With hearts overflowing with love, the residents of Vraja quietly approached Kṛṣṇa. They embraced him, touched him affectionately, and showered him with their warmth. The cowherd women, radiant with joy and devotion, worshipped him with heartfelt offerings—curds and unbroken rice—bestowing upon him their constant blessings, their affection shining in every gesture. Yaśodā and Rohiṇī, along with Nanda and the mighty Rāma, embraced Kṛṣṇa, their love overwhelming them. They offered him their deepest blessings, hearts full of parental tenderness and pride. Meanwhile, in the heavens, hosts of gods, Siddhas, Sādhyas, Gandharvas, and Cāraṇas were delighted. They praised Kṛṣṇa, their voices resounding with joy, and showered the earth with a rain of fragrant flowers. The sky echoed with the sounds of conches and kettledrums, played by the gods themselves. The Gandharvas, led by Tumburu, sang melodious hymns, filling the air with celestial music. Surrounded by his loving cowherds, Hari—Kṛṣṇa—returned to his cowherd settlement with Balarāma. The Gopīs followed, singing joyously of his wondrous deeds, their hearts deeply moved by his divine acts. Thus concludes the twenty-fifth chapter of the first half of the tenth book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture revered by supreme renunciates. Kṛṣṇa then spoke: 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, remaining steadfast, conquers even goodness through detachment and a calm mind. Freed from all qualities, the soul attains me, leaving behind individual existence. When the soul is liberated from other souls and from desires born of the qualities, it becomes complete in me, the Absolute, moving neither outward nor inward. Those who know my power as the Lord of Māyā, endowed with eightfold sovereignty, do not covet even the blessed fortune of the goddess of prosperity; in this world, they attain my supreme state. Those devoted to me, peaceful in nature, never perish; the weapon of Time does not touch them. For whom I am dear as the Self, as son, friend, teacher, well-wisher, and cherished deity, I protect them. This world, the next, the soul that moves between both, and all that is considered one’s own—wealth, cattle, homes—abandoning all others and worshipping me alone, the all-pervading, with exclusive devotion, I carry them beyond death. Nowhere else but in me, the Supreme Lord of all beings and master of primordial nature, is intense fear for the soul of all creatures dispelled. Out of fear of me, the wind blows, the sun shines, Indra sends rain, fire burns, and death moves about. Yogis endowed with knowledge and renunciation, through the yoga of devotion, enter my feet, which are free from all fear, for their well-being. This alone, in this world, is the highest good for people: with intense devotion, to keep the mind steadily fixed on me. There are seven gates above, two in front, and two below; each for the movement of sense-objects, and within them dwells a certain lord. Of these, five gates are to the east, one to the south, one to the north, and two to the west. Their names are as follows: Like fireflies, two eastern gates were constructed together; through them, Dyumatsakha travels, illuminating the land. Two gates named Nalinī and Nālinī were built together in the east; through them, Avadhūtasakha enters the fragrant domain. A gate called Mukhyā stands at the front, with many shops and food boats; through it, the king of the city enters, accompanied by merchants who know taste. Through the southern gate named Pitṛhū, Purañjana enters the southern Pañcāla region, accompanied by those who carry knowledge. Through the northern gate called Devahū, Purañjana enters the northern Pañcāla region, accompanied by those who carry knowledge. Through the western gate named Āsurī, Purañjana enters the territory called Grāmaka, accompanied by arrogance. Through the western gate named Nirṛti, Purañjana enters the region called Vaiśasa, accompanied by greed. The two city gates named Andha and Avamīṣā are silent and skillful; their lord, who possesses sight, passes through them and acts. When he enters the inner chambers, accompanied by Viṣūcī, he experiences delusion, pleasure, or joy arising from his wife and children. Absorbed in actions, driven by desire, deceived and ignorant, he follows whatever his queen wishes. Sometimes, when she drinks, he drinks wine, intoxicated; when she eats, he eats, and when she enjoys, he enjoys with her. Sometimes, when she sings, he sings; when she weeps, he weeps; sometimes, when she laughs, he laughs, and when she speaks, he speaks in turn. Sometimes, when she runs, he runs; when she stands, he stands; when she lies down, he lies down beside her, and sometimes he sits with her. Sometimes, when she listens, he listens; when she looks, he looks; sometimes, when she smells, he smells, and when she touches, he touches. Sometimes, when his wife grieves, he grieves with her, feeling sorrow; when she rejoices, he rejoices, sharing in her happiness. Thus deceived by his wife and all her qualities, even when unwilling, the ignorant man imitates her, like a plaything, out of weakness. Śuka then spoke: Seeing such extraordinary deeds of Kṛṣṇa, the cowherds were amazed. Unaware of his true power, they approached Nanda, recalling the words of sage Garga. They said, “These acts of the boy are truly astonishing. How could he be born among villagers, whose offspring are usually despised? How could this child, only seven days old, effortlessly hold aloft the great mountain with a single hand, just as the king of elephants lifts a lotus? With his eyes only partly open in childish innocence, he drank the breast milk of the mighty Pūtanā, along with her very life, as time consumes the lives of all. While lying below, the infant’s feet struck the cart, and the wheel fell down, overturned, as he cried and kicked it.” Thus, the wondrous deeds of Kṛṣṇa inspired awe and devotion among the people of Vraja, and his divine nature shone ever brighter.