Nimi, fearless and resolute, paid no heed. Instead, he struck Airāvata’s hip with his own club, and the mighty elephant of Indra collapsed in battle. Airāvata, vast as a mountain, touched the earth behind him with his feet, but swiftly rose again thanks to his agility. Still, terrified by Nimi’s elephant, he withdrew from the fight. At that moment, a fierce wind swept the battlefield, thick with dust and gravel. Nimi’s elephant, blood streaming from its wounds, faced its foe and shook even the swift-moving mountains. It shone like a mountain adorned with a lake of molten ore. Then, the lord of wealth, Kubera, hurled his heavy mace at the Daitya king’s elephant with great force, striking the king of the Daityas on the head. The elephant, stunned by the blow, fell to the earth, its tusks piercing the ground as it collapsed like a mountain. When that elephant fell, a resounding lion-roar erupted from the ranks of the gods, mingled with the trumpeting of their elephants. Horses neighed, bowstrings twanged, and seeing the fallen elephant and Nimi turning away, the gods rejoiced. Hearing this triumphant lion-roar, Jambha, the mighty demon, was seized by fury. His anger blazed like fire fed with clarified butter, his eyes reddened with wrath against the gods. Setting an arrow to his bow, he cried out, “Stand firm!” and urged his charioteer onward. Jambha’s chariot sped across the battlefield, glowing with the radiance of a thousand suns rising over the eastern mountains. Adorned with banners, a network of bells, and a canopy white as the moon, he advanced, striking terror into the hearts of the gods’ army, an arrow ready on his bow. Śatakratu, undaunted, grasped his bow and took up a sharp, oiled arrow shaped like a half-moon. With swift precision, Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, severed Jambha’s bow and arrow in battle. Jambha, the delight of the demons, abandoned his broken bow and seized another, powerful and swift, with arrows like venomous serpents, straight and well-oiled. He struck Indra with ten arrows at the collarbone, three in the heart, and two in both shoulders. Indra responded with a shower of arrows upon the demon king, but Jambha cut down every arrow before it reached him. Ten times, he sliced Indra’s arrows in mid-air with shafts blazing like tongues of fire. Then Indra unleashed a storm of arrows, covering Jambha as clouds cover the sky with rain, but Jambha scattered them with sharp shafts, dispersing the attack as the wind disperses clouds. Overwhelmed, Indra could no longer distinguish anything in his rage and agitation. At that moment, he invoked the wondrous Gandharva weapon against Jambha. Its energy filled the space, making it inaccessible, and conjured Gandharva cities with ramparts and gateways, raining marvels and weapons in all directions. As the demon army suffered under this rain of weapons, they sought refuge in Jambha, whose valor was immeasurable. Though afflicted himself by Indra’s weapons, Jambha recalled righteous conduct and resolved to protect his fearful followers. Then, the son of Diti released the Mausala weapon, filling the world with iron clubs. These irresistible blows struck all around, battering the Gandharva city conjured by Indra’s weapon. Jambha then unleashed another Gandharva weapon upon the gods’ army, swiftly slaying elephants, horses, and great charioteers with each blow. Hundreds and thousands of chariots and horses fell, prompting Indra to invoke the Tvaṣṭra weapon. As Indra summoned the Tvaṣṭra weapon, flames of fire erupted, and divine machines appeared, impossible to withstand. These machines formed a canopy in the sky, subduing and ending the Mausala weapon’s assault. Jambha responded by releasing the mountain weapon against the assembly of machines. A shower of stones, each the size of a span, began to fall. The machines fashioned by Tvaṣṭṛ were shattered by the hail, reduced to atoms. The mountain missile then crashed down with great force upon the highest peaks, splitting the earth itself. Thus, the battle between gods and demons unfolded, each unleashing their might and weapons, the earth and heavens shaken by their fierce contest.