During the sacred pilgrimage at Prabhāsa, it was instructed that he must bring the one in question to that holy place. At that time, the great demon Pañcajana, who had taken the form of a monstrous sea creature, spoke words to him. But soon after, the mighty hero slew Pañcajana, vanquishing the demon in his aquatic guise. With remarkable ease, he then took the slain Pañcajana from the domain of the lord of waters, still in the form of a sea creature. Believing he had journeyed to the abode of Yama, he addressed Varuṇa, the lord of the waters. He recalled how, long ago, the demons and Dānavas, proud of their strength, had been defeated. He spoke of the chariot entrusted to Varuṇa, a chariot upheld by the slayer of enemies. With that chariot, having conquered the lord of the dead in battle, he had seen the boy for whom the gods and asuras had given the unshakable chariot in war. Then Hari, the Lord, beheld this chariot, resplendent and adorned with precious jewels. Its magnificence was enhanced by wondrous forms, and it 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 with the brilliance of a thousand suns. The chariot had a tumultuous and formidable appearance, proudly displaying the banner of Garuda. Hari circled the chariot to the right, bowing reverently to the deities. Then Janārdana, the abode of all worlds, swiftly proceeded to the realm of Yama. There, the wielder of the Śārṅga bow sounded his conch, its blast echoing through the underworld. The mortals within Naraka, who were devoted to sinful conduct, found their weapons blunted and all manner of restraints powerless. The fearsome forest of sword-leaves, Asipatravana, lost its leaves, and the dreadful realms named Bhairava, Abhairava, Kumbhīpāka, and Avācika were transformed. The river Vaitaraṇī, once impossible to cross, became easy for men at the end of Naraka, as the mighty Lord had arrived. With the destruction of their sins, all those men were liberated from Naraka. They ascended together in thousands of aerial chariots, soaring in all directions. Thus, O sage, the entire realm of hell became empty. At this moment, the messengers of Death and the warriors of Krishna encountered one another. The attendants cautioned him: "O hero, do not bring the chariot along this path." They explained that those sinful men whom Yama had condemned were not to be released, even after millions of years. Hearing these words, he was deeply moved by compassion for them. He declared, "I am the giver of heaven to all, and the one who prevents entry into Yama's realm." Hearing this, the messengers quickly went to Yama. Yama, filled with anger, addressed his attendants: "Go there and stop him; seize him and bring him here." Thus instructed by Yama, the attendant named Narantaka went forth. When he could not stop the hero, Narantaka stood firm, enraged. Even Baladeva was struck in battle by various arrows. But taking up their divine bows, Rama and Krishna struck down Yama's attendants. Narantaka, too, was overpowered by their mighty strength in battle. When the heroic Narantaka fell among Yama's attendants, the messengers, terrified by the prowess of Rama and Krishna, were slain and overcome with fear. Then Yama himself, enraged, advanced, surrounded on all sides by his attendants, ready to confront the divine heroes.