Indra, the king of the gods, humbled and remorseful, approached Lord Krishna and addressed him with folded hands. “O Lord,” he pleaded, “please forgive my offense, committed out of ignorance and pride in my own power. My mind was deluded; may such unworthy thoughts never arise in me again.” Indra recognized the divine purpose behind Krishna’s descent. “O Adhokṣaja,” he said, “you have come to remove the heavy burden of the earth caused by powerful rulers, to destroy armies, and to protect those who follow your feet. Salutations to you, O Blessed One, Supreme Person and Great Soul; salutations to Vāsudeva, to Krishna, to the Lord of the Sātvatas. Salutations to you, who assume a body at will, whose form is pure knowledge, all-pervading, the seed and soul of all beings.” Indra confessed his actions, “Driven by pride and intense anger, I tried to destroy this cowherd settlement with storms and winds, after my sacrifice was interrupted by the arrogant. By your grace, my pride is gone and my futile effort destroyed. I have taken refuge in you—the Lord, the teacher, and the self.” Śuka, the sage, narrates that Krishna was thus praised by Maghavan (Indra), and the Blessed One, smiling gently, spoke with a voice deep as thunderclouds. Krishna said, “O Maghavan, I broke your sacrifice to show you favor, so that you would always remember me and not be intoxicated by the glory of Indra. One blinded by pride in wealth and power does not see the wielder of the rod; I deprive such a person of their prosperity whenever I wish to show them mercy. Go now, Śakra; may all be well with you. Follow my instruction: remain in your own duties, free from pride and properly engaged.” At this moment, Surabhi, the divine cow, thoughtful and radiant, approached Krishna, the Lord in the form of a cowherd, along with her offspring, and offered her respects. She addressed him, “Krishna, Krishna, great yogi, soul of the universe, origin of all, by you, the Lord of the worlds, we are protected, O infallible one. You are our supreme deity, not Indra, O Lord of the world; you exist for the welfare of cows, brahmins, gods, and the virtuous. Prompted by Brahmā, we shall anoint you, O Indra. You have descended, O Soul of the Universe, to remove the burden of the earth.” Śuka describes how, after inviting Krishna, Surabhi bathed him with her own milk, and with waters brought by Airāvata from the celestial Gaṅgā. Indra, together with the sages among the gods and prompted by the mothers of the gods, anointed Krishna—the descendant of Daśārha—addressing him as Govinda. Tumburu, Nārada, and others—Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Siddhas, and Cāraṇas—arrived, singing the fame of Hari, which destroys the impurities of the worlds, while the celestial women danced joyfully. The leaders of the divine hosts praised him, showering wondrous rains of flowers. The three worlds rejoiced in supreme delight, and the cows gave forth streams of milk. Rivers and trees flowed with honey, grains and herbs grew without cultivation, and the mountains bore precious gems. When Krishna was anointed, all beings—even those cruel by nature—became free from enmity. Thus, after anointing Govinda, the lord of the cows and cowherds, Indra, permitted by Krishna and accompanied by the gods and others, returned to heaven. Śuka continued, explaining the proper worship of the Lord. One should worship Durgā, Vināyaka, Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the teachers, and the gods, each facing their own direction, with offerings such as sprinkling and others. Using sandalwood, camphor, kuṅkuma, aguru, and fragrant waters, one should bathe the deity with mantras daily, if resources allow. With recitations of the Svarṇagharman hymn, the Mahāpuruṣa-vidyā, the Pauruṣa Sūkta, and Sāman hymns, the rites should be performed. With garments, sacred threads, ornaments, leaf-garlands, and fragrant ointments, the devotee should adorn the Lord with love, as is proper. Water for washing the feet, for sipping, fragrance, flowers, unbroken rice, incense, lamps, and offerings should be presented to the Lord with faith. One should prepare offerings such as sweet rice with jaggery, clarified butter, fried cakes, rice cakes, sweets, curd, soup, and other foods, if available. Oiling, massaging, mirrors, tooth-cleaning, bathing, food, drink, singing, dancing, and the like should be performed daily and on festival days. In the prescribed manner, in a consecrated fire-pit with girdle, fuel, and altar, one should kindle the fire and gather it all around, as directed by hand. After spreading kuśa grass, sprinkling the area, placing the offerings as prescribed, purifying them with water, and approaching the fire, one offers them to the Lord. One should meditate on the Lord as resplendent as molten gold, with conch, discus, mace, and lotus, shining with four arms, peaceful, and clad in garments the color of lotus filaments. Radiant with crown, bracelets, waistband, and splendid armlets; adorned with the mark of Śrīvatsa upon the chest, shining with the Kaustubha gem and a garland of forest flowers. Meditating and worshipping, the devotee places the wooden offerings and those soaked in clarified butter; after offering portions of ghee for the ancestors and the gods, he presents the oblation immersed in ghee. Having worshipped and bowed, he offers gifts to the attendants; reciting the root mantra, he contemplates Brahman, remembering the essence of Nārāyaṇa. After giving water for sipping and the remnants, he prepares them for Viṣvaksena; then, with fragrant mouth-fresheners such as betel, he offers them accordingly. Singing, praising, dancing, and enacting the deeds of the Lord; narrating and listening to his stories, the devotee becomes absorbed, even if only for a moment. With hymns, both high and low, and praises from the Purāṇas and even from common speech, having extolled the Lord, he prays, “Be gracious, O Lord,” and prostrates himself. Placing his head at the Lord’s feet and his arms crossed, he implores, “Protect me, O Lord! I have surrendered, frightened by the ocean of death and its snares.” Thus, placing the remainder given by the Lord upon his head with reverence, if the worship is to conclude, he respectfully returns the offering to the light, and again to the supreme light. Whenever and wherever there is faith in worship and the like, he should worship the Lord there; for the Lord is present in all beings and within the self, as the universal soul.