Maiteya said:—"Having achieved a mortal form Sauri performed mighty
achievements and discomfitted Sakra and Siva and all other attendant
divinities. O great sir, do thou also describe unto me, his other
exploits by which he humiliated the prowess of the celestials; I am
desirous to hear them".
Parāçara said:—Hear with respectful attention, O Brāhman, as described
by me of the burning of Vārānashi by Krishna in the course of his
relieving the burden of the earth.
There was a king of Pundra, who was known as Vasudeva and flattered by
the ignorant people as the descended deity until he thought himself to
be the Vāsudeva who had come down upon earth. Forgetting his real
character he assumed the emblems of Vishnu and sent an ambassador to the
high-minded Krishna with this message. "Give up thy discus, O foolish
man, lay aside all my insignia, my name and the character of Vāsudeva
and come and do me homage and I shall grant thee, the means of
subsistence". Hearing those words and laughing, Janārddana said to the
messenger "Go back, messenger to Paundraka and tell him in my name 'I
shall hand over my emblem, the discus to him. Thou wilt properly
understand my meaning and consider what is to be done; for I shall come
to thy city bringing the discus with me and shall surely give it over to
thee. If thou dost command me to come I immediately obey and be with
thee tomorrow and shall not delay, and having sought thy protection I
shall so manage, O king, that I shall not have to fear anything from
thee.'" So saying he sent away the messenger to communicate these words
unto the sovereign, and summoning Garuda mounted him and started for the
city of Paundrāka.
When the king of Kāsi heard of the preparations of Kesava he sent his
army to help Paundrāka, himself bringing up the rear, and with the army
of the king of Kāsi and his own troops, the false Vasudeva marched to
meet Krishna. He beheld him at a distance standing in his car holding a
disc, a club, a mace, a scimitar and a lotus in his hands adorned with a
garland of flowers, and bearing a bow; and having his standard made of
gold, he had also the mystical mark Sribatsa on his breast; he was robed
in yellow raiment and embellished with ear rings, and a tiara. When the
god, whose emblem is Garuda, saw him, he laughed aloud and engaged in
encounter with the hostile army of cavalry and elephants fighting with
swords, scimitars, maces, tridents spears and bows. Showering upon the
enemy the arrows from his Sāranga bow and hurling at them his mace and
discus he soon destroyed both the army of Paundrāka and that of the king
of Kāsi. He then addressed the former who was foolishly wearing his
emblems saying:—"Paundrāka, you wanted me through your messenger, to
resign to you all my insignia, I now deliver them to you. Here is my
discus; here is my mace; and here is Garuda, let him mount upon thy
banner". Saying this he discharged the discus and mace by which
Paundrāka was sundered to pieces and cast on the ground; whilst the
Garuda which was on the banner of Paundrāka was destroyed by the Garuda
of Vishnu. Beholding this the people cried "Alas! alas"; but the brave
king still siding the imposture of his friend carried on the encounter
till Sauri cut off his head with his arrows and shot into the city of
Kāsi to the surprise of all the inhabitants. Having thus destroyed
Paundrāka and the king of Kāsi with all their retinue Sauri came back to
Dwārakā where he resided enjoying heavenly delights.
When the inhabitants of Kāsi beheld the head of their king shot into the
city they were much surprised and wondered how it could have been
accomplished. Having come to know that the king had been slain by
Krishna, the king's son together with the priest of the family
propitiated Sankara. Well pleased on account of being worshipped in the
sacred place Avimuktā the deity asked the prince to pray for a boon, on
which he said:—"O lord, mighty god, through thy favour, let thy mystic
spirit slay Krishna, the murderer of my father!"
"It shall be so" answered Sankara and from out of the southern fire up
sprang a vast and formidable female like flame out of fire, blazing with
ruddy light and fiery radiance streaming amidst her hair. Worked up with
ire she called upon Krishna and departed to Dwārakā. There the people
seeing her were struck with terror and fled for protection to the slayer
of Madhu the refuge all worlds. Understanding that the fiend had been
created by the son of the king of Kāsi through his worship of the deity
whose emblem is the bull, the wielder of the discus being engaged in
sport and playing at dice said to the discus "Kill this dreadful
creature whose tresses are of plaited flame". Accordingly Sudarshana,
the discus of Vishnu, attacked the fiend in no time, dreadfully covered
with fire and wearing tresses of plaited flame. Terrified at the might
of Sudarshana, the creation of Maheswara did not wait for his attack but
fled quickly followed by him with equal velocity until she arrived at
Varānashi repelled by the superior prowess of the discus of Vishnu.
The arms of the king of Kāsi and the whole number of the attendant
divinities of Siva armed with various weapons marched out to oppose the
discus. But an expert in the use of arms he consumed the whole host by
his radiance and then set fire to the city, in which the magic power of
Siva had concealed herself. Thus was Varanashi burnt with all its
princes and their followers, its inhabitants, elephants, horses and men,
treasures and granaries, houses, palaces and markets. The whole of the
city that was inaccessible to the celestials was thus covered with
flames by the discus of Hari and was totally destroyed. The discus, with
unsoothed wrath, blazing fiercely and not satisfied with the
accomplishment of so easy a task, then returned to the hands of Vishnu.