Arjuna, overwhelmed by sorrow, remembered the deep friendship, intimacy, and affection he had shared with Kṛṣṇa—how the Lord had served as his charioteer and companion in so many ways. With a voice trembling and choked with tears, he turned to his elder brother, King Yudhiṣṭhira, to speak his heart. He confessed, “O great king, I have been deceived by Hari, who appeared as my kinsman. It was by His will that I possessed a power that astonished even the gods, and now, by that same will, it has been taken from me. Even a moment’s separation from Him renders this world joyless; without singing His glories, I feel as if dead. “It was by taking shelter of Him that I entered the svayamvara of Drupada’s house, where proud kings had gathered. By His strength, I overcame them all, won the contest, and gained Kṛṣṇā’s hand. In His presence, I gave the Khāṇḍava forest to Agni, and, by defeating Indra and his hosts, I obtained the wondrous assembly hall built by Maya. Kings from all directions brought tribute to your great sacrifice. “By your power, O King, Bhīma—our noble younger brother, whose might equals ten thousand elephants—subdued the lords of the earth for your sacrifice, and those kings brought their offerings to you. Yet, at that same sacrifice, your wife, adorned for the royal consecration, was humiliated in the assembly by gamblers. Her tears fell at your feet, her hair loosened in despair when her protectors were vanquished. How those women suffered! “It was He who protected us in the forest when we were tormented by Durvāsā’s severe trials, when our enemies attacked, and when we had nothing but wild vegetables to eat. By His grace, the three worlds were satisfied, even as we were surrounded by dangers, like those in the water. “By your favor, O Lord, even Śiva, armed with his trident and accompanied by his consort, was astonished in battle and surrendered his weapon to me. With this very body, I attained a place of honor in Indra’s palace. There, while I delighted among the gods, my arms—marked by Gāṇḍīva, meant to destroy enemies—were admired by Indra and the gods, who sought refuge with me. But now, O Lord, by Your departure, I am stripped of all power, like an ordinary man. “It was by Your grace, O kinsman, that I alone crossed the ocean-like Kuru army with a single chariot, displaying the valor of great heroes. I recovered immense wealth and dazzling crowns from the enemy. You, as the foremost charioteer, guided my chariot in battle, shining among the circle of the best charioteers on spotless nights, facing Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Guru, Śalya, and others. By Your mere glance, You subdued their strength and will. “By Your favor, the mighty weapons of Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Droṇa, Śalya, Saindhava, and other warriors, though unfailing and powerful, could not touch me—just as the demons’ weapons could not harm 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. Even when my horses were exhausted and I stood on the ground, the enemy charioteers, bewildered by His influence, could not approach. “The Lord’s playful, noble words, adorned with a charming smile—‘O Pārtha! O Arjuna! Friend! Joy of the Kurus!’—touch my heart and, when remembered, melt even my stone-like heart. 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 son with his father. Yet, out of His great affection, He tolerated 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 am protected by His great deeds, I am like a woman defeated by thieves, left helpless on the path of life. That bow, those arrows, that chariot, those horses, and I as the charioteer—before whom even kings would bow—have all become powerless and useless in a moment, like offerings cast into ashes by illusion’s magic. “O King, by your will, the Yadus, who were not true friends to their own city, fell under the curse of the Brāhmaṇas and began to strike each other with their fists. Intoxicated by Vāruṇī, their minds agitated, they fought among themselves, not recognizing each other, leaving only four or five survivors. “This, O King, is the inscrutable way of the Lord’s actions: by His arrangement, living beings destroy and also nurture each other. 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 one another, just as the strong devour the weak. “The words spoken by Govinda, always appropriate to time, place, and circumstance, soothe the heart’s distress and captivate the mind of anyone who remembers them.” As Arjuna thus contemplated Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet with deep affection, his mind became peaceful and pure. Freed from all residual impurities by devotion and constant meditation on Vāsudeva’s feet, Arjuna became established in the highest consciousness. He recalled the sacred wisdom sung by the Blessed Lord on the battlefield, and thus overcame the darkness of time, fate, and delusion. Released from sorrow by attaining the state of Brahman, with all doubts of duality cut away, he merged into a state beyond the modes of nature, beyond bodily identification, and beyond birth. Yudhiṣṭhira, his mind composed, having heard of the Lord’s departure and the end of the Yadu dynasty, resolved to follow the path to the higher realms. Pṛthā, too, upon hearing from Arjuna of the destruction of the Yadus and Kṛṣṇa’s departure, fixed her mind in exclusive devotion to the transcendent Lord, and withdrew from the cycle of birth and death. He who had removed the burden of the earth, the unborn Lord, abandoned that body just as one uses a thorn to remove another and then discards both. Just as an actor assumes and then abandons various forms, so He relinquished that body after fulfilling His purpose. When Mukunda, the Blessed Lord, left this earth along with His auspicious form, at that very moment, Kali—the age of unrighteousness—began to act upon those whose minds were unawakened. Yudhiṣṭhira, wise and discerning, observed the advance of Kali—in the city, the kingdom, his household, and even in himself—manifesting as greed, falsehood, and violence. Recognizing these signs, he prepared to depart. The sovereign, seeing his own grandson, equal in virtues and discipline, installed him as lord of the earth at Hastināpura, on the banks of the Ganges. In Mathurā, he installed Vajra as chief of the Śūrasenas, and then, performing all proper rites, the Lord drank the sacrificial fire. There, relinquishing all attachments—relatives, followers, and possessions—he became free from possessiveness and ego, severing all worldly bonds. He offered his speech into his mind, his mind into his breath, and his other senses into darkness; he offered his outgoing breath into death, and thus entered the state of dissolution. He merged the five elements into each other, then into unity, and then offered everything into the Self, and the Self into imperishable Brahman. Clad in bark, fasting, with matted hair bound and head uncovered, he appeared as if dull, mad, or possessed—revealing his true form as a renounced sage, utterly free.