Arjuna, still reeling from the loss of his dearest friend and companion, the Supreme Person, spoke with a heavy heart: “O King, now that He is gone, my heart feels utterly empty. Though I am shielded by memories of His wondrous deeds, I am like a woman robbed by thieves, left alone and helpless on the road of life.” He reflected on his past glories: “That bow, those arrows, the chariot and horses, and even I—once the charioteer before whom kings would bow—have all, in a single moment, become powerless and useless, as if offerings cast into ashes by the workings of illusion.” Turning to the fate of the Yadus, Arjuna continued, “By Your will, O Lord, the Yadu dynasty, who did not act as true friends to their own city, fell under the curse of the Brāhmaṇas. Deluded, they began to strike one another with their own fists. Intoxicated by Vāruṇī liquor, their minds disturbed, they failed to recognize each other and fought amongst themselves, until only four or five remained alive.” He pondered the inscrutable ways of the Lord: “This, O King, is the mysterious nature of the Lord’s actions—living beings, by His arrangement, destroy each other and also support each other. Just as in water, the large fish devour the small, so too among men the strong overcome the weak, the powerful prevail over the less powerful. In this way, the Lord lightened the burden of the earth by causing the mighty Yadus to destroy each other, just as the strong destroy the weak.” Arjuna’s heart turned to memories of Govinda: “The words spoken by Govinda, always fitting to the time, place, and circumstance, soothe the heart’s sorrow and captivate the mind of anyone who remembers them.” As Arjuna contemplated the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa with deep love, his mind became peaceful and pure. Through devotion and constant meditation on Vāsudeva’s feet, Arjuna’s consciousness was cleansed of all lingering impurities, and he became established in the highest realization. He recalled the divine knowledge sung by the Blessed Lord on the battlefield, and thus overcame the darkness of time, fate, and delusion. Freed from sorrow by attaining the state of Brahman, all doubts of duality cut away, Arjuna became merged in that nature beyond the modes, no longer identified with the body and thus beyond birth. Meanwhile, 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. Kuntī, too, upon hearing from Arjuna of the destruction of the Yadus and the Lord’s departure, fixed her mind in exclusive devotion to the transcendent Lord and withdrew from the cycle of birth and death. The Unborn Lord, who had removed the burden of the earth, abandoned His body just as one uses a thorn to remove another and then discards both. Just as an actor assumes and then abandons different roles, so He relinquished His earthly form. When Mukunda, the Blessed Lord, left this world along with His auspicious form, at that very moment, Kali—the source of unrighteousness—began to act upon those whose minds were unawakened. Yudhiṣṭhira, wise and discerning, saw the advance of Kali—manifesting as greed, falsehood, and violence—in his city, his kingdom, his household, and even himself, and thus prepared to depart. Seeing in his own grandson a worthy successor, equal in virtue and discipline, he 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. Then, having performed the proper rites, Yudhiṣṭhira relinquished all attachments—relatives, followers, and possessions—becoming free from possessiveness and ego, severing all bonds. He offered his speech into his mind, his mind into his breath, and the other senses into darkness; his outgoing breath he offered into death, thus entering the state of dissolution. The five elements he offered into each other, and then into unity, and finally, everything into the Self, and the Self into the imperishable Brahman. Clad in bark, fasting, with matted hair and head uncovered, he appeared as if dull, mad, or possessed, revealing his true form. Indifferent, he departed, not hearing like one deaf, and entered the northern path as the great souls had done before, meditating on the Supreme Brahman in his heart, from which there is no return. All his brothers, having resolved firmly, followed him, for the people of the earth were afflicted by Kali, the friend of unrighteousness. Having fulfilled all duties virtuously and knowing the ultimate goal of the self, they fixed their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. With unwavering devotion and purified intellect, they fixed their hearts solely on that supreme abode of Nārāyaṇa. Thus, they attained that exceedingly rare state, which cannot be reached by those attached to sense objects and impurity, but is gained only by the pure soul. Vidura, too, renouncing his body at Prabhāsa, absorbed his mind in Kṛṣṇa and, united in consciousness with his forefathers, went to his own abode. At that time, Draupadī, perceiving the detachment of her husbands, fixed her mind exclusively on Lord Vāsudeva, the Blessed One, and attained that state. Whoever faithfully hears this account of the departure of Pāṇḍu’s beloved sons, most purifying and auspicious, attains devotion to Hari and perfection. Sūta continued: Then Parīkṣit, the great devotee, ruled the earth according to the instructions of the foremost brāhmaṇas, just as expert guides direct a noble child at birth. He married Irāvatī, the daughter of Uttara, and from her he begot four sons, beginning with Janamejaya. He performed three Aśvamedha sacrifices on the banks of the Gaṅgā, giving abundant gifts, with Śāradvata as his priest, where even the gods became visible. Once, during his conquest of the directions, the heroic king seized Kali, who, disguised as a king but actually a śūdra, was striking a cow and a bull with his foot. At this, Śaunaka inquired, “For what reason did the king capture Kali during his conquest? Who was this śūdra, bearing royal insignia, who struck the cow with his foot? O blessed one, please tell us, if it relates to the stories of Kṛṣṇa. Or, for those devoted to tasting the nectar of the Lord’s lotus feet, what use are other fruitless talks, which only waste the span of life?” He added, “O gentle one, for mortal men of short life who desire immortality, the Lord, as Death, has been invited here by the sage Śāmīka. No one dies as long as Death remains here; for this reason, the Lord was called by the great sages. Oh, let the nectar of Hari’s pastimes be drunk in the world of men!