A learned brahmin, accompanied by his disciples, entered the vast Kāla forest. At that very moment, Rāma and Keśava, surrounded by their own followers, also made their way into the forest. They all bowed reverently before Mahākāla, the great deity, who then addressed Keśava. Mahākāla spoke words that brought happiness not only to the virtuous but also to those who were ignorant. He praised the two heroes, Rāma and Keśava, for having slain all the kings led by Kaṃsa, and now, he urged them, "O sinless ones, you must ensure the welfare of the sages, siddhas, gods, and others." Keśava, acknowledging the request, replied, "I will do that," and after offering his respects, departed. Those present found it difficult to believe such a wondrous statement, so extraordinary was its promise. Then, as Rāma and Keśava embraced, a sound arose in the air. At that time, I did not know that these two mighty heroes were born in the Yadu and Vṛṣṇi lineages. Filled with joy, Keśava spoke together with Rāma, "What shall I give for the sake of my teacher?" The brahmin replied, "I desire from you the son who died in the salt ocean. During the pilgrimage at Prabhāsa, you must bring him here." At that moment, the great demon Pañcajana, who had taken the form of a sea creature, spoke to Keśava. Without hesitation, Keśava slew Pañcajana, the mighty sea creature. With great ease, he retrieved the boy from the house of the lord of the waters, still in the form of a sea creature. Thinking the boy had gone to the abode of Yama, Keśava then spoke to Varuṇa. He recalled how, long ago, the demons and Dānavas, proud of their strength, had been slain. The chariot that had been entrusted to Varuṇa, upheld by the slayer of enemies, was the very vehicle with which, after conquering the lord of the dead in battle, Keśava had seen the boy. The gods and asuras had gifted him that unshakable chariot for war. Hari, another name for Keśava, beheld the chariot adorned with jewels. It was splendid, decorated with wondrous forms, and bore the banner of Garuda, the king of birds. This chariot was unconquerable, even by the lords of gods, demons, asuras, or rākṣasas. Its four beautiful wheels shone like a thousand suns, and it had a tumultuous, formidable appearance, marked by Garuda's banner. Keśava circled the chariot to the right, bowing to the deities, and then, as Janārdana—the abode of the worlds—he swiftly set out for the realm of Yama. There, the wielder of the Śārṅga bow sounded his mighty conch. Within Naraka, the hellish realms, mortals who had devoted themselves to sinful conduct found their weapons blunted and all restraints powerless. The forest of sword-leaves, known as Asipatravana, lost its leaves. The dreadful realms called Bhairava, Abhairava, Kumbhīpāka, and Avācika were transformed. The river Vaitaraṇī, once nearly impossible to cross, now became easy for men at the end of Naraka, as the Lord of all, the mighty Keśava, had arrived. With the destruction of their sins, all those men were freed from Naraka. They ascended thousands of aerial chariots together, rising in all directions. O sage, at that moment, the entire realm of hell became empty. Then, the messengers of Death and the warriors of Krishna confronted each other. The attendants said, "O hero, do not bring the chariot along this path." They warned that the sinful men whom Yama had condemned were not to be released even after millions of years. Hearing these words, Keśava was deeply afflicted with compassion for the condemned souls. He declared, "I am the giver of heaven to all, and the one who prevents entry into Yama's realm." Hearing this, the messengers hurried to report these words to Yama himself.