25 - Battle between Jamadagni and Kartaviryarjuna 

Narayana said - The king Kartavirya was painful at heart and in anger he sent a messenger to the sage. 

He said, "O best of the sage, I am your servant and a guest, therefore, you give me appropriately either the sacred cow or the battle, whatever you deem better." 

On hearing the words of the messengers, the sage laughed and spoke to the messenger, the words which were beneficial, truthful and quite appropriate. 

The sage said - Finding the king hungry I brought him to my abode and served him with food appropriately whatever was available with me. 

О messengers, now the same king is demanding my sacred cow from me which is dearer to me than my life. I am therefore, unable to part with her. I will fight now; this is my resolve. 

On hearing the words of the sage, the messenger felt panicky at heart and spoke to the king whatever the sage had told him. 

Thereafter, the sage spoke to the cow. "You tell me what I should do now, because the army is like a boat without a sailor." 

Kapila then imparted the sage with the knowledge of the use of various types of weapons and arrows and other tricks of the battlefield. 

She then said, "О Brahmana, you will surely be victorious in the battle-field." О sage, you are not supposed to die without the Satyastra. A Brahmana is going to fight with a king who is the disciple of Dattatreya and is quite powerful, is quite valorous but useless. Thus speaking, О Brahmana, the sacred cow kept quiet. 

Thereafter the sage kept the army ready and proceeded on to the battle-field. 

The king also bowed in reverence to the sage Jamadagni reaching in the battle-field. Thereafter the battle between the two armies tarted. 

The soldiers of Kapila forcefully defeated the army of the king and the chariot of the king was also playfully broken. His kavacha was cut-off; the king was unable to be victorious over the army of Kapila. By the showering of the weapons, the army was deprived of the arrows and the weapons. 

O sage, only a small number of the king’s army could escape and some of the soldiers fled from the battle field. The merciful sage found the king fainted. 

 Thereafter, the sage gave the king the dust of his feet besides the blessings, saying, "You will be victorious." Thus speaking he took away the water from the Kamandalu and brought him back to life. 

On regaining consciousness, the king came out of the battlefield and spoke humble words, folding his hands to the sage bowing in reverence to him at the same time. The sage blessed him variously and embraced the king. The king was then bathed and was served food. The mind of the Brahmanas is always soft like butter. 

The mind of other people is always sharp like the edge of a blade, which is quite stiff and hard. Thereafter the sage said, "O king you go back to your abode." 

The king said - "O great warrior I shall not return home; you kindly give me the battle or the cow desired by me."