Shiva, when asked, granted Pauṇḍraka a remarkable boon: he gave him a form with four arms, each holding the emblems of the divine—conch, discus, mace, and lotus. His eyes shone like lotus petals, and upon his head rested a crown as splendid as Vasudeva’s. His locks were lovely, his garments yellow, and he wore the radiant Kaustubha jewel, along with every other auspicious mark. Emboldened by this form, Pauṇḍraka began to proclaim, “I am Vasudeva,” and, deluded by pride, he deceived all the worlds. At this time, the sage Nārada approached the mighty king of Kāśī, who resided in heaven, and told him, “Without defeating the true son of Vasudeva, one cannot attain the status of Vāsudeva.” Stirred by these words, the king immediately mounted a chariot adorned with banners bearing Garuḍa’s image, assumed a formidable appearance, and, leading an army of four divisions, set out for Dvārakā. Arriving at the city gates in a resplendent golden chariot, he sent a messenger to Vāsudeva, declaring, “I have come for battle. Unless you defeat me, you cannot claim the title of Vāsudeva.” When Viṣṇu heard this challenge, he mounted Garuḍa and proceeded to the city gate to confront Pauṇḍraka. There, he saw Pauṇḍraka seated grandly in his chariot, surrounded by his army, holding the conch, discus, mace, and lotus in his hands, imitating the divine. Kṛṣṇa then took up his Śārṅga bow and, in a moment, incinerated Pauṇḍraka’s great army—horses, elephants, and infantry alike—his arrows blazing like the fire at the world’s end. With a single playful arrow, he severed the conch, discus, mace, and other weapons from Pauṇḍraka’s hands. Then, with the pure Sudarśana discus, he cut off Pauṇḍraka’s lotus-like head, still adorned with crown and earrings, and cast it down within the city of Vārāṇasī. The people of Kāśī were astonished and terrified at the sight, wondering what calamity had befallen them. When Daṇḍapāṇi, the son of Pauṇḍraka, heard that his father had been slain by the blessed Vāsudeva, he was urged by his grieving mother and compelled by fate to act. Following the advice of his family priest, he performed a great Śaiva sacrifice to Śaṃkara, seeking vengeance. Pleased by his devotion, Śiva, out of affection and with the purpose of opposing Kṛṣṇa, granted him a powerful Māheśvarī Kṛtyā—a fearsome magical being. The king of Kāśī beheld this terrible Māheśvarī, whose entire form was wreathed in flames. Her hair blazed, her eyes were tawny and fierce, her gaping mouth spewed fire. She wielded a trident, was smeared with ashes, and wore a garland of human heads. Terrifying to all the gods, and granted by Rudra himself, she was sent forth—accompanied by the king’s sons, wives, and relatives—to destroy Kṛṣṇa. This dreadful being, striking terror into all the worlds, burned the earth with her radiance and roared with the thunder of dissolution as she approached Dvārakā. The people of Dvārakā, seeing her approach, believed the very end of the world had come. Crying out in distress, they hurried to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa reassured them, telling them not to fear. He saw the terrible Kṛtyā standing at the gate and immediately released his thousand-spoked Sudarśana discus, which could repel all weapons and missiles, against her. When the Kṛtyā saw the great Sudarśana—brilliant as millions of suns at the end of an age, rising a hundred yojanas high, filled with blazing weapons, golden and radiant, capable of both destroying and sustaining the worlds, worshipped by all the gods, the very refuge of the universe—she was overcome by fear, lost her power, and fled, crying out, back toward Vārāṇasī. Sudarśana pursued her relentlessly. Terrified, she entered the inner palace of the king of Kāśī. Sudarśana, reaching the city of Vārāṇasī, reduced the Māheśvarī city—with its many palaces and mansions—and Daṇḍapāṇi, the king and son of Pauṇḍraka, together with his servants, army, and vehicles, to ashes. Then, worshipped by all the gods and sages, Sudarśana returned once more to the gentle hand of Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā, as if returning to the world-tree itself. Thus, the verses proclaim: Having destroyed that force with the power of weapons and missiles, leaving only the ashes of the sorceress, Sudarśana then turned to the city of Vārāṇasī. That city, abundant with chariots, elephants, horses, men and women, filled with treasures and storerooms—so splendid that even the gods found it difficult to behold—was marked at every gate, house, wall, and courtyard by the discus of Hari, which burned the entire city completely. The discus, never ceasing in its motion or power, having accomplished the impossible and blazing brilliantly, returned to the hand of Viṣṇu. Thus, in the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, in the Uttarakāṇḍa, within the dialogue of Umā and Maheśvara, is told the account of Kṛṣṇa’s destruction of Pauṇḍraka’s son’s sorcery. After these events, Śrī Rudra spoke: The king of Magadha, after the slaying of Kaṃsa, continually oppressed the Yādavas out of hatred. Distressed, the Yādavas turned to Kṛṣṇa for help. Kṛṣṇa summoned Bhīma and Arjuna, and consulted with them: “Rudra has been worshipped by him, and by that grace he is invulnerable to weapons. By what means can he be slain?” After deliberation, Bhīma suggested, “Engage him in a wrestling match; he has pledged to do so.” Thus, Vasudeva, worshipped by all the worlds, both moving and unmoving, together with Bhīma and Arjuna, traveled to Jarāsandha’s city. Disguised as Brahmins, they entered his inner chambers. Jarāsandha, who had defeated many mighty Kṣatriyas in battle, had captured them by force and imprisoned them in his palace. Each month, on the Krishna Chaturdashi, he killed one and offered their blood as a sacrifice to Bhairava. While Jarāsandha was thus engaged in the slaughter of kings and peoples, Bhīma and Arjuna, along with Kṛṣṇa, entered his house in the guise of Brahmins. Upon seeing them, Jarāsandha bowed respectfully, seated them on appropriate seats, honored them with the madhuparka ceremony, and said, “I am blessed, my purpose is fulfilled. For what reason have you come to me? Tell me, and I will grant you whatever you desire.” Vasudeva, smiling, spoke to the king: “Kṛṣṇa, Bhīma, and Arjuna have come for battle. Choose one of us for a duel.” Jarāsandha agreed, and for the duel, he chose Bhīma. Then, between Bhīma and Jarāsandha, a terrifying wrestling match took place, continuing without pause for twenty-five days. At last, prompted by Kṛṣṇa, Bhīma—the son of the wind—split Jarāsandha’s body in two and cast him to the ground. Thus, Jarāsandha was slain by the son of Pāṇḍu, and Vasudeva freed the kings imprisoned by Jarāsandha. Having accomplished this, the chief of the Yadus liberated all those kings who had been held captive. They bowed and praised Madhusūdana, and then returned to their own lands, all protected by Kṛṣṇa. Afterward, Kṛṣṇa, together with Bhīma and Arjuna, went to Indraprastha and enabled Yudhiṣṭhira to perform the great royal sacrifice, the Rājasūya. When the sacrifice was completed, the foremost honor was bestowed upon Kṛṣṇa, with the approval of Bhīṣma.