O King, the ways of the Supreme Lord are ever mysterious and beyond ordinary understanding. By His divine arrangement, living beings both nurture and destroy one another—this is the inscrutable order by which the world turns. Just as in the waters, the larger creatures devour the smaller, so too among men do the strong overcome the weak, and the powerful prevail over the less powerful. In this very manner, the Lord relieved the earth of its burden, causing the mighty Yadu dynasty to bring about their own destruction, just as the strong naturally overpower the weak. Yet, the words spoken by Govinda, always perfectly suited to time, place, and circumstance, have the power to soothe all distress and captivate the heart and mind of those who remember them. Thus, as Arjuna sat in contemplation, his heart overflowing with affection for the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, peace and purity settled over his mind. Through unwavering devotion and constant remembrance of Vāsudeva, Arjuna’s heart was cleansed of all lingering impurities, and he became firmly established in the highest consciousness. Recalling the sacred knowledge sung by the Blessed Lord on the battlefield, Arjuna dispelled the darkness of time, fate, and illusion. Freed from sorrow, having attained the state of Brahman, all doubts of duality cut away, Arjuna merged into a nature beyond the modes, transcending bodily identification and birth itself. Yudhiṣṭhira, too, having heard of the Lord’s departure and the end of the Yadu dynasty, composed his mind and resolved to follow the path to the higher realms. Kuntī, known as Pṛthā, upon receiving Arjuna’s account of the Yadus’ destruction 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, He who had removed the earth’s burden, abandoned His body just as one uses a thorn to remove another and then discards both. Like an actor who assumes and then gives up various forms—such as that of a fish and others—the Lord relinquished His earthly form. When Mukunda, the Blessed Lord, left this world along with His auspicious form, at that very moment, Kali—the age of unrighteousness—began to act upon those whose minds were not awakened. Perceiving the advance of Kali manifesting as greed, falsehood, and violence in his city, his kingdom, his household, and even himself, wise Yudhiṣṭhira prepared to depart. Seeing his own grandson, Parīkṣit, equal in virtue and discipline, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 the proper rites, the Lord drank the sacrificial fire. There, having relinquished all attachments—relatives, followers, and possessions—he became free from possessiveness and ego, severing all bonds. He offered his speech into his mind, his mind into his breath, and the senses into darkness; he offered his outgoing breath into death, thus entering the state of dissolution. The five elements were offered into each other, 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, Yudhiṣṭhira appeared as if dull, mad, or possessed, revealing his true form. Indifferent to the world, not hearing like one deaf, he departed along the northern path, as great souls had done before him, meditating on the Supreme Brahman in his heart—a state from which there is no return. All his brothers, firmly resolved, followed him, for the people of the earth had been 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, their minds were absorbed solely in the 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, relinquished 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, seeing 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 the beloved sons of Pāṇḍu—so pure and auspicious—attains devotion to Hari and perfection. Thereafter, Parīkṣit, the great devotee, ruled the earth according to the guidance of the foremost brāhmaṇas, just as expert guides direct a noble child at birth. He married Irāvatī, the daughter of Uttara, and from her 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—so grand that even the gods became visible. Once, during his conquest of the directions, the heroic king encountered Kali, who, disguised as a king but actually a śūdra, was striking a cow and a bull with his foot. Śaunaka, eager to hear more, asked, “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. For those devoted to the nectar of the Lord’s lotus feet, what use are other fruitless talks, which only waste the span of life?” He continued, “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! In this age, people are slow, of dull intelligence, and short-lived; their nights are wasted in sleep, and their days in vain activities.” Sūta continued: When Parīkṣit, residing in the land of the Kurus, heard the unwelcome news that Kali had entered his kingdom, the valiant archer took up his bow. He mounted his well-adorned chariot, yoked with dark horses and bearing the lion banner, and, surrounded by his army of chariots, horses, elephants, and infantry, set out to conquer the directions. He conquered Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, the northern Kurus, and the regions of Kimpuruṣa and others, and collected tribute from them.