As King Yudhishthira sat, his mind was troubled by the ominous signs appearing all around. He thought, “Surely, these great omens mean the earth has been deprived of the Lord’s feet, and of those rare souls blessed by His fortune. The earth’s prosperity has waned.” While he pondered thus, deeply disturbed by these portents, the one bearing the monkey-banner—his brother Arjuna—returned from the city of the Yadus. When Yudhishthira saw Arjuna, he noticed something was amiss. Arjuna, who had always been steadfast and bright, now fell at Yudhishthira’s feet, unlike his former self. His face was lowered, his heart heavy, and tears fell from his eyes like drops from a lotus. Observing his brother’s troubled heart and altered appearance, Yudhishthira, remembering the words of Narada, questioned him gently in the presence of their friends. He asked, “Are all our relatives in Anarta—the Madhus, Bhojas, Dasharhas, Ahukas, Satvatas, Andhakas, and Vrishnis—living happily? Is our maternal grandfather Shura and his wife well? Is our uncle Anakadundubhi, along with his younger brothers, safe? And what of the seven sisters, their husbands, other maternal uncles with their sons, and their daughters-in-law, led by Devaki—are they all well? “Is King Ahuka alive, and his wicked son and younger brother? Are Hridika, his son, Akrura, Jayanta, Gada, and Sarana safe? Are those like Shatrujit and others well? Is Rama, the Lord of the Satvatas, living in happiness? “And what of Pradyumna, the great chariot-warrior among the Vrishnis? Is Aniruddha, deep in his passions, growing and blessed? Are Sushena, Charudesha, Samba—the son of Jambavati—and the foremost of the Karsnis, with their sons like Rishabha, all well? And the followers of Shauri—Shrutadeva, Uddhava, Sunanda, Nanda, Shirishanya, and other chief Satvatas—are they well? “Are all those who rely on the arms of Rama and Krishna safe? Do those bound to us by friendship remember our welfare? Is Govinda, the Lord, devoted to the Brahmanas and affectionate to his devotees, living happily in the city of Sudharma, surrounded by friends? For the welfare and prosperity of the worlds, does the primeval, infinite friend, the Supreme Man, remain in the ocean of the Yadu dynasty? “When the Yadus are honored in their own city, protected by many strong arms, do they revel in supreme bliss, like great heroes? And do Satyā and the other sixteen thousand wives, who have conquered even the celestial goddesses in beauty, receive blessings befitting the beloveds of Indra, by serving at the Lord’s feet, their highest duty? “The foremost Yadus, fearless and mighty, forcibly enter the Sudharmā assembly hall, fit for the gods, with their feet, having brought it there. But, my dear brother, are you yourself well? You seem to have lost your radiance. Have you failed to obtain something, or been disrespected, or stayed away for too long? “Have you encountered inauspicious omens—sounds or disturbances? Have you failed to give or fulfill what you promised to those who sought your help? As one who gives refuge, have you ever rejected a Brahmin, child, cow, elder, sick person, woman, or anyone who approached you for shelter? “Have you approached a woman you should not have, or failed in your duties to one who is your companion? Have you been defeated by superior or inferior ways? Have you eaten food meant to be shared with elders and children, or committed any act that is disgraceful or beyond your capacity? “O dearest, do you feel empty and deprived in your heart by your own kin, or do you think otherwise? If not, then there should be no sorrow.” Yudhishthira then recalled how Krishna’s friends would greet him with joy, saying, “Welcome! You have come so swiftly! Not one has eaten a morsel—please, come and eat well.” Then Hṛṣīkeśa, smiling, would eat with the children, showing them the python’s skin, and return from the forest to the village. Adorned with peacock feathers, wildflowers, and fresh minerals, his form radiant with the festival of flute and horn, he would praise the calves, sing holy fame, and, with the loving glances of the gopīs upon him, enter the cowherd settlement. The children would sing in the village, “Today, by the son of Yaśodā and Nanda, the great serpent was slain and we are protected from it!” Hearing all this, the king asked, “O Brahmin, how did such great love arise for Krishna at his birth, even among those who had never felt it before, even for their own children? Please explain.” Śuka replied, “O king, for all beings, the self is most dear; others, such as children and wealth, are dear only because of that self. Just as attachment for one’s own self is strongest among embodied beings, it is not so for sons, wealth, homes, and other things that depend on possessiveness. Even among those who identify the body as the self, the body is not as dear as those who follow it. If the body is seen as ‘mine,’ still it is not as dear as the self; for even when the body ages, the hope for life remains strong. “Therefore, the dearest is one’s own self for all embodied beings; for its sake alone, this entire world, both moving and unmoving, exists. Know Krishna to be this very self, the self of all selves; for the welfare of the world, he too appears here as embodied, by his own illusion. In truth, for those who know, Krishna alone is the abiding and moving reality here; the entire form of the Lord—there is nothing else at all in this world. “The essential meaning of all things is established in being; and for him too, Lord Krishna—how could anything not of that nature be considered real? Those who have taken shelter of the boat of the tender feet of Murari, whose fame is pure and great, for them the ocean of worldly existence becomes as small as a calf’s hoofprint; that supreme destination is never touched by misfortune at any step. “All this I have told you, as you asked, about what Hari did in his childhood and what is renowned from his boyhood. This conduct of Murari with his friends—destroying evil, playing in the meadows, his manifest and unmanifest forms, and his fulfillment of the earth’s desires—hearing and praising this, a person attains all purposes.