Akrura gazed upon a wondrous sight: seated upon his lap was a person whose complexion was like a dark raincloud, clothed in radiant yellow silk. This being had four arms, exuded deep peace, and his eyes, shaped like lotus petals, glowed with a gentle reddish hue. His face shone with tranquil beauty, his charming smile lighting up his countenance. Every feature—his brows, nose, ears, cheeks, and lips—was exquisitely formed and tinged with a rosy flush. His arms were long and strong, his chest broad and magnificent, his neck curved gracefully like a conch shell, his navel deep, and his abdomen marked with soft folds, like the tender leaves of a young plant. His hips and thighs were powerful and well-shaped; his hands and knees perfectly formed; his legs graceful and pleasing to behold. His ankles rose high, his nails were reddish and radiant, and his feet, adorned with nine toes and thumb-like digits, gleamed with the beauty of lotus flowers. He was adorned with priceless jewels: a splendid crown, bracelets, armlets, a sacred thread, a jeweled waistband, fragrant garlands, anklets, and shining earrings. His lotus-like hands held the conch, discus, and mace, glowing with divine light. Upon his chest shone the mark of Srivatsa, the brilliant Kaustubha gem, and a garland of wild forest blooms. He was surrounded by his close attendants, Sunanda and Nanda, as well as the wise Sanaka sages, the great lords of the gods such as Brahma and Rudra, and nine foremost twice-born sages. Also present were Prahlada, Narada, Vasu, and other exalted devotees, each praising him in their own way, their hearts pure and spotless. He was served by personified powers: Sri (fortune), Pushti (nourishment), Speech, Brilliance, Fame, Contentment, Dissolution, Victory, Knowledge, Ignorance, Power, and Illusion. Beholding this vision, Akrura was overcome with delight and supreme devotion. His whole body thrilled with joy, his heart overflowed with emotion, and his eyes filled with tears of ecstasy. His voice choked as he stood, rooted in goodness, bowing low with joined palms, slowly and reverently offering praise. Thus concludes the thirty-ninth chapter, "Akrura's Return," in the first half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the supreme scripture for the paramahaṃsas. With deep humility, Akrura spoke: "I bow to you, O Nārāyaṇa, the cause of all causes, the primeval and imperishable Person. From your navel-lotus arose Brahmā, and from you, this entire world has come forth. Earth, water, fire, wind, space, the great elements, the source of the unmanifest, mind, the senses and their objects, and all the gods—these are the components of creation, O Lord. Yet, beginning with the unmanifest, none truly knows your essence, for they are apprehended as not-self. Even the unborn, bound by qualities to the unborn, perceives only what is beyond qualities, not your true form. Yogis worship you directly as the Supreme Person, the Lord, abiding in the self, in all beings, and in the gods. Some twice-born, following the Vedic path, worship you through the threefold Veda, with elaborate sacrifices of many forms and names. Others, having renounced all action and attained tranquility, worship you—knowledge embodied—through the sacrifice of wisdom. Still others, purified in mind and following prescribed rites, worship you, who are all forms and yet one, as the one with many forms. Some worship you as Śiva, following the path taught by him, each according to their teachers' instructions. Indeed, all worship you, the Lord in whom all gods reside, even those devoted to other deities, though their minds may be set elsewhere. Just as rivers, born from mountains and filled by rain, flow from all sides into the ocean, so too do all paths ultimately reach you. The qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas are woven from your nature, and in these, all beings—from Brahmā down to the immovable—are bound. Homage to you, whose vision is unattached, who are the self of all, the witness of every mind. This flow of qualities, born of ignorance, moves among gods, humans, and animals. O Lord, fire is your mouth, earth your feet, the sun your eye, the sky your navel, the chariot your heart, the directions your ears, the heavens your head, Indra and the gods your arms, the oceans your belly, the wind your breath, and strength is your energy. Trees and herbs are your body hair, the hair on your head is vegetation, clouds are your bones and nails, mountains your teeth, day and night your blinking, Prajapati your mind, rain your generative organ, and virility is yours. In you, the imperishable Self, O Person, all the worlds, their guardians, and the multitude of living beings are established—just as aquatic creatures gather in water, gnats assemble on a fig tree, or thoughts arise in the mind. Whatever forms you assume here for the sake of divine play, by those forms the worlds, cleansed of impurity, joyfully sing your glory. Salutations to you, the primal Fish who moved in the waters of dissolution; to you with the head of a horse, O slayer of Madhu and Kaitabha, I bow. Salutations to the vast One, the shoreless support, the lifter of Mandara mountain; to the Boar who delights in uplifting the earth, I bow. Salutations to you, wondrous Lion who removes the fear of the virtuous; to you, Vāmana, who traversed the three worlds, I bow. Salutations to the Lord of the Bhṛgus, destroyer of the prideful Kṣatriyas in the forest; to the best of the Raghus, the destroyer of Rāvaṇa, I bow. Salutations to Vāsudeva, to Saṅkarṣaṇa, to Pradyumna and Aniruddha, and to the Lord of the Sātvatas. Salutations to Buddha, the pure one, who deludes the Daityas and Dānavas; and to you as Kalki, destroyer of the impure and unrighteous rulers. O Lord, this world of living beings is bewildered by your māyā, wandering the paths of karma, caught in the false notions of 'I' and 'mine.' I too, deluded, wander among body, children, home, wealth, and relatives, thinking them real; I roam in dreamlike illusions, mistaking them for truth. With a mind confused by opposites and immersed in darkness, I do not know what is truly dear to my own self, being attached to impermanent, non-self, and painful things. Just as an ignorant person, leaving water hidden by vegetation, pursues a mirage, so do I, turning from you, chase after illusions. Stricken by desires and actions, my pitiable mind is unable to restrain itself, being swept here and there by the senses, which are so difficult to master.