Salutations were offered to Kṛṣṇa, to Rāma, to the son of Vasudeva, to Pradyumna, to Aniruddha, and to the Lord of the Sātvatas—praise flowed to Him who is the lamp of all qualities, who veils Himself within them, is seen only through their workings, yet remains the seer and the inner consciousness itself. To Him who sports in the unmanifest and perfects all that is manifest, to Hṛṣīkeśa, the sage, the silent ascetic, the prayers continued. Salutations were offered to the Lord who knows the course of both the higher and the lower, the overseer of all, both manifest and unmanifest, who sees all and is the very cause of all. “O Lord,” they said, “though unattached to the qualities, You preside over the birth, existence, and dissolution of this world. You uphold the power of time, awaken the various natures in beings, and, by Your unfailing glance, You engage in wondrous play. The very bodies that exist in the three worlds—some peaceful, some restless, some born of delusion—are dear to You, O scion of Indra. Yet, the peaceful are most beloved, for now, out of a 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.” Hearing the wives of the serpent thus praise Him, the Lord released the unconscious serpent, 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: “We are wicked by birth, O Lord, enveloped in darkness and long-standing anger. 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. Among them, O Lord, we serpents are born with fierce anger; how can we abandon your māyā, which is so hard to give up, when we ourselves are deluded by it? 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.” Thus addressed by Krishna, whose deeds are wondrous, Kaliya was worshipped joyfully and respectfully by his wives. They honored Krishna with divine garments, garlands, precious jewels and ornaments, fragrant ointments, and a great garland of lotuses. Having worshipped the Lord of the universe, pleasing Garuda-bannered Krishna, they circumambulated Him and offered respectful salutations. Then, with all his wives, friends, and sons, Kaliya departed for the ocean’s island; at that moment, the Yamuna became free of poison, by the grace of the Lord who played in human form. He worshipped Krishna with incense, perfumes, and other offerings, using the twelve-syllable mantra. Meanwhile, Sūta continued: There, the king saw a cow and a bull being beaten as if they were helpless, and he saw a low-born man holding a club—a disgrace to royalty. The bull, white as a lotus stalk, trembled as if urinating in fear, shaking, standing on one leg, weakened by the blows of the Śūdra. The cow, who once gave warm milk, was now distressed, severely struck by the feet of the Śūdra, separated from her calf, her face tearful, emaciated, and longing for grass. Mounted on his chariot, adorned with golden fittings, with a deep, thunderous voice and his bow raised, the king questioned them: “Who are you, who in this world, under my protection, unjustly harms the weak? Though you appear as a king, your actions are like those of an actor, not a twice-born. You, who attack the innocent in secret, deserve to be killed, now that Krishna has departed far away with the bearer of the Gāṇḍīva bow. Or are you, white as a lotus stalk, walking with diminished feet, a deity in the form of a bull, causing us distress? Never, while the earth was embraced by the mighty arms of the Kaurava kings, did grief afflict living beings here, except through you. “O daughter of Surabhi, do not grieve here; let your fear of the low-born vanish. Do not weep, mother; may auspiciousness be yours. I am the punisher of the wicked. In whose kingdom all subjects suffer from the wicked and the good alike, that intoxicated ruler loses his fame, lifespan, fortune, and path. This is the supreme duty of kings: to subdue the afflicted and punish their tormentors. Therefore, I shall kill this most wicked enemy of living beings. Who has cut off your three legs, O daughter of Surabhi, you four-footed one? May such as you never exist in the realm of kings who follow Krishna. Tell me, O bull, may auspiciousness be yours, who is the cause of the disfigurement of the innocent, the defamer of the fame of the sons of Pṛthā. One who inflicts harm on the innocent and spreads fear everywhere, for him only the welfare of the virtuous is ensured when the wicked are subdued. He who, though innocent among beings, commits offenses without restraint, I shall seize his arm directly, even if he is mortal and wears a bracelet. For the king, the highest duty is to uphold his own dharma, to govern others according to the scriptures, and not to deviate from the path in adversity.