Her maternal aunt was overcome with burning inner grief, undone by sorrow. From the body of the furious one, flames erupted, blazing forth in every direction. Out of this wrath, hosts with lion faces arose, led by the formidable Virabhadra. Virabhadra made his way to Kanakhala, the place where Daksha was performing his great sacrifice. In the northwestern direction, O sage, the mighty trident-bearer took his stand. In the center of the gathering, Sharva himself, holding a trident in three places, stood out of intense anger. The seers, yakshas, and gandharvas looked on in wonder and confusion, asking among themselves, “What is this?” At that moment, Dharma, the gatekeeper, rushed forward to confront Virabhadra. With one hand, Dharma seized a blazing trident, and in another, he grasped a mace, ready for battle. The host charged at Dharma, who now stood firm, transformed into an eight-armed, imperishable figure, wielding various weapons. He stood, holding bow and arrows, intent on slaying the lord of the hosts. He rained down sharp arrows upon them, as a rain cloud pours during the monsoon. Their bodies, drenched and stained red with blood, shone like kimshuka trees in bloom. Suddenly, O sage, witnessing this fierce battle, the gods themselves rose up, grasping their weapons. The twelve Ādityas led by Indra, and the eleven Rudras as well, joined the fray. Alongside them came the Yakshas, Kimpurushas, birds, and the mountain-bearers. Ugra, famed among the Bhojas and mighty-armed, born of the Soma lineage, also entered the battlefield. All of them, armed for battle, rushed at the fierce Virabhadra. Virabhadra, swift as the wind, charged at them all, showering volleys of arrows. Ganesha, too, cut down the attackers and struck them with mighty weapons. Under Virabhadra’s onslaught, the gods and their allies were thrown into confusion. Meanwhile, the sages conducting the sacrifice continued to offer oblations into the sacred fire. But fear overcame them; abandoning the sacrificial fire, they sought refuge in the imperishable one. “Do not fear,” said the wielder of the great weapon, rising up to protect them. He unleashed upon Virabhadra weapons that could tear through even the strongest armor. But these weapons were broken and fell to the ground, like beggars who have lost all hope. Undaunted, the defender prepared to cover Virabhadra with a barrage of divine weapons. Yet Virabhadra blocked them with his trident, his mace, and his arrows. Striking with his trident, he brought his opponents crashing down to the earth. Ganesha, too, blocked the plough with his mace. Then Khagadhvaja, enraged, hurled his discus at Virabhadra. At that moment, the lord of the gods, fish-bodied, abandoned his trident and rushed toward the discus as if it were the demon Madhu. Murari approached the lord of the hosts, seized him, and hurled him forcefully to the ground. Blood poured from his mouth, and the discus was stopped in its tracks. Hrishikesha then took up the discus and hurled it at Virabhadra once more. Afterward, he went to report the defeat to Vasudeva. The imperishable one, Vasudeva, grew angry, hissing like a serpent in wrath. He stationed himself, armed and ready, at the place previously designated. Finally, the trident-bearer, his eyes blazing red with fury, entered the sacrificial enclosure, ready to confront all who opposed him.