The wives of the brāhmaṇas gazed upon Krishna, who stood before them with the hue of a rain-laden cloud. He was adorned in golden garments, garlanded with forest flowers and crowned with a peacock feather. His attire resembled that of a dancer, a lotus rested gracefully on his shoulder, and he twirled another lotus in his hand. A lily decorated his ear, his locks framed his radiant cheeks, and his face bloomed with a captivating smile. Their hearts, already steeped in love for his stories and enchanted by his presence, drank in this vision through their eyes. They embraced Krishna within their souls, and, being wise, let go of all sorrow as they had wished. Having abandoned every other hope, they had come to see their very Self. Krishna, the knower of all hearts, understood their desire and, smiling, addressed them. “Welcome, O most fortunate ones! Please be seated. What may I do for you? It is right that you have come here, seeking to see us,” he said. “Those who are truly wise and seek their own highest good offer to me, who am dearest to their very selves, devotion that is causeless and unbroken. Life, intellect, mind, self, wives, children, wealth—all these are dear only by their connection to me; therefore, who else could truly be dear? Now, return to the sacrificial altar, O wives of the twice-born! Your husbands, as householders, will complete their sacrifice with your participation.” But the wives replied, “Do not speak so harshly, O Lord! Fulfill the promise of your scripture at your feet. We have come, leaving behind all relatives, to gather the dust from your feet, adorned with tulasi, to place in our hair. Neither our husbands, nor parents, nor children, nor brothers, nor friends, nor anyone else will accept us now. Therefore, O subduer of enemies, for those of us who have fallen at your feet, there is no other refuge—please grant us this.” Krishna answered, “Let not your husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, or others bear resentment; even the worlds, the gods, and all beings honor you, for you are now connected with me. Physical association among people in this world is not for love or affection; by fixing your minds on me, you will soon attain me.” Thus reassured, the wives of the brāhmaṇas returned to the sacrificial enclosure. Their husbands, now free of envy, completed the sacrifice together with their wives. There was one woman, however, whose husband had restrained her. She embraced the Lord within her heart as she had heard, and, giving up her body bound by karma, attained liberation. Lord Govinda then took the food the women had brought and, in fourfold ways, fed the cowherds, partaking himself as well. In this way, assuming a human form for his divine play, the Lord delighted the cows, cowherds, and cowherd women with his beauty, words, and deeds. Later, the brāhmaṇas recalled the request their wives had made to Krishna. They repented for their offense, realizing they had mocked the Lord, not recognizing him in his human form. Seeing the extraordinary devotion of their wives to Krishna, and recognizing their own lack of such devotion, they became remorseful and blamed themselves. “Fie upon our birth, our threefold knowledge, our vows, our great learning, our lineage, and our ritual expertise—if we are turned away from the Lord beyond sense perception. Surely, the Lord’s māyā is deluding, even for yogis; for we, the teachers of men, are bewildered about our own true welfare, O brāhmaṇas. “Behold the steadfastness of these women, who, even for Krishna, the teacher of the world, broke the bonds of death called ‘home.’ These women had no initiation as twice-born, no residence with a teacher, no austerity, no self-inquiry, no purity, and no auspicious rituals. Still, even though we possess refinement and other virtues, our devotion to Krishna, the Lord of the most exalted, the master of all yogis, is not firm. “Indeed, though we were deluded about our true welfare and distracted by household life, He reminded us of the path of the righteous through the words of the cowherd women. Otherwise, what need would we, who are subject to His command, have for boons like liberation or anything else, from Him who is the Lord of all blessings and whose desires are already fulfilled? This is only a display of His play. “Lakshmi, seeking only the touch of His feet, abandons all others and worships Him even once; her request for liberation from her own faults is merely a deluding charm for people. Place, time, distinct objects, mantras, rituals, priests, fires, deities, the sacrificer, the sacrifice, and dharma—all these are composed of Him. He, this very Lord, Vishnu, the master of all yogis, has appeared among the Yadus—we have heard so, yet, being deluded, we do not truly know Him. Ah, how blessed we are, for among us are such women whose unwavering devotion to Hari has arisen in their hearts. “Obeisance to You, O Lord Krishna, of unfailing wisdom; deluded by Your maya, our minds wander along the paths of karma. He, the original person, surely forgives the transgressions of those whose minds are bewildered by His own maya and who do not recognize His true nature.” Thus, remembering their own offense, though they had neglected Krishna, the brāhmaṇas did not waver in their desire to see the infallible ones, even though they feared Kamsa. They reflected further: “If the planets are the cause of happiness and distress for a person, what concern is that for the soul, who is unborn? The wise say that the planets only affect other planets; so, to whom should a person direct anger? If karma is the cause of happiness and distress, what concern is that for the soul? For karma pertains to the insentient and the sentient. This body is merely skin, while the person is the conscious self, the suparna; to whom should one be angry? For karma is not the root. If time is the cause of happiness and distress, what concern is that for the soul? For time is of the same nature as the soul. Just as heat is not the property of fire, nor cold of snow, to whom should one be angry? For duality does not belong to another. “By no one, anywhere, in any way, does duality arise for the supreme soul, who is beyond all. Just as I am, so is the cycle of birth and death; thus, one who is awakened does not fear the elements. Relying on this supreme devotion to the transcendent self, which was practiced by the ancient sages, I will cross the boundless, impassable darkness by serving the feet of Mukunda.” The Blessed Lord then spoke: “Having become indifferent, bereft of possessions, free from fatigue, wandering the earth as a renunciant, and even when rejected by the wicked, unwavering in his own duty, the sage spoke this verse: ‘No one else but the soul itself is the cause of happiness and distress for a person; friends, neutrals, and enemies are all creations of worldly ignorance. Therefore, O dear one, with all your being, restrain the mind by intelligence fixed in Me; this alone is the essence of yoga. Whoever, with a focused mind, holds, recites, or listens to this song sung by the sage, established in Brahman, is not overcome by the dualities of life.