In a time when the Earth was afflicted and sorrowful, Dharma, the embodiment of righteousness, approached her with concern and compassion. He gently asked, “Mother, are you grieving for your missing limb, for yourself about to be consumed by the wicked, or for the gods whose shares of sacrifice have been stolen? Or perhaps for the people, since Indra no longer sends rain?” He continued, “Are you mourning for the women and children left unprotected, suffering at the hands of cruel men? Or for the sacred speech of the goddess, corrupted in the brahmin class, or for the noble families degraded by unrighteous kings? Is it for the kṣatriya clans afflicted by Kali, or for the kingdoms they have ruined? Or for the people who wander here and there, seeking food, drink, shelter, and baths, their livelihoods disrupted?” Dharma’s questions grew more poignant: “Or, O mother, do you remember the deeds performed by Hari, who incarnated to relieve your heavy burden, but has now departed, delaying your deliverance? Tell me, O Earth, what is the root of your distress, by which you have been afflicted. Has your good fortune, worshipped by the gods, been taken away by Time, the strongest of the strong?” The Earth replied, her voice filled with sorrow and reverence, “O Dharma, you indeed know all that you ask me about, for you uphold the four legs that bring happiness to the world. In you reside truth, purity, compassion, forgiveness, renunciation, contentment, straightforwardness, tranquility, self-control, austerity, equanimity, forbearance, withdrawal, and learning. Also knowledge, detachment, lordliness, heroism, brilliance, strength, memory, independence, skill, beauty, courage, and gentleness. Boldness, humility, good conduct, endurance, vigor, strength, prosperity, depth, steadiness, faith, fame, honor, and absence of pride—all these and other great qualities ever reside in you. Those who desire greatness seek them, for they never diminish in you.” She paused, then spoke with deep lament, “Therefore, I grieve now for the world, bereft of the presence of Śrīnivāsa, the worthy vessel of all virtues, and afflicted by the sinful gaze of Kali. I lament for myself, for you, the best among the rulers, for the gods, ancestors, sages, all the virtuous, and for all the social orders and stages of life. Even Brahmā and the others, longing for a mere sidelong glance, performed severe austerities, having surrendered to the Lord; yet that very goddess Śrī, abandoning her own abode in the lotus forest, lovingly worships the dust of His feet, which is adorned with auspicious marks.” With a heavy heart, the Earth remembered, “I was adorned by the glorious footprints of the Lord—marked with the lotus, thunderbolt, goad, banner, and other symbols—yet, having attained such splendor, I did not find favor with Him; at the end, He cast me aside, and the worlds, too, rejected me with disdain. He, who by His own power removed the unbearable burden of the earth—the hundred armies of the demonic kings—established you, though your position was unstable and diminished, in your own strength, and delighted the Yadu dynasty by bearing their charming forms. Who could endure separation from the Supreme Person, whose loving glances, radiant smiles, and sweet words steal away the steadfastness even of the honey-bees—when the very dust of His feet, marked with auspicious signs, brings a thrill to my being?” As Earth and Dharma thus conversed in sorrow and reflection, King Parīkṣit, the royal sage, arrived at the eastern bank of the Sarasvatī river. He bowed deeply and uttered prayers of reverence: “Obeisance to You, O Lord, the Supreme Person, the great soul, the abode of all beings, the source of all, the transcendent, the Supreme Self. Salutations to You, the treasure-house of knowledge and wisdom, the Absolute, of infinite power, beyond qualities, unchanging, and not of this world. Salutations to Time, the source of time, the witness of the divisions of time, the universe itself, the overseer of all, the creator and the cause of the universe. To the Self of elements, senses, life-breath, mind, intellect, and inner disposition, who is experienced inwardly, yet concealed by identification with the three qualities—salutations. Salutations to the infinite, the subtle, the immutable, the all-knowing, who accommodates all doctrines, and is the power behind both the spoken and the unspoken. Salutations to the one who is the root of all valid knowledge, the sage, the source of the scriptures, the path of action and renunciation, the Veda itself—again and again, salutations.” Parīkṣit’s devotion continued: “Salutations to Kṛṣṇa, to Rāma, to the son of Vasudeva, to Pradyumna, to Aniruddha, and to the Lord of the Sātvatas. Salutations to the lamp of the qualities, to the one who veils Himself with the qualities, who is perceived through the functions of the qualities, the seer of the qualities, and the inner consciousness. To Him who sports in the unmanifest, who perfects all that is manifest, Hṛṣīkeśa, salutations to You, the sage, the silent ascetic. Salutations to You, who knows the course of the higher and lower, who is the overseer of all, who is both the unmanifest and the manifest, the seer of all this and its cause.” He acknowledged the Lord’s divine role, “You, O Lord, though unattached to the qualities, preside over the birth, existence, and dissolution of this world, upholding the power of time, awakening the various natures in beings, and, by Your unfailing glance, engage in Your wondrous play. These very bodies of yours in the three worlds—some peaceful, some restless, some born of delusion—are dear to you, O Indra's lineage; the peaceful ones are especially beloved, for now, out of desire to uphold dharma, you strive to protect and preserve the virtuous. A single offense committed by one's own subject should be endured by the ruler; you ought to forgive, with a tranquil mind, one who acted in ignorance toward you.” At this time, the wives of the serpent Kaliya pleaded with the Lord, “Grant us your mercy, O Lord, for the serpent is abandoning his life; let the husband, who is the very life of us women—wretched and deserving of compassion—be restored to us. Command what your maidservants must do, so we may carry out your order; for one who performs it with faith is freed from all fear.” Śuka, the sage, narrated, “Thus, praised by the wives of the serpent, the Lord released the unconscious one, whose head was broken, from the crushing of his feet. Regaining his senses and breath, Kaliya slowly looked upon Hari; struggling to breathe, weak and distressed, he spoke to Krishna with folded hands.” Kaliya spoke humbly, “We are wicked by birth, enveloped in darkness and long-standing anger; O Lord, this nature is hard to abandon, for it is the false grasping found among all beings. By you, O Creator, this universe has been fashioned, with the distribution of qualities; its various natures, powers, energies, forms, seeds, and inclinations arise from you. And among them, O Lord, we serpents are born with fierce anger; how can we abandon your māyā, which is hard to give up, when we ourselves are deluded by it? For you are the cause of all this, omniscient, Lord of the universe; whether you grant mercy or punishment, do as you deem fit for us.” Śuka continued: “Hearing these words, the Lord, acting as a human, spoke: ‘You must not remain here, O serpent; go to the ocean without delay. Leave this river to be enjoyed by cows, men, and your own kin, children, and wives. Whoever among mortals remembers this instruction I have given you, and recites it at both twilights, will not suffer fear from you.’” Thus, the story unfolds, revealing the sorrow of Earth, the wisdom of Dharma, the devotion of Parīkṣit, and the compassion of the Lord, who restores harmony and grants protection to all who remember His words.