As the young maidens of Vraja stood before him, their heads bowed in humility, the Lord—Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī—was moved by compassion. Pleased by their devotion, he returned their garments to them. Though they had been playfully teased and put into an embarrassing situation, even having their clothes taken, the girls bore no resentment toward him. Instead, they found joy in his beloved company, delighting in being near him despite the playful trial. Once they had dressed again, their hearts remained fixed on their desire to meet their beloved. With eyes cast down in modesty, they could not bring themselves to leave his presence. Understanding the longing in their hearts—their wish to touch his feet—Lord Dāmodara addressed them, acknowledging their steadfast vow and the intention behind their actions. He spoke to them with gentle approval, “O virtuous ones, I know your hearts and your wish to worship me. I am pleased with your intention, and know that it shall be fulfilled. When one’s mind is fixed on me, desires do not become lustful, just as roasted or boiled grains do not sprout. Return now to Vraja, your vow perfected. In the nights to come, you shall rejoice with me, for you performed this vow with the aim of worshiping me.” Thus instructed by the Lord, the maidens, their hearts full and their wishes granted, returned to Vraja. Though it was difficult for them to turn away, they went, their thoughts absorbed in meditation upon his lotus feet. Afterward, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī, surrounded by his cowherd friends, left Vṛndāvana. With his elder brother Balarāma, he led the cows to distant pastures. As they journeyed, Kṛṣṇa noticed the trees providing shade, protecting all from the fierce heat of the midday sun. He called out to his companions—Stokakṛṣṇa, Aṃśu, Śrīdāma, Subala, Arjuna, Viśāla, Ṛṣabha, Tejasvin, Devaprastha, and Varūthapa—and drew their attention to the trees. “Behold these great souls,” he said, “who live only for the sake of others. They endure wind, rain, sun, and cold, yet they protect us all. Blessed indeed is their birth, for all creatures live by their gifts. Like the truly good, they never refuse those who seek their help. With their leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrant resin, sap, ashes, and bones, they fulfill the needs of others. This, indeed, is the true fulfillment of birth for embodied beings: to always act for the highest good with one’s life, wealth, intelligence, and speech.” Passing beneath the low branches of trees laden with fresh shoots, clusters, fruits, flowers, and leaves, Kṛṣṇa and the cowherd boys entered the midst of the Yamunā river. There, they watered the cows with pure, cool, and auspicious water, and then drank deeply themselves, satisfying their thirst. Letting the cattle graze freely in the shady groves, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma lingered, but soon the cowherds, hungry from their play, approached and began to speak of deeper truths. “Absorbed in sense objects,” they reflected, “a living being forgets his true self; and at death, all remembrance is lost. Birth, though experienced as the self, is merely the acceptance of sense objects, like a dream or a passing fantasy. Just as one cannot recall a dream or a fantasy from before, so too does one see oneself as new in each state of being.” They pondered the nature of existence: “This threefold manifestation—senses, their objects, and the mind—appears in the substance of being, and the division of inner and outer arises only from people’s perception, just as actions are judged as good or wicked. Beings constantly come into being and pass away, yet the swift, subtle force of time makes these changes imperceptible. Like flames, streams, and the fruits of a tree, so are the ages and stages of all beings.” “The lamp is called a flame, the water a stream, and a person a man—but such speech is false, as is the notion of lasting life. Do not think a person is born solely from his own actions, or that he truly dies; it is an illusion, just as fire appears to arise and cease with wood. The body passes through nine stages: conception, gestation, birth, childhood, boyhood, youth, maturity, old age, and death. These various forms, higher and lower, are made of the stuff of fantasy, assumed through association with qualities; sometimes they are acquired, sometimes abandoned.” “The coming and going of the self are inferred from father and son, but one who knows the true nature of things is not defined by such changes. Just as one who knows the seed and fruit of a tree understands its birth and destruction, yet stands apart from the tree, so too is the witness distinct from the body. When a person fails to distinguish the self from nature, bewildered by contact, he enters worldly existence.” They continued, “Through association with sattva, one attains the gods; through rajas, the demons and humans; through tamas, the state of spirits and animals. Driven by actions, one wanders among these states. Watching others dance and sing, one imitates them; so too does the mind, even if inactive, imitate the qualities it observes. Just as trees seem to move when water flows, and the earth seems to spin when the eyes whirl, so too are perceptions distorted.” “In the same way, the experience of sense objects through the mind’s imagination is false, and visions in dreams are unreal; so too is worldly existence for the self, O descendant of Dasarha. Even when the object does not exist, the cycle of worldly existence does not cease; for one who meditates on sense objects, misfortune arises in dreams just as in waking life. Therefore, Uddhava, do not indulge in sense objects with unreliable senses. See the confusion that arises from grasping the self and recognize the illusory error.” “Whether thrown out, insulted by the wicked, mocked, envied, beaten, restrained, or deprived of livelihood; spat upon, urinated upon by ignorant people, or shaken in many ways—one who desires what is truly good, even in hardship, should uplift oneself by one’s own self.” Hearing these profound teachings, Śrī Uddhava humbly asked, “How may I truly understand this, O best of speakers? Please, instruct us further.