For every living being, nothing is more dear than one’s own self. Indeed, it is for the sake of the self that this entire world—both moving and unmoving—exists. But know this: Krishna is the very Self of all selves. Out of compassion for the world, He appears here in a body, though that body is woven from His own divine illusion. To those who truly understand, Krishna alone is the abiding and moving reality in this world; His form encompasses all existence, and there is nothing else apart from Him. The true nature of all things is grounded in being itself, and for Krishna, the Supreme Lord, nothing that is not of that nature can be considered real. Those who have taken shelter at the tender feet of Murari—whose fame is pure and boundless—find that the vast ocean of worldly existence shrinks to the size of a calf’s hoofprint. For them, the supreme destination, untouched by misfortune, is easily attained. All this has been told to you, as you desired to hear, about the deeds of Hari in His childhood and the renowned stories from His boyhood. The playful acts of Murari among His friends—vanquishing evil, frolicking in the meadows, revealing and concealing His divine form, and fulfilling the earth’s wishes—hearing and praising these brings fulfillment of all one’s purposes. Thus, with such childhood pastimes—hiding, building bridges, leaping about like monkeys, and so forth—Krishna and His companions spent their boyhood in the land of Vraja. Sūta continued: In this way, Krishna’s dear friend, Arjuna, found himself bereft, constrained by the will of his royal brother, Yudhiṣṭhira, whose mind was troubled by many doubts and who was tormented by the pain of separation from Krishna. Arjuna’s face and heart, once radiant, had withered with grief; his mind dwelled only on the Lord, and he could not speak. With great effort, Arjuna restrained his sorrow, wiping his eyes with his hand, overwhelmed by longing for the absent Lord. Remembering their deep friendship, intimacy, and affection—how Krishna had served as his charioteer, and so much more—Arjuna addressed King Yudhiṣṭhira, his elder brother, his voice choked with tears. “O great king,” Arjuna said, “I have been deceived by Hari, who appeared as my kinsman. By Him, my power—so great it astonished even the gods—has been taken away. Separated from Him, even for a moment, the world feels joyless; deprived of His praise, I am as if dead, just as it is said. “It was by taking refuge in Him that I entered the palace of Drupada at the svayamvara, where proud kings had gathered. By His power, I defeated them, won the contest, and gained Draupadī. In His presence, I gave the Khāṇḍava forest to Agni, and, having conquered Indra and his hosts, I obtained the wondrous assembly hall built by Maya. Kings from all directions brought tribute to your sacrifice. “By your power, O king, our noble brother Bhīma, whose strength was like ten thousand elephants, subdued the lords of the earth for the great sacrifice; those kings, conquered for the sake of the ritual, brought tribute to you. Yet at that very sacrifice, your wife, adorned for the royal consecration, was insulted by gamblers in the assembly. Her tears fell at your feet, her hair loosened as her protectors were defeated—those women suffered greatly. “Krishna protected us in the forest when we were afflicted by the severe hardships caused by Durvāsā, when our enemies attacked, and when, subsisting only on roots and leaves, we had exhausted all means. By His grace, even surrounded by dangers, the three worlds became satisfied. “By His power, O Lord, even Śiva, armed with his trident and accompanied by his consort, was astonished in battle and surrendered his weapon to me; and by this very body, I attained a seat of great honor in Indra’s palace. There, while I enjoyed myself, my two arms, marked by the bow Gāṇḍīva and meant for destroying enemies, were admired by the gods, with Indra at their head, who sought refuge with me. But now, O Lord, with Krishna gone, I am deprived of that power—reduced to a common man. “By His favor, O kinsman, I alone crossed the boundless ocean of the Kuru army with a single chariot, displaying the valor of great heroes. I recovered much wealth and jewels from the enemy, and took the radiant jeweled crowns from their heads. He, as the foremost among charioteers, moved ahead of me in battle, adorning the circle of the finest chariots on spotless nights, facing Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Guru, Śalya, and others. By His glance, He subdued the strength and minds of the leaders of my enemies. “By His grace, the mighty weapons of Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Drona, Śalya, Saindhava, and other great warriors, though unfailing and powerful, did not touch me—just as the weapons of demons could not touch Nṛhari, the servant of Hari. At Prabhāsa, surrounded by those of evil intent, the Lord, whose lotus feet are worshipped by the virtuous for liberation, protected me. Though my horses were exhausted and I stood on the ground, the enemy charioteers, their minds bewildered by His influence, could not attack me. “I remember the Lord’s playful, noble words, adorned with His charming smile—‘O Pārtha! O Arjuna! Friend! Joy of the Kurus!’—they touch my heart and, when recalled, make even my heart of stone melt. “In sharing the same bed, seat, walking, talking, and eating together, I sometimes mistook Him for my equal, as a friend with a friend, or as a father with his son. Yet, out of His great affection, He forgave all my offenses, born of ignorance. “Now, O King, bereft of that Supreme Person, my dear friend and beloved companion, my heart is empty. Though I have the protection of His great deeds, I am left helpless on this path of life, like a woman defeated by thieves. That bow, those arrows, that chariot, those horses, and I as the charioteer—before whom even kings would bow—have all, in a moment, become powerless and useless, like offerings cast into ashes by the magic of illusion. “O King, by Your will, the Yadus, who were not true friends to their own city, became deluded by the curse of the Brāhmaṇas and began to strike each other with their fists. Having drunk the liquor Vāruṇī, their minds agitated by intoxication, they fought among themselves, unable to recognize one another, leaving only four or five survivors. “This, O King, is the inscrutable way of the Lord’s actions: living beings destroy each other, and also nurture each other, by His arrangement. Just as in water, the larger aquatic creatures devour the smaller, so among men, the strong overcome the weak, and the powerful prevail over the less powerful. In this way, the Lord removed the burden of the earth by causing the mighty Yadus to destroy each other, just as the powerful destroy the less powerful. “The words spoken by Govinda, always suited to the time, place, and circumstance, soothe the heart’s distress and captivate the mind of whoever remembers them.” Sūta continued: Thus, as Arjuna contemplated the lotus feet of Krishna with the deepest affection, his mind became peaceful and pure. Through devotion and constant meditation on the feet of Vāsudeva, Arjuna’s mind was cleansed of all lingering impurities, and he became established in the highest consciousness. That mighty Arjuna recalled the sacred knowledge sung by the Blessed Lord on the battlefield, and thus overcame the darkness of time, fate, and delusion. Freed from sorrow, having attained the state of Brahman, with all doubts and duality cut away, he became merged in that nature beyond the modes, free from bodily identification, and beyond birth. Meanwhile, Yudhiṣṭhira, his mind now composed, having heard of the Lord’s departure and the end of the Yadu dynasty, resolved to follow the path to the higher realms.