At this time on the battlefield, King Śaṅkhacūḍa approached Lord Śiva without his armor. The latter seized his blazing trident to slay the demon. The trident’s name was Vijaya, and it was as bright as a hundred summer suns. The front of it was presided over by Lord Nārāyaṇa, the middle by Lord Brahmā, the root by Lord Śiva, and the edge by Time. It was bright like the fire of devastation at the end of the world-dauntless, irresistible, fixed and destructive in its aim. In brilliance it equaled the sudarśana cakra, and it was the topmost of all weapons. No one but Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Śiva could wield it, and all but them were afraid of it. The trident was 14,000 cubits long and 100 cubits wide. One could not tell from where and how it proceeded. By its own will, this trident could destroy all the worlds.
Lord Śiva raised the trident high, aimed and hurled it at Śaṅkhacūḍa. Seeing it coming, the demon king dropped his bow and arrows, collected his mind, sat down in a yoga posture, and meditated on the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa with great devotion. The trident whirled around Śaṅkhacūḍa’s head for a while. Then, at Lord Śiva’s command, it smashed into the demon’s head and burned him and his chariot to ashes. Thereafter, the trident returned to Lord Śiva, and then left for the airways at the speed of the mind, and finally returned with force and gladness to Lord Nārāyaṇa.
In the heavens, the celestials beat their drums, the Gandharvas and Kinnaras sang, the sages and demigods chanted eulogies and all the damsels danced. Flowers continuously rained down upon Lord Śiva, and Lord Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Indra and other notables praised him.
Out of compassion, Lord Śiva tossed the demon’s bones into the sea and these bones became transformed into all the conches in the world. They are always considered very holy and favorable in the worship of the demigods. The water in the conch is also considered very sacred and satisfying to the demigods – as sacred as the water in any holy river. It can be offered to all the demigods but not to Lord Śiva. Wherever the conch is blown, Lakṣmī dwells there with great delight. If one bathes with the conch water, this is equivalent to bathing in all the holy rivers. Wherever the the conch is placed, Lord Hari and Goddess Lakṣmī live there, and all inauspicious things disappear from that place. However, wherever the females and śūdras blow the conch, Goddess Lakṣmī becomes annoyed and, out of fear, travels to other places.
Lord Śiva then mounted his bull carrier and, with all his followers, returned to his own residence. All the demigods also returned to their abodes with great joy. Before leaving, Lord Śiva favored Śaṅkhacūḍa by releasing him from his curse, and thus he regained his original form as the cowherd boy Sudāmā.
Adorned with jewels, holding a flute, mounted on a divine chariot, and surrounded by numerous cowherd boys from Goloka Vṛndāvana, Śaṅkhacūḍa then flew to the spiritual sky, Goloka, which is full of devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who have various transcendental relationships with Him.
When Sudāmā saw Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he bowed down to Their lotus feet with devotion. Seeing him, the Divine Couple were filled with love for him and, with kind faces and joyful eyes, lifted him up and took him on Their laps.
