Hear now a sacred narrative, woven from the words of the ancient scripture. The Supreme Lord, master of all beings and the sovereign over primordial nature, declared: “Nowhere else but in Me is the intense fear that troubles the soul of all creatures truly dispelled. Out of fear of Me, the wind blows and the sun shines; Indra sends the rains, fire burns, and even death moves among beings. Those yogis who are endowed with knowledge and renunciation, through the yoga of devotion, seek refuge at My feet—feet that are utterly free of fear—for their own well-being. Indeed, in this world, the highest good for people is this alone: with unwavering devotion, to keep the mind steadily fixed on Me. “O King, know that the human body is like a city with seven gates above, two in front, and two below; each gate allows 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. Listen as I describe their names. “Like twin fireflies, two eastern gates stand together; through them, Dyumatsakha passes, illuminating the land. Beside these, two more gates named Nalinī and Nālinī are also built together in the east; through them, Avadhūtasakha enters the fragrant domain. At the front stands the gate called Mukhyā, bustling with many shops and food boats; through this, the king of the city enters, accompanied by merchants skilled in the sense of taste. “Through the southern gate named Pitṛhū, Purañjana enters the southern Pañcāla region, accompanied by those who carry knowledge. Through the northern gate, Devahū, Purañjana enters the northern Pañcāla region, again accompanied by bearers of knowledge. The western gate called Āsurī leads Purañjana into the territory of Grāmaka, accompanied by arrogance; while the western gate named Nirṛti leads him into the region called Vaiśasa, accompanied by greed. “Two city gates, Andha and Avamīṣā, are silent and skillful; their lord, possessing 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. Thus absorbed in actions, driven by desire and deceived by ignorance, he follows whatever his queen wishes. “Sometimes, when she drinks, he too drinks wine and becomes intoxicated; when she eats, he eats; when she enjoys, he enjoys with her. When she sings, he sings; when she weeps, he weeps; when she laughs, he laughs; when she speaks, he speaks in turn. When she runs, he runs; when she stands, he stands; when she lies down, he lies beside her; and sometimes, he sits with her. When she listens, he listens; when she looks, he looks; when she smells, he smells; and when she touches, he touches. When his wife grieves, he grieves with her, sharing her sorrow; when she rejoices, he rejoices, sharing 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.” At this point, Śuka continued his narration. Witnessing such extraordinary deeds of Kṛṣṇa, the cowherds of Vraja were amazed and, unaware of the true power of the child, approached Nanda, recalling the words of the sage Garga. They spoke: “The acts of this boy are truly astonishing. How could one born among villagers—whose offspring are usually humble—perform such wonders? How could a 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—and with it, her very life—just as time consumes all living beings. As an infant lying beneath a cart, his tiny feet struck it, and the wheel fell, overturned by his cry and kick. When he was but a year old, the demon Tṛṇāvarta seized him and carried him into the sky, grasping his neck, but the child overcame this great affliction. “Once, when his mother had tied him to a mortar for stealing butter, he crawled between two arjuna trees and caused them to fall with his arms. In the forest, tending calves and surrounded by other boys, he tore apart the mouth of the demon Baka with his hands, though Baka intended to kill him. When a demon, disguised as a calf, entered among the herd to kill him, he slew the demon and, with childlike play, knocked down the kapittha fruits. He killed the ass-demon and his powerful companions, making the tāla grove safe and filled with ripe fruit. By his strength, he slew the fierce Pralamba demon and freed the cows and cowherds from a consuming forest fire. He subdued the great serpent king, draining him of pride, and drove him from the lake, thus making the waters of the Yamunā pure once more. “All the residents of Vraja have an affection for him that cannot be abandoned, Nanda. How could such innate love arise in us for your son? How can a seven-day-old child perform the feat of holding up a great mountain? O leader of Vraja, we have doubts about your son.” Nanda replied, “Listen to my words, O cowherds, and let your doubts be dispelled. Regarding this child, the wise sage Garga once spoke to me. He said that this illustrious one has assumed three colors in successive ages—white, red, and yellow—and now he has taken on a dark complexion. Previously, he was born as the son of Vasudeva; now, he is my son. The wise call him Vāsudeva. Your son has many names and forms, corresponding to his qualities and deeds. I know them, but the people do not.” Thus, the wondrous deeds of the Lord and the mystery of his incarnations were spoken of among the people of Vraja, revealing his divine nature to those with hearts open to faith.