Adorned with priceless jewels—a resplendent crown, bracelets, armlets, sacred thread, waistband, garlands, anklets, and dazzling earrings—He stood before Akrura, the very embodiment of divine beauty. His lotus-like hands shone, bearing the conch, discus, and mace, radiant emblems of His sovereignty. Upon His broad chest gleamed the mark of Śrīvatsa and the luminous Kaustubha gem, while a garland of forest flowers graced His form. He was attended by Sunanda, Nanda, and other celestial associates, surrounded by the illustrious Sanaka sages, as well as the foremost lords of the gods—Brahmā, Rudra—and nine eminent twice-born sages. Prahlāda, Nārada, the Vasu deities, and other exalted devotees stood in His presence, their hearts pure and spotless, each offering words of praise from their own unique realization and perspective. He was served by the very personifications of fortune, nourishment, speech, brilliance, fame, satisfaction, dissolution, victory, knowledge, ignorance, power, and illusion. Beholding this wondrous sight, Akrura was overwhelmed with delight and devotion. His body thrilled with joy, his heart overflowed with emotion, and his eyes grew moist with tears of love. With his voice choked with feeling, standing firm in goodness, Akrura bowed low, his head touching the ground, palms joined in reverence. Slowly and with deep care, he began to praise the Lord. 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. Then Akrura spoke: “I bow to You, the cause of all causes, Nārāyaṇa, the primeval and imperishable Person, from whose lotus navel Brahmā was born, and from whom this entire world has come forth. “O Lord, earth, water, fire, wind, space, the great elements, the origin of the unmanifest, mind, senses, all the sense objects, and the hosts of gods—these are the constituents of the world, all arising from You. “Yet, beginning with the unmanifest, none of these grasp Your true nature, for they are perceived as not-self. Even the unborn, bound by qualities to the unborn, knows only what is beyond qualities, not Your true form. “Yogis worship You directly as the Supreme Person, the Lord dwelling within the self, within all beings, and within the gods. Some twice-born, following the Vedic path, worship You through the threefold Veda, engaging in elaborate sacrifices of many forms and names. Others, having renounced all action and attained tranquility, worship You—the embodiment of knowledge—through the sacrifice of wisdom. Still others, purified in mind and following prescribed rites, worship You, who are the all, as the One with many forms and yet a single form. Others worship You as Śiva, following the path taught by Śiva, in diverse ways according to the teachings of many teachers. “In truth, all worship You, the Lord in whom all the gods reside, even those devoted to other deities, though their minds may be set elsewhere, O Master. 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. “Sattva, rajas, and tamas are the qualities of Your nature; in these, all beings—from Brahmā down to the immovable—are woven. Homage to You, whose vision is unattached, who are the self of all, the witness of all minds; this flow of qualities, produced by ignorance, moves among gods, humans, and animals. “O Lord, fire is Your mouth, the earth is Your feet, the sun is Your eye, the sky is Your navel, the chariot is Your heart, the directions are Your ears, the heavens are Your head, Indra and the gods are Your arms, the oceans are Your belly, the wind is Your breath, and strength is established as Your energy. The trees and herbs are Your body hair, the hair on Your head is the vegetation, the clouds are Your bones and nails, the mountains are Your teeth, blinking is day and night, Prajāpati is Your mind, the generative organ is rain, and virility is considered to be Yours. “In You, the imperishable Self, O Person, the worlds with their guardians and all living beings are established, just as aquatic creatures gather in water, or as gnats assemble on a fig tree, or as thoughts arise in the mind. Whatever forms You assume in this world 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 You who delights in uplifting the earth, in the form of the Boar, I bow. Salutations to You, wondrous Lion, who removes the fear of the virtuous; to You, Vāmana, who traversed the three worlds, I offer my homage. 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, I bow. “O Lord, this world of living beings is bewildered by Your māyā; grasping the false notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ it wanders along the paths of karma. I too, deluded, wander among things like body, children, home, wealth, and relatives, thinking them real. O Lord, I roam in dreamlike illusions, mistaking them for truth. With a mind confused by opposites, 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 concealed by vegetation, pursues a mirage, so too do I, turning away from You, chase after illusions. I, of pitiable mind, struck down by desires and actions, am unable to restrain my mind, which is carried away here and there by the senses, so difficult to control. “Thus I have come to Your feet, which are difficult for the unworthy to attain; even this, I consider to be by Your grace, O Lord. Liberation from the cycle of birth and death comes to a person when, O Lotus-naveled One, the mind is devoted to proper worship of You. Salutations to the One who is pure consciousness, the cause of all certitude; to the Lord of Puruṣa and Pradhāna, to Brahman of infinite power. Salutations to Vāsudeva, the destroyer of all beings; O Hṛṣīkeśa, I bow to You—protect me, who has surrendered, O Lord.” Thus ends the fortieth chapter, “Akrura’s Praise,” in the first half of the Tenth Book of the glorious Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture of the supreme renunciates. Śuka continued: As Akrura offered his heartfelt praise, the Lord graciously revealed His divine form in the waters. Then, just as an actor concludes his performance, Kṛṣṇa gently withdrew His wondrous vision once more.