By the grace of fortune, you have slain this demon who took the form of a horse, whose terrible neighing struck fear even in the hearts of the gods, driving the ever-vigilant ones from their heavenly abodes. Soon—tomorrow or the day after—I shall witness you, O Lord, vanquishing Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, and other fierce wrestlers, as well as the mighty elephant and the wicked Kaṁsa himself. Afterward, I shall see your triumph over Śaṅkha, Yavana, Murā, and Naraka, and behold how you retrieve the Pārijāta tree and humble Indra, king of the gods. I will witness your valorous marriages to heroic maidens, each won by your strength and noble qualities, and see how you free King Nṛga from his curse in Dvārakā, O Lord of the world. I shall see you obtain the Syamantaka jewel, along with its noble consort, and restore a Brahmin’s dead son by bringing him to your own abode. Your mighty deeds will continue: the destruction of Pauṇḍraka, the burning of Kāśī, the fall of Dantavakra, and the slaying of Śiśupāla at the grand sacrifice. And all the other wondrous acts you will perform while dwelling in Dvārakā, O Lord, I shall witness them too—deeds that poets on earth sing in praise. Now, I am about to witness the destruction of these assembled armies, brought about by Him who is Time personified, the annihilator, with Arjuna as His charioteer. We contemplate the Lord, who is dense with pure knowledge, ever established in His own nature, whose every purpose is fulfilled, whose desires never fail, who is free from illusion by His own brilliance, and from whom the stream of qualities flows. I bow to You, O Lord, the refuge of all beings, who by Your own power of illusion have created all distinctions, and who, for the sake of divine play, have assumed a human form, shining as the foremost among the Yadus, Vṛṣṇis, and Sātvatas. Having thus offered his obeisance to Kṛṣṇa, the chief of the Yadus and greatest among devotees, the venerable sage, with Kṛṣṇa’s permission, departed, his heart delighted by the vision he had received. Meanwhile, Lord Govinda, having slain the demon Keśin in battle, tended the cows with the joyful cowherds, bringing happiness to all of Vraja. On one occasion, as the cowherd boys grazed their cattle on the mountain slopes, they began to play a game of hide-and-seek, dividing themselves into teams as thieves and protectors. Some played the part of thieves, some as cowherds, and some as sheep; together they played, carefree and fearless. Among them, Vyoma, the son of Maya and a master of illusion, disguised himself as a cowherd and, pretending to be the leader of the sheep, led away many boys who played the role of thieves. The powerful demon, having led them away, cast them into a mountain cave, leaving only four or five outside, and sealed the entrance with a great rock. Seeing this, Kṛṣṇa, the protector of the virtuous, recognized the demon’s mischief. He seized Vyoma as he was leading away the cowherd boys, just as a lion seizes a wolf. The demon assumed his own colossal, mountainous form and tried to break free, but Kṛṣṇa’s grip was unyielding. Acyuta subdued him with His arms, hurled him to the ground, and, as the gods watched from the heavens, slew the slayer of cattle. Then, breaking open the cave’s entrance, He released the imprisoned cowherd boys with some effort. Praised by the gods and the boys, Kṛṣṇa returned to His beloved Vraja. Thus concludes the thirty-seventh chapter, “The Slaying of Vyomāsura,” from the first half of the tenth book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture revered by the paramahaṃsas. In the next chapter, Śuka continued: Akrūra, wise and devoted, spent the night in Mathurā. At dawn, he mounted his chariot and set out for Nanda’s Gokula. As he traveled, his heart brimmed with devotion for the Lord with lotus eyes, and he reflected deeply. “What good deeds have I performed, what great austerities have I practiced, or what worthy gifts have I given, that today I shall behold Keśava? I consider this vision of the Lord, so renowned and exalted, to be the rarest of blessings—just as the chanting of Brahman is rare for one born as a śūdra, absorbed in sense pleasures. May it not be that, even for one as fallen as myself, the vision of Acyuta is denied; for sometimes, even those swept away by the river of Time manage to cross over by fortune. Today, my misfortune is destroyed and my life has borne fruit, for I shall bow to the Lord’s lotus feet, the object of yogic meditation. Truly, Kaṁsa has shown me the highest favor, for I shall see the lotus feet of Hari, who has descended as an incarnation, whose toenails’ radiance once dispelled the impenetrable darkness that even the ancients could not cross. Those feet, worshipped by Brahmā, Śiva, and all the gods, by the goddess Śrī, by sages, and by the Sātvatas, wander the forests with His companions, tending the cows, and are marked with the saffron of the gopīs’ breasts. Surely, I shall behold Mukunda’s face—radiant cheeks and nose, smiling glances, reddish lotus eyes, framed by curling locks, around which deer seem to circumambulate in awe. Perhaps today my eyes will finally attain the fruit of beholding Viṣṇu, who has assumed a human form by His own will to relieve the earth’s burden, and who is the very abode of beauty. He, whom I am about to see, though free from ego and duality, dispels the darkness of ignorance by His own radiance; by His māyā, He is perceived in the homes of beings through their life, senses, and intellect. His words, filled with auspicious qualities, deeds, and birth, destroy all inauspiciousness, enliven, purify, and sanctify the world; those who are indifferent to them are, in truth, but beautiful corpses. He has descended in the lineage of the Sātvatas, bringing joy to the best of the gods who guard their realms; His fame spreads as He dwells in Vraja, where the gods sing His all-auspicious deeds. Today, surely, I shall see Him—the goal of the great, the teacher, the delight of the three worlds, the festival for the eyes, bearing a form that is the cherished abode of Śrī, with my own eyes at dawn. Then, as He descends from the chariot along with the Lord, I shall obtain for myself the feet that even yogis hold in their minds; I shall bow to them, as will His friends and the dwellers of the forest. Perhaps the Lord will place His own lotus hand upon my head as I fall at His feet, granting fearlessness to those terrified by the serpent of Time and seeking refuge. It is by that touch that Viśvāmitra and Bali, having offered worship, attained lordship over the three worlds; or, in playful affection, He removed the fatigue of the women of Vraja by the touch of His fragrant hand. Acyuta, who sees all, will not regard me with enmity, even though I am Kaṁsa’s messenger; for He, the knower of all, perceives with pure vision everything done within and without, by the mind. Perhaps He will look upon me, fallen at His feet with folded hands, with a gentle, smiling, compassionate gaze; and at once, all my sins will be destroyed, and I shall be filled with fearless joy.