As Cyavana descended, a serpent named Kekaralohita suddenly seized him. In that perilous moment, Cyavana remembered the lotus-eyed Lord. At once, the great serpent was freed from its own poison, its venom rendered harmless by the mere remembrance of the divine. Released from the poison’s grip, Kekaralohita, foremost among serpents, let Cyavana go. Now free, Cyavana moved about, and everywhere he went, the serpent maidens honored him with great respect. As he was being worshipped in this way, Prahlāda, the illustrious lord of the Daityas, saw him. Prahlāda welcomed Cyavana, offered him a seat, and inquired about the reason for his arrival. Cyavana replied, “I have come today only to bathe and to see Akulīśvara. I was brought here to Pātāla, and now, I have also had the good fortune to see you.” Speaking with skill and righteousness, Cyavana then asked, “You ought to tell me, O mighty-armed one, what sacred places there are in Rasātala.” Prahlāda answered, “It is known that Cakratīrtha lies in the depths of Rasātala.” He then informed the Dānavas who wished to journey to Nemiṣa, saying, “We shall see the lotus-eyed one—the infallible, clad in yellow garments.” With this resolve, they made great preparations and departed from Rasātala. Upon arriving at the forest of Nemiṣa, they bathed joyfully. As they wandered, Cyavana beheld the sacred river Sarasvatī, her waters pure and clear. Yet there, he saw a strange sight: arrows belonging to others were lodged in mouths and entangled together. Witnessing this, Prahlāda, lord of the demons, was seized by intense anger. Before him stood ascetics with lofty matted hair, their minds absorbed in austerity. Yet, these same ascetics possessed the Śārṅga bow, the mighty cow, and two inexhaustible quivers of arrows. Prahlāda addressed these supreme men, saying, “Where is your austerity, where is the burden of your matted hair, and where are these two excellent weapons? Whatever one is capable of doing, that alone is truly accomplished.” Then, one among them replied, “While I stand here, O lord of the demons, as the establisher of the bridge of dharma, know that no one is able to fight against Nara and Nārāyaṇa in battle.” Undeterred, Prahlāda declared, “By any means, I will defeat Nara and Nārāyaṇa in combat.” He strung his bow, drew the cord, and struck his palm, making a most terrible sound. With that, a fierce battle commenced. Arrows were loosed in equal measure, and the demon cut down his opponents’ shafts with arrows tipped in gold. Angered, Prahlāda bent his great bow and released a variety of other arrows. Nara responded, sending five, then six sharp arrows, protected by his own bow. Prahlāda answered with six, then three, then one arrow, all aimed at Nara. Nara countered with six, seven, eight, nine, and then another six arrows, while Prahlāda unleashed a torrent of seventy-two. Both, now ablaze with anger, released countless arrows at one another. The foremost demon, swift and skillful, cut down these arrows with his gold-tipped shafts. The battle raged on, both sides wielding mighty and terrifying weapons. The Maheshvara missile and the Supreme Person’s weapon collided with equal force, falling together to the ground. Seizing his mace with great strength, Prahlāda leapt swiftly from his excellent chariot. Seeing this, his opponent, eager for battle, turned to face him directly. Now stood there the renowned and ancient sage of noble valor, Nārāyaṇa, protector of the worlds. Whirling his mace with incredible speed, Nārāyaṇa struck Sadhya forcefully on the head, as the great contest continued, echoing the ancient struggle between divine and daitya.