Krishna Destroys Shalva's Maya and Counterattacks

Shalva saw his danava followers fall. He had come to Dvaraka on Soubha, the flying city, and had besieged Krishna's own home while Krishna was away at Yudhishthira's rajasuya sacrifice. Now Krishna had returned, had driven his chariot to the ocean's edge, and had found him. The danavas were dying. So Shalva turned to maya. He began to fight with a great battle of illusion. He hurled iron clubs, barbed missiles, spears, lances, battleaxes, and bhushundis — all at once, an unending stream of weapons. Krishna grasped them as they came and destroyed every one through his own maya. Seeing that his weapons had been neutralized, Shalva fought with mountain-peaks. He hurled entire mountains at Krishna. And then he began to twist the world itself. At one moment, it seemed as if it was night. The next instant, it seemed as if it was morning. In one instant, it was a nice day. The next instant, it was a foul day. It was cold, followed by hot. Shalva created such maya — confusion of the senses, the elements themselves turned against order — and fought on. But Krishna knew what this was. He destroyed all of Shalva's maya with his own. At the right time in battle, he scattered all of them with his arrows. Then the sky seemed to blaze forth with a hundred suns. There were a hundred moons, and suddenly, there were ten thousand stars. Neither day nor night could be detected, nor the directions. Krishna was bewildered. He attached the prajna weapon — the weapon of wisdom — to his bow. That weapon blew Shalva's arrows away, as if they were cotton. Then a tumultuous battle raged, making the hair stand up. Having obtained light again, Krishna began to fight with the enemy once more.