Even as death, the mighty ender of all, brings the universe to its end with the fierce arching of his brows, he cannot approach those who remain indifferent to him. Such is the protection granted by the Lord to those who rest in His grace. Indeed, not even the pleasures of heaven or the promise of liberation can compare to even half a moment spent in the company of the Lord’s devotees; what then can be said of lesser blessings? Therefore, O sinless one, may we be blessed with the company of those pure-hearted souls whose compassion extends to all beings, whose sins are washed away by immersing themselves—within and without—in the sacredness of Your divine fame. This alone, O Lord, is Your supreme grace to us. The true sage is one whose mind is undistracted by external objects, who does not fall into the darkness of ignorance, and whose heart is cleansed by the favor of devotion and the practice of yoga. Such a sage alone perceives Your true path. For You are the supreme Brahman, the highest light, vast like the infinite sky, in whom this entire universe appears and by whom it is illumined. By Your own inscrutable power of illusion, O Lord, You create this world of countless forms, You sustain it, and You dissolve it again—yet You remain ever unchanged. It is only the restless mind that perceives difference and multiplicity; in truth, You are self-dependent, the one reality. With deep faith, yogis worship You alone through various rituals, seeking perfection. Those skilled in the Vedas and the Tantras know that You are present in all beings, in all the senses, and in the mind itself. You alone are the original Person, the source of all. By Your dormant power, the three modes—passion, goodness, and darkness—are differentiated. From You arise the great ego, space, air, fire, water, earth, the gods, the sages, and all living beings. Having entered creation by Your own power, You dwell within the fourfold body as the inner self, enjoying the essence of the senses, just as bees enjoy honey. The wise recognize this indwelling Person. You are the swift chariot of time, dragging all worlds with irresistible force. The elements, whose presence is only inferred, are like clouds, while You are like the wind—unbearable and unstoppable. While people, intoxicated and distracted by thoughts of action, greedily long for sense objects, You, ever alert, seize them suddenly, like a snake snatches up a mouse, O Lord of Death. Who, being wise, would abandon Your lotus feet, which are the very abode of honor and humility? Even the fourteen Manus, our revered teachers, worship You out of fear, lest they fall from their exalted positions. Therefore, O Brahman, Supreme Self, You are the true refuge of the wise. When the universe trembles in fear of Rudra, You alone are the shelter that is free from all fear. O noble sons of kings, recite this teaching while remaining pure, performing your own duties, and offering your intentions to the Lord. May all be well with you. Worship that very Self, who abides within all beings, praising and meditating constantly on Hari. Having received these instructions in yoga, maintain the vows of sages and, with concentrated minds, practice them with reverence. Long ago, the Lord, the master of creation, spoke these teachings to us as He wished to create the sons of Bhṛgu and others who desired to bring forth creation. We, the lords of progeny, were not prompted to create beings before, but by these teachings, with our ignorance dispelled, we became eager to create the various creatures. Whoever is always engaged in reciting these teachings with attention soon attains the highest good, being devoted to Vāsudeva. Here, the supreme knowledge is the highest welfare for all. With the boat of this knowledge, one easily crosses the difficult ocean of misfortune. Whoever, with faith, recites this praise of the Lord that I have sung, truly worships Hari, who is otherwise hard to worship. From this song of praise, dear to the highest welfare, a person swiftly obtains whatever he desires. Whoever rises early, with joined palms and faith, to hear or recite this, becomes freed from the bonds of karma. O sons of those who are like gods among men, this song, this praise of the Supreme Person, the Paramātmā, has been sung by me. Recite it with focused mind as a great austerity, practice it, and in the end, you will attain your desired goal. Now, at that time, Indra, king of the gods, became furious. Out of anger, he unleashed a torrent of club-like rain upon Vraja to destroy the cowherd settlement and to test Krishna’s protection of the people. Indra, enraged, summoned the terrible Sāṃvartaka clouds and commanded them with words full of authority. “How great is the pride of these cowherds, dwellers of the forest!” Indra exclaimed. “Relying on Krishna, a mere mortal, they have shown disrespect to the gods. Just as some, abandoning the science of inquiry, try to cross the ocean of existence with mere rituals and names, so too have these cowherds, trusting in Krishna—a talkative, childish, arrogant, ignorant boy who imagines himself wise—wronged me. Blinded by their own prosperity, puffed up by Krishna, they destroy their pride born of fortune and drive their cattle to ruin. I shall mount Airāvata, my mighty elephant, and accompanied by the wind-gods, I will go to Vraja with great force, intent on destroying Nanda’s cowherd settlement.” Śuka said: Thus, commanded by Maghavan, the clouds, freed from all restraint, began to afflict Nanda’s cowherd village with torrents of rain. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and fierce winds drove the rain and hailstones down in sheets. Thick and thin streams of water poured incessantly into the valleys; the earth, flooded by the torrents, was no longer visible—neither low ground nor high. Because of the excessive, violent wind, the animals began to tremble in fear. The cowherds and their women, afflicted by the biting cold, sought refuge in Govinda. Covering their heads and children with their own bodies, distressed by the storm and shivering, they approached the feet of the Blessed Lord. “Krishna, Krishna, greatly fortunate one, O Lord!” they cried. “Gokula is under your protection; you must save us from the wrath of the gods, O lover of your devotees!” Seeing the people and animals struck down and lifeless from the hailstones, the Lord Hari understood that this calamity was the result of Indra’s anger. “Because we interrupted our sacrifice to Indra, he now seeks our destruction, sending this extraordinary, fierce, stone-filled rain and violent wind,” Krishna declared. “Here and now, I shall properly counteract this with my own power of yoga. Out of the foolishness of those who consider themselves lords of the world, I will destroy their pride born of arrogance.” And thus, the Lord prepared to protect His beloved devotees, teaching all the ultimate refuge and power of devotion.