Perceiving the heartfelt longing of the young maidens to touch his feet, Lord Dāmodara gently spoke to them, recognizing the purity and steadfastness with which they had kept their vows. “O virtuous ones,” he said kindly, “your intention to worship me is well known to me. I approve of your devotion, and be assured—it will be fulfilled as destined. “For those whose minds remain fixed on me, desires do not become mere lust, just as roasted or boiled grains no longer sprout. Go now, girls, return to Vraja, your vow perfected. In the nights to come, you will enjoy my company, for your vow was undertaken with the sole purpose of worshiping me.” Thus instructed by the Lord, the maidens, their hearts both fulfilled and heavy, returned to Vraja. Though it was difficult for them to leave him, their minds remained absorbed in meditation upon his lotus feet. Meanwhile, the Lord, son of Devakī, surrounded by his cowherd friends, departed from Vṛndāvana. Alongside his elder brother Balarāma, he led the cows to graze at a distance. As they wandered, Kṛṣṇa noticed the trees standing tall, spreading their branches to offer shade against the harsh, scorching rays of the midday sun. He called out to his companions—Stokakṛṣṇa, Aṃśu, Śrīdāma, Subala, Arjuna, Viśāla, Ṛṣabha, Tejasvin, Devaprastha, and Varūthapa—drawing their attention to the trees. “Behold these great souls,” Kṛṣṇa said, “who live only for the sake of others. They endure wind, rain, sun, and cold, all to protect us. Blessed indeed is their birth, for all creatures depend on them. Like the truly good, they never turn away anyone who seeks shelter. They fulfill desires with their leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrant resin, sap, ashes, and even their bones. “Indeed, this is the true fulfillment of birth for embodied beings: to always act for the highest good, using one’s life, wealth, intelligence, and speech.” Passing through the low branches of trees laden with fresh shoots, clusters, fruits, flowers, and leaves, Kṛṣṇa and his companions entered the midst of the Yamunā. There, after watering the cows with pure, cool, and auspicious water, the cowherds themselves drank freely, quenching their thirst with the sweet water. Within the groves, as the cattle grazed at will, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, feeling hungry, were approached by the cowherd boys, who began to speak deeply about the nature of life and self. They reflected, “Because of absorption in sense objects, a living being forgets his true self; and death is simply the total forgetting. Birth, though experienced as one’s very self, is described as the acceptance of sense objects—like a dream or a fantasy. Just as one forgets a dream or a fantasy from before, so too does one, in a new birth, see oneself as someone new, not as before. “This threefold manifestation—of senses, their objects, and the mind—appears within the substance of existence. The division into inner and outer is merely a construct, just as the actions of the good and the wicked are. Indeed, beings continually come into existence and pass away, but due to the subtle, swift force of time, this is not seen. “Just as flames, streams, and the fruits of a tree have their own cycles, so do the ages and stages of all beings. We call a lamp a flame, water a stream, and a person a man, but such speech is ultimately false, as is the notion of lasting life. “Do not think that a person is truly born from his own actions, or that he truly dies; it is an illusion, just as fire appears to arise and cease with wood. Conception, gestation, birth, childhood, boyhood, youth, maturity, old age, and death—these are the nine stages of the body. “These various higher and lower bodies, made of the stuff of fantasy, are assumed through association with qualities—sometimes acquired, sometimes abandoned. The coming into being and passing away of the self are inferred from the relation of father and son; but one who knows the true nature of things that come and go is not characterized by both. “Just as one who knows the seed and fruit of a tree understands its birth and destruction, yet remains distinct from the tree, so too is the witness, the true self, distinct from the body. But when a person fails to distinguish the self from nature, bewildered by contact, he enters into worldly existence. “Through association with sattva, one attains the gods; through rajas, the realms of demons and humans; through tamas, the states of spirits and animals. Driven by actions, one wanders among these. “Watching others dance and sing, one imitates them likewise. In this way, observing the qualities of intellect, even one who is inactive is compelled to imitate. Just as trees seem to move when water flows, and the earth appears to spin when the eyes whirl, so too are perceptions distorted. “Just as the experience of sense objects through the mind’s imagination is false, and as 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 born 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 good, even in hardship, should uplift oneself by one’s own self.” Hearing these profound words, Uddhava humbly addressed the Lord, “How may I truly understand this, O best of speakers? Please tell us. For this unbearable transgression against the self seems exceedingly difficult to endure, even for the wise, O Soul of the Universe. Nature is powerful, except for those who are devoted to your dharma, peaceful, and sheltered at your feet. “Bṛhaspati, in the doctrine of Brahman, and even Hari himself, in the state of self-realization, through devotion to cows, teachers, and Brahmins, follow Viṣvaksena. By praise and song, men throughout the three worlds, here and there, enter through the ear-holes of women, just as Rāma does among the virtuous.” Thus, in the sacred groves of Vraja, amidst the simple joys and deep teachings, the Lord revealed the mysteries of existence and the path to true fulfillment.