With deep reverence, the assembled devotees offered their salutations to Krishna, the Blessed Lord, Supreme Self, and Brahman, in whom the illusions of the world and the imagined creation of countless realms are but unheard-of dreams. In this sacred presence, one among them, humbled by his own ignorance and folly, confessed before Krishna: “O Lord, unknowingly and unwisely, I brought your father here, not realizing what should not be done. I pray for your forgiveness.” Turning to Krishna with hope, he continued, “You, who see all, O Krishna, are supremely compassionate. O Govinda, beloved of your father, please show your favor to me as well, and let your father be taken back to his home.” Thus propitiated, Krishna—the Lord of lords—graciously accepted the plea. He took his father and returned, bringing immense joy to his family and kin, who rejoiced at his mercy. Nanda, Krishna’s father, having witnessed firsthand the extraordinary glory of his son—the very guardian of the universe—and the reverence shown to Krishna by all, was left astonished. He spoke to his kinsmen, his heart filled with wonder. The cowherds, too, were filled with eager longing. They wondered among themselves, “Will this Lord, Krishna, show us our own subtle destination—our true spiritual home?” Krishna, the Blessed Lord, who knows the innermost thoughts of his people, perceived their yearning. Out of deep compassion, he resolved to fulfill their desire. He reflected: “People in this world, bewildered by ignorance, desire, and the fruits of their actions, wander among higher and lower paths, never knowing their own true destination.” With this thought, the compassionate Lord Hari revealed to the cowherds a vision of his own supreme realm, a world beyond all darkness. What he revealed was the highest truth: infinite knowledge and the eternal radiance of Brahman, the very reality that sages behold when all qualities have ceased and their minds are absorbed in meditation. Krishna led them to the lake of Brahman. There, he immersed them in its waters and then lifted them out. In that state, they beheld the world of Brahman—the same realm Akrura had once glimpsed. Nanda and the others, seeing that transcendent place, were filled with supreme bliss. Amazed, they beheld Krishna himself being praised there with sacred hymns. In that realm, it became clear: knowledge, discrimination, scripture, austerity, direct perception, tradition, and inference—all these, from beginning to end, are pervaded by the same reality, as are time and causality. Just as gold, fashioned by oneself before and after, pervades all golden objects, so too does Krishna pervade all the various names and forms—the one reality in the midst of all designations. Krishna explained: “This knowledge, O dear one, is threefold in its states, arising from the three guṇas—cause, effect, and agent. By their coming together and their separation, that which is the fourth state alone is the truth.” He continued, “That which is not before, nor after, nor in the middle, is only a designation. Whatever is established as existent by the supreme truly exists—such is my understanding.” “That which appears though not truly existing is the transformation born of rajas. Brahman, self-luminous, shines forth as the wondrous variety of Brahman, the senses, their objects, the mind, and all their modifications.” “Through clear reasoning that discerns Brahman, and skill in refuting all opposing views, one should cut off all self-doubt, become tranquil, satisfied in one’s own bliss, and indifferent to all objects of desire.” “The self is not the body made of earth, nor the senses, nor the gods, demons, wind, water, or fire. The mind is only food, intellect is sattva, ego is space, earth is the balance of the elements.” “How could the senses, composed of guṇas, affect the one whose abode is clearly distinguished? Or what fault is there if they are agitated? Just as clouds, even when present, do not affect the sun when they have departed.” “Just as space is not attached to the qualities of wind, fire, water, or earth as they come and go with their own properties, so too the imperishable self is untouched by sattva, rajas, and tamas—the causes of transmigration in the mind.” “Nevertheless, one should avoid association with the guṇas, which are creations of māyā, until, by steadfast devotion to me, the impurity of rajas is removed from the mind.” Sri Shuka then declared: “Thus ends the twenty-eighth chapter of the first half of the tenth book in the great Purana, Srimad Bhagavata, the scripture of the supreme swan-like sages.” But Krishna’s teaching continued: “False yogis, hindered by obstacles created by gods or humans, again practice yoga by the force of previous habit, but not according to the method of karma.” “Actions are performed, and the living being acts, impelled by some cause or by fate. Yet the wise one, even while situated in nature, having renounced all thirst, experiences his own happiness.” “Whether standing, sitting, walking, lying down, releasing, or eating food—whatever state the self assumes, the mind established in the self does not perceive it as anything else.” “If one perceives an unreal object of the senses, and through reasoning sees something contrary, the wise do not consider it real—just as, upon waking, a dream disappears.” “The patterns of guṇas and actions, acquired previously and not distinguished from the self due to ignorance, cease by mere observation; the self is neither grasped nor abandoned.” “Just as the rising sun destroys darkness for human eyes but does not create it, so too does my keen discernment destroy the darkness of ignorance in a person’s intellect.” “This self-luminous, unborn, immeasurable one is the great experience, the experience of all; the one without a second, by whom speech and life are directed when speech itself ceases.” “This much is the delusion of self: the notion of difference in the pure. Apart from the self, there is no support for one’s own self.” “That which is apprehended by name and form, fivefold and uncontradicted—even if meaningless—is mere praise; such duality belongs to those who consider themselves wise.” “For a yogi whose yoga is not yet mature, disturbances may arise in the body and hinder him; for this, the prescribed rule is given.” “By the power of yogic concentration, some destroy afflictions through postures and breath retention; others dispel disturbances with austerity, mantras, and medicinal herbs.” “Some eliminate inauspicious influences by meditating on me, by chanting my name and similar practices, or by following the path of the masters of yoga.” “Certain wise ones establish this body as stable and well-formed in youth, and then engage in various methods to attain perfection.” “But such skill is not to be esteemed, for that effort is fruitless; the body is perishable, like the fruit of a tree.” “If, through constant practice of yoga, the body becomes fit for longevity, the intelligent should not place faith in it, but abandon yoga and devote themselves to me.” “A yogi who pursues this practice of yoga, taking refuge in me, remains undisturbed by obstacles, free from desire, and experiences his own happiness.” And just as a beloved woman, unaware that her dearest has departed, sits firmly in her seat, behaving as before, so too does the yogi, established in the self, remain undisturbed—ever content in the presence of the Lord.