The battle between Hari and the mighty Daitya Hiranyaksha raged with unrelenting fury. When Hiranyaksha launched his arrows, blazing and unstoppable like submarine fire, the valiant Hari met them with his own, cutting them down and piercing the demon with missiles of immense power. Keshava’s weapons, swift as thought and sharp as swords, swept through the enemy’s attacks like dry grass or cotton, reducing them to nothing. Tormented and enraged by thousands of golden arrows, the chief of demons seized a mountain and hurled it with great force at Madhava. Yet Hari, with effortless might, crushed the mountain with his mace. Again and again, Hiranyaksha cast down a thousand mountains, but Hari, agile and resolute, ground them to dust, thwarting the Danava’s efforts. Not to be defeated, Hiranyaksha created thousands of arms and unleashed a torrent of fierce arrows, spears, tridents, axes, and other weapons upon Vishnu, his wrath blinding his mind. But Vishnu, the best of gods, cut down every missile sent his way. With blazing arrows, dreadful to the demons and resembling the trident of Shambhu, he pierced their limbs, causing terror among the Asuras. In the midst of battle, the imperishable Hari, lord of the gods, brought the demon king—though possessed of supreme power—into a state of faintness. Hiranyaksha, regaining his strength, hurled a terrible weapon at Hari’s broad chest, adorned with eight bells and as fearsome as the tongue of Time. Hari shone like a raincloud dense with lightning and moonlight, and the Daityas, seeing this, cried out in praise, “Victory!” Then, Hari hurled his discus at the Daitya army, cutting off their heads and returning again to Madhava. Striking the Daitya with his spear, Hari brought him low; after a long time, the demon regained consciousness and wounded Keshava with a fiery arrow. Enraged, Hari struck down Kaubera in battle, prompting the Asura to release a dreadful magical weapon. From this weapon, lions, tigers, jackals, elephants, and serpents sprang forth, attacking Vishnu in battle. But Hari, undaunted, cut down the torrents of weapons and missiles produced by the magic, striking them with his spear as well. Though his whole body was shaken and stained with blood, Vishnu, drenched in gore, dragged away the Asura. The lord of the gods pierced the Asura’s spear with three arrows, and struck down his armor, banner, standard, chariot, and parasol. Hari cut down the charioteer with ten arrows, and when the chariot was destroyed, the Daitya leapt onto another excellent chariot to continue the fight. The Daitya lord faced his opponent with renewed strength, and a most terrible, hair-raising battle erupted. Between Hiranyaksha and Hari, a great and astonishing duel of weapons unfolded, each countering the other. A hundred divine years passed in this combat, and then the Daitya, of immense power, grew as Vamana once did. In his rage, Hiranyaksha opened his mouth and seized the three worlds, with all their moving and unmoving beings. Lifting up the earth, he entered Rasātala, the nether realm. The remaining Daityas, filled with joy, followed him there. Vishnu, knowing the immense power of the Daitya, assumed the form of a boar, desiring to slay the demon king, and entered Rasātala after him. At the root of the waters, Vishnu found the earth in Rasātala, and, holding her—the support of the worlds—on his own tusks, began to carry her away. As he did so, Hiranyaksha approached, boldly reviling him with harsh words. Vishnu, in his magical boar form, endured the insults in anger and bore the earth upon the waters like a mountain. There, placing his own essence in the earth, Vishnu made her immovable. Afterwards, joined with her, the king of the Daityas approached again. Overcome by great anger, Hiranyaksha struck Hari with his mace, but Vishnu, by his illusion, evaded the blow. Endowed with yoga, Hari struck Hiranyaksha with the Kaumodaki mace, as if he were Death itself. Yet, filled with wrath, Hiranyaksha struck the god with his fist on the right arm of the Lord, and a dreadful battle of attacks and counterattacks, advance and retreat, ensued. They circled, threw, and imitated each other’s moves. Brahma and the other gods stood in the sky, watching the battle unfold. With concern, they prayed, “May there be well-being for the people, the gods, and the seers,” and addressed Vishnu, Lord of gods, in his boar form: “Do not play like a child, O god; slay this thorn of the gods.” Having obtained the consent of Brahma and the others, Vishnu, of great splendor, hurled his formidable discus—shining like a thousand suns, with a thousand spokes, blazing like the fire of dissolution. The terrible discus, destroyer of demons, instantly reduced the mighty Hiranyaksha to ashes before the eyes of Brahma and the other gods, then returned to the imperishable one. Seeing Vishnu’s victory, Brahma, the other gods, and the guardians of the worlds led by Shakra gathered and praised him. They declared, “We bow to Vishnu, the origin of the universe, lord of gods and demons, protector of the worlds; from whose navel-lotus Padmayoni (Brahma) was born—we have taken refuge in him.