O sons of the gods and men, listen well: I have sung a praise of the Supreme Person, Paramātmā, a song that is dear to the highest welfare. Whoever recites it with faith, worships Hari, who is otherwise so hard to worship. From this song, whatever one desires is swiftly obtained, for it is a blessing for all. If one rises early, joins their palms, and recites or hears this praise with devotion, the bonds of karma are broken. Recite it with focused mind as a great austerity, practice it, and in the end, you will attain your desired goal. Now hear of the wondrous deeds of Krishna in Vraja. Out of anger, Indra, king of the gods, poured down a terrible torrent of club-like rain upon the inhabitants of Vraja, intent on their destruction and the lifting of Govardhana. Enraged, Indra summoned the destructive Sāṃvartaka clouds and spoke with authority, lamenting the pride of the cowherds who, relying on Krishna—a mere mortal, he thought—had shown disrespect to the gods. Indra compared their actions to those who, ignoring true knowledge, attempt to cross the ocean of existence with mere rituals and strong actions. He scorned the cowherds for depending on Krishna, whom he called talkative, childish, arrogant, and ignorant, and declared they had wronged him. Blinded by their own wealth and puffed up by Krishna, Indra believed they would lose their pride and drive their cattle to ruin. Mounting his elephant Airāvata, Indra set out with the wind-gods, determined to destroy Nanda’s cowherd settlement. Thus commanded by Maghavan, the clouds, freed from restraint, began to afflict Nanda’s village with torrents of rain. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, fierce winds blew, and water and hail poured down. The rain streamed incessantly, flooding the earth so that neither high nor low ground could be seen. The violent wind caused the animals to tremble, and the cowherds and their women, suffering from the cold, sought refuge in Govinda. Covering their heads and children with their bodies, distressed by the storm and shivering, they approached the feet of the Blessed Lord. They cried out, “Krishna, Krishna, greatly fortunate one, O Lord, Gokula is under your protection; you must save us from the wrath of the gods, O lover of your devotees!” Seeing the lifeless beings struck down by hailstones, Lord Hari understood this was caused by Indra’s anger. He explained, “Because our sacrifice was interrupted, Indra, seeking our destruction, sends this extraordinary, fierce, stone-filled rain and violent wind.” Krishna declared, “I shall 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. For the gods who are truly virtuous, there is no astonishment at the Lord; but for the unworthy, the breaking of their pride leads to their pacification. Therefore, I shall protect this cowherd community, which has taken refuge in me, which considers me its lord, and which I have accepted as my own, by my own power of yoga; this is the vow I have undertaken.” Having spoken thus, Krishna, with one hand, effortlessly lifted Govardhana Mountain as a child would hold up an umbrella. He said to the cowherds, “O mother, O father, O residents of Vraja, enter the hollow of the mountain with your cattle, as you find suitable. You need not be afraid here of the mountain falling from my hand, nor of the wind and rain; protection has indeed been arranged for you.” Reassured by Krishna’s words, the residents of Vraja, along with their wealth, families, and dependents, entered the hollow of Govardhana as space allowed. Abandoning hunger, thirst, pain, and the desire for comfort, they watched as Krishna held up the mountain for seven days, unmoving. Hearing of Krishna’s wondrous power of yoga, Indra was astonished; his resolve broken, he withdrew his clouds. When the sky cleared, the sun shone, and the terrible wind and rain ceased, Krishna, the lifter of Govardhana, spoke to the cowherds: “Go out, abandon your fear, O cowherds with your wives, wealth, and children; the wind and rain have stopped, and the rivers have receded.” The cowherds emerged, gathering their cattle, carts, and belongings, along with women, children, and elders, moving slowly. The Blessed Lord placed the mountain back in its original place, in the sight of all beings, doing so playfully. The residents of Vraja, filled with love, quietly approached him and embraced him; the cowherd women, full of affection, worshipped him with joy, offered curds and unbroken rice, and bestowed their constant blessings. Yaśodā, Rohiṇī, Nanda, and Rāma—the foremost among the strong—embraced Krishna and, overcome with affection, offered him their heartfelt blessings. In the heavens, hosts of gods, Siddhas, Sādhyas, Gandharvas, and Cāraṇas, pleased with Krishna, praised him and joyfully showered a rain of flowers upon the earth. Conches and kettledrums resounded in the sky, urged on by the gods; the lords of the Gandharvas, led by Tumburu, sang. Surrounded by the loving cowherds, Hari returned to his cowherd settlement with Balarāma; the Gopīs, singing of his wondrous deeds, followed joyfully, their hearts deeply moved. Thus ends the twenty-fifth chapter of the first half of the tenth book in the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for supreme renunciates. Let the wise, having shaken off attachment to the qualities of nature, worship me. The learned, free from attachment, self-controlled and vigilant, should worship me. A sage overcomes passion and darkness by cultivating goodness; and, being steadfast, he conquers even goodness by detachment and calm mind. Thus, freed from the qualities, the soul attains me, leaving behind individual existence. The soul, liberated from other souls and from desires born of the qualities, becomes complete in me, the Absolute; it moves neither outward nor inward.