Krishna, having fulfilled his divine purpose, addressed Śakra, the king of the gods, with gentle authority: “Go now, Śakra; may all be well with you. Let my instruction be followed. Remain in your own duties, free from pride and properly engaged.” Thus, Indra was reminded of his place and the importance of humility and duty. At that time, Surabhi, the celestial mother of cows, approached Krishna thoughtfully, accompanied by her offspring. She bowed with deep reverence before Krishna, who stood among the cowherds, the Supreme Lord in that simple form. With heartfelt devotion, Surabhi 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 alone are our supreme deity, not Indra, O Lord of the world. You exist for the welfare of cows, brahmins, gods, and all the virtuous.” Surabhi continued, “Prompted by Brahmā, we have come to anoint you as Indra, for you have descended, O Soul of the Universe, to remove the burden of the earth.” Thus, with utmost devotion, Surabhi and her children bathed Krishna with her own milk, while Airāvata, the great elephant of the heavens, brought waters from the celestial Gaṅgā for the sacred rite. Indra, together with the foremost sages among the gods and urged on by the mothers of the gods, anointed Krishna, the descendant of Daśārha, and addressed him as Govinda—the protector of cows and the earth. The heavens resonated with divine music as Tumburu, Nārada, and other Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Siddhas, and Cāraṇas arrived, singing the glories of Hari, whose fame purifies the worlds. Celestial women danced with joy, their movements expressing the bliss that filled the three worlds. The leaders of the divine hosts praised Krishna, showering wondrous rains of flowers upon him. All existence rejoiced; the cows gave forth abundant milk, rivers and trees flowed with honey, grains and herbs grew without cultivation, and the mountains yielded precious gems. In this celebration, even those beings who were cruel by nature became free from enmity, and peace prevailed everywhere. Having thus anointed Govinda, the lord of cows and cowherds, Indra, with Krishna’s permission and accompanied by the gods and celestial beings, returned to his heavenly abode. Then, the sacred instructions for worship were revealed. One should worship Durgā, Vināyaka, Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the teachers, and the gods, each facing their appropriate direction, with offerings such as sprinkling and other rites. If resources allow, the deity should be bathed daily with sandalwood, camphor, kuṅkuma, aguru, and fragrant waters, accompanied by the chanting of mantras—especially the Svarṇagharman hymn, the Mahāpuruṣa-vidyā, the Pauruṣa Sūkta, and the Sāman hymns. The devotee should adorn the Lord with garments, sacred threads, ornaments, garlands made of leaves, and fragrant ointments, all offered with love. With faith, he presents water for washing the feet, water for sipping, fragrances, flowers, unbroken rice, incense, lamps, and other offerings. Sweet rice with jaggery, clarified butter, fried cakes, rice cakes, sweets, curd, soup, and other foods are prepared as available. Daily and on festival days, he performs oiling, massaging, offers mirrors, cleans the teeth, bathes, and presents food and drink, along with singing and dancing. In the prescribed manner, the devotee kindles a consecrated fire in a properly prepared pit, spreading kuśa grass, sprinkling the area, and purifying the offerings with water. Approaching the fire, he offers the oblations as directed. In meditation, he visualizes the Lord, radiant as molten gold, bearing the conch, discus, mace, and lotus, shining with four arms, peaceful, and clothed in garments the color of lotus filaments. The Lord is adorned with a crown, bracelets, waistband, splendid armlets, the mark of Śrīvatsa, the Kaustubha gem, and a garland of forest flowers. The devotee meditates and worships, placing wooden offerings and those soaked in clarified butter into the fire, offering portions for the ancestors and gods, and then the main oblation. Afterwards, he bows, offers gifts to the Lord’s attendants, recites the root mantra, and contemplates Brahman, remembering the essence of Nārāyaṇa. Water for sipping and remnants are given, with further offerings to Viṣvaksena and fragrant mouth-fresheners such as betel. Singing, praising, dancing, enacting the Lord’s deeds, narrating and listening to his stories—even for a moment—the devotee becomes absorbed in divine remembrance. With hymns from the Vedas, Purāṇas, and even common speech, he extols the Lord, prays for grace, and prostrates himself, placing his head at the Lord’s feet, arms crossed, pleading, “Protect me, O Lord! I have surrendered, frightened by the ocean of death and its snares.” With reverence, the devotee places the remnants given by the Lord on his head, and 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, he should worship the Lord there, for the Lord is present in all beings and within the self, as the universal soul. By the paths of ritual and yoga—both Vedic and Tantric—a person worshipping in this way attains from the Lord whatever perfection is desired. Establishing the Lord’s image, he should build a firm temple, with delightful flower gardens for worship and festivals. For the ongoing flow of worship and rites, on great festivals and daily, he should dedicate fields, shops, towns, and villages, thus attaining the Lord’s realm. By consecration, he becomes sovereign over the three worlds; through worship, he attains Brahma’s world; and by all three, he attains equality with the Lord. Through exclusive devotion and yoga, he attains the Lord alone—thus, whoever worships the Lord obtains the path of devotion. But if one takes what is given to the gods or Brahmins for their maintenance, he becomes a dung-eater for tens of thousands of years. Those who share in the actions, whether as doer, essence, or approver, after death, repeatedly obtain the greater fruit of those deeds. Now, on the eleventh day, Nanda fasted and worshipped Janārdana. On the twelfth day, he entered the waters of the Kālindī to bathe. But as he entered the river at night, disregarding the asuric boundary, a servant of Varuṇa, an asura, seized him and brought him before Varuṇa himself.