In the land of Vraja, the people lived by four kinds of livelihoods: farming, trade, cow protection, and music, with some engaging in lending at interest. Yet, among all these, the cowherds devoted themselves above all to the tending of cows. The world, they understood, is governed by the three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—which bring about maintenance, creation, and destruction, respectively. From rajas arises the universe and all its diversity, each effect following from the other. It is by the impulse of rajas that clouds pour forth rain, nourishing all beings; what, then, is there truly for Indra, the lord of the rains, to do? The cowherds had no cities, towns, or even fixed houses. Always, they dwelt in the forests, living amidst woods and mountains. Therefore, Krishna, the beloved of Vraja, spoke: “Let us begin a sacrifice, not for Indra, but for the cows, the brāhmaṇas, and this mountain that shelters us. Let all the materials intended for Indra’s worship be used for this new sacrifice.” He instructed them to prepare many kinds of cooked foods: soups, rice puddings, cakes, fried flour treats, and dishes made from milk. The brāhmaṇas, learned in the Vedas, were to make proper offerings into the sacred fires, and be given abundant, excellent food and cows as gifts. Others—horse-keepers, outcastes, and the fallen—were to receive appropriate gifts as well. After feeding the cows with barley, an offering was to be made to the mountain itself. Once everyone was adorned, well-fed, anointed, and dressed in fine garments, Krishna asked them to circumambulate the cows, the brāhmaṇas, the fires, and the mountain. “This is my opinion, dear ones,” Krishna said. “If it pleases you, let it be done. This sacrifice is dear to the cows, the brāhmaṇas, the mountain, and to me.” Śuka, the sage, narrates that when the Lord, who as Time itself wished to humble Indra’s pride, spoke these words, Nanda and the people of Vraja accepted them as righteous. They performed everything as Madhusūdana had instructed, with the brāhmaṇas reciting blessings and the offerings dedicated to the mountain and the brāhmaṇas. After making all the gifts and feeding the cows with barley, they placed the herds at the forefront and circumambulated the sacred mountain. The women, riding in beautifully decorated carts drawn by oxen, sang of Krishna’s glorious deeds and received the blessings of the virtuous brāhmaṇas. Then, Krishna himself took on another form, inspiring confidence among the cowherds, and declared, “I am the mountain!” In this great form, he accepted the abundant offerings. Together with the people of Vraja, Krishna bowed to the mountain, honoring it as the Self to the Self, saying, “Behold, this mountain has appeared before us and granted us his favor.” He reminded them that the mountain dwells in the forest, taking on forms at will and destroying those mortals who disrespect him. Therefore, they bowed to the mountain for the protection of themselves and their cows. Thus, prompted by Vāsudeva, the cowherds, together with Krishna, performed the prescribed rites for the mountain, the cows, the brāhmaṇas, and the sacrifice, and then returned to their homes in Vraja. Here ends the twenty-fourth chapter of the first half of the tenth book in the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, collected for the paramahaṃsas. Elsewhere, the Lord spoke: “By perceiving me—the Self, the self-luminous one who dwells in the hearts of all beings—within yourself by your own self, you will attain freedom from sorrow and fear. Mother, I will impart to you spiritual knowledge, which brings peace to all actions; by this, you will cross over fear.” Maitreya continued: Thus addressed by Kapila, the lord of all creatures, the listener was pleased, circumambulated him, and went to the forest. He undertook a vow of silence, relying solely on the Self, wandering unattached over the earth, without fire and without a fixed dwelling. He absorbed his mind in Brahman, which is beyond both the manifest and the unmanifest, appearing as the qualities yet itself without qualities, realized through single-minded devotion. Free from ego and possessiveness, beyond dualities, seeing equally and perceiving his own Self, he became inwardly peaceful and steady in mind—like a calm ocean without waves. In Vāsudeva, the all-knowing Lord and inner Self, through supreme devotion, he realized his own Self and became free from bondage. He saw the Lord present in all beings as his own Self, and all beings in the Lord within himself. Freed from desire and aversion, with an even mind toward all, and endowed with devotion, he attained the state of a true devotee. He beheld the Lord, radiant with a crown, bracelets, necklace, anklets, and girdle; adorned with conch, discus, mace, lotus, garland, and the finest jewels, full of supreme splendor. The auspicious Kaustubha gem shone on his neck, his shoulders like a lion’s, his form radiant like a flawless touchstone. His abdomen was marked by three lines, moving with the rhythm of breath, as if the universe itself was being drawn in and released by the deep whirl of his navel. He wore a brilliant yellow garment with a golden belt over his dark hips, his thighs, knees, and shins perfectly formed and beautiful. His feet shone like autumn lotuses, their nails radiating light and dispelling inner darkness. “O Teacher,” he prayed, “reveal your own feet, the path for those who seek to cross the darkness of ignorance.” This form, he learned, is to be meditated upon by those who desire purification of self; devotion to it grants fearlessness to those who perform their own duty. The Lord is attainable by the devoted, though difficult to reach for all embodied beings; even the sovereignty of the self is considered inferior to the ultimate state of self-realization gained through exclusive devotion. Having worshipped Him, who is difficult to approach even for the virtuous, who would desire anything outside His feet? Where death, the ender of life, does not approach those who are indifferent to it, even as he destroys the universe with his might and the fierce arching of his brows. Not even heaven or liberation can be weighed against even half a moment of association with the Lord’s devotees for mortals—what then of other blessings? Therefore, O sinless one, may we have the association of those whose character is pure and compassionate toward all beings, whose sins are washed away by bathing within and without in the sacredness of Your fame—this alone is Your grace to us. He whose mind is not distracted by external objects, nor enters the dark cave of ignorance, whose mind is purified by the favor of devotion and yoga—such a sage surely perceives Your path. That in which this universe appears, and by which the universe is illumined—that reality, the supreme Brahman, the highest light, is vast like space.