As Dharma, the personification of righteousness, gazed upon the sorrowful Earth, he gently inquired, “O mother, do you perhaps recall the wondrous deeds of Hari, who incarnated to lift your heavy burden, but who has now departed, delaying your deliverance? Tell me, O Earth, what is the true cause of your distress that has so deeply afflicted you? Has your good fortune, revered even by the gods, been taken away by mighty Time, the strongest of all?” The Earth responded with humility and reverence, “O Dharma, you already know all that you ask, for you uphold the four pillars that bring happiness to the world. Truth, purity, compassion, forgiveness, renunciation, contentment, straightforwardness, tranquility, self-control, austerity, equanimity, forbearance, withdrawal, and learning—these virtues dwell ever within you. Along with knowledge, detachment, lordliness, heroism, brilliance, strength, memory, independence, skill, beauty, courage, and gentleness, as well as boldness, humility, good conduct, endurance, vigor, strength, prosperity, depth, steadiness, faith, fame, honor, and freedom from pride. All these and many other noble qualities forever reside in you, O blessed one. Those who seek greatness turn to you, for these virtues never diminish in you. “Therefore, I grieve now for the world, bereft of the presence of Śrīnivāsa, the Lord who embodied all virtues, and now afflicted by the sinful gaze of Kali. I lament for myself, for you—the foremost among rulers—for the gods, ancestors, sages, all the virtuous, and for all the social orders and stages of life. Even Brahmā and the other gods, longing for but a sidelong glance from Him, performed severe austerities in surrender; yet the goddess Śrī herself, leaving her own abode in the lotus forest, lovingly worships the dust of His feet, adorned with auspicious marks. “I was once 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 lasting favor with Him; in the end, He cast me aside, and the worlds, too, rejected me with disdain. He, by His own power, removed the unbearable burden of the earth—the hundred armies of demonic kings—and established you, Dharma, though your position was unstable and diminished, in your own strength. He 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 even the steadfastness of the honey-bees? The very dust of His feet, marked with auspicious signs, brings a thrill to my being.” As Dharma and the Earth thus conversed, at that very moment, King Parīkṣit, the royal sage, arrived at the banks of the eastern Sarasvatī river. With deep reverence, Parīkṣit offered his salutations: “Obeisance to You, O Lord, Supreme Person, great soul, abode of all beings, source of all, transcendent, 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 its divisions, the universe itself, the overseer of all, creator and 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 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. 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. “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 scion of Indra; 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. 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, then explained: Thus praised by the wives of the serpent, the Lord released the unconscious Kaliya, whose head had been 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 said, “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.” 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. Whoever bathes here, where I played, and offers water to the gods and others, then fasts and worships me, remembering me, will be freed from all sins. Having left the island of Ramanaka and taken refuge in this lake, you were not devoured by Suparna out of fear, for you bear my foot-mark.” The sage concluded: Thus addressed by Krishna, whose deeds are wondrous, Kaliya was worshipped joyfully and respectfully by his wives.