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INTRODUCTION
23
humility Iśvara's Fever offered prayer and submission to Kșsna who was pleased and consequently recalled his Fever.]6
Once more Bāna, who appeared with his thousand arms like a śālmali tree, marched proudly to the battle field in his invincible and splendid chariot and challenged the strength of Kșsna by announcing the power and the achievements of his arms and the boon obtained by him from īśvara. He reminded Krsna how he had deceived Bali, and so he would conquer him now and bring all the fourteen worlds under his control. Krsna greeted his impossible plans and warned him not to talk in vain but to act the part of a hero (ii.1-15). In the very presence of īśvara and to the sensation of all the Pramathas there ensued a rigorous fight between Bāna and Kșsņa. The war-trumpets of Yādavas and the twang of Kșsna's bow filled the whole firmament. To the jubilation of gods, Krsna cut off the arms of Bāna and the fingers thereof looked like serpents on the ground of a sandal grove (iii.1623). Seeing his devotee disabled thus, īśvara intervened and appealed to Krsna's kindness to take pity on Bāna who was already defeated. He praised Krsna's merits and achievements, though really indescribable, in glowing terms referring to his Avatāras (Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasimha, Vāmana, Paraśurāma, Rāma and Krsna) and his outstanding feats therein (iii.24-36). Further he lavishly complimented Kșsna for his loving personality, universal greatness and divine grace (iii.37-9). Krsna was pleased and requested īśvara. to praise him no more, inasmuch as every one recedes into insignificance when compared with the greatness of īśvara. Krsna offered salutations to īśvara by recounting in glowing terms his heroic feats,impossible to be achieved by others,
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