With the conclusion of 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, the account turns to Akrura, whose heart brims with devotion. Akrura, overwhelmed by the divine vision he has received, bows reverently and begins his prayer: “I offer my salutations to You, O Nārāyaṇa, the cause of all causes, the primeval, imperishable Person. From Your navel-lotus arose Brahmā, and from You, this entire world has come forth. O Lord, earth, water, fire, wind, space—the great elements—the origin of the unmanifest, mind, senses, all their objects, and all the gods: these are the constituents of the world. Yet, O Supreme, these elements, beginning with the unmanifest, do not know 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, the principle within the self, within all beings, and within 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 actions 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 composed of all, as the one with many forms and yet a single form. Others worship You as Śiva, following the path taught by Śiva, in various ways according to the teachings of many teachers. Indeed, all worship You, the Lord in whom all gods reside—even those devoted to other deities, though their minds may be set elsewhere, O Master. Just as rivers born from mountains, 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, Prajapati 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 the multitude of 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 here for the sake of 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; salutations to You with the head of a horse, O slayer of Madhu and Kaitabha. Salutations to the vast One, the support without a shore, the lifter of Mandara mountain; to the One who delights in uplifting the earth, salutations to You in the form of the Boar. Salutations to You, wondrous Lion, who removes the fear of the virtuous; salutations to You, Vāmana, who traversed the three worlds. Salutations to the Lord of the Bhṛgus, destroyer of the prideful Kṣatriyas in the forest; salutations to the best of the Raghus, the destroyer of Rāvaṇa. Salutations to Vāsudeva, salutations to Saṅkarṣaṇa; to Pradyumna and Aniruddha, salutations to the Lord of the Sātvatas. Salutations to Buddha, the pure one, who deludes the Daityas and Dānavas; salutations to You in the form of Kalki, destroyer of the impure and the unrighteous rulers. 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, 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, 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, salutations to You—protect me, who has surrendered, O Lord.” With these words, the fortieth chapter, “Akrura’s Praise,” concludes in the first half of the tenth book of the glorious Bhagavata Mahapurana, the scripture of the supreme renunciates. Śuka then continues, describing how, as Akrura offered his praise, the Lord revealed His divine form in the water. But, like an actor concluding his performance, Kṛṣṇa withdrew the vision once more. When Akrura saw that the vision had vanished, he quickly emerged from the water, completed all his necessary duties, and, astonished, returned to the chariot. Hṛṣīkeśa, seeing Akrura’s wonder, asked him, “What wondrous thing did you see—on earth, in the sky, or in the water—that you appear so amazed?” Akrura replied, “Whatever marvels exist here—on earth, in the sky, or in the water—are all found in You, the soul of the universe. What could I have seen that is not already known to me? Wherever all wonders are found—on earth, in the sky, or in the water—seeing You, O Brahman, what marvel could I have witnessed here?” Having spoken thus, the son of Gāndinī urged the chariot onward, and at day's end brought Rāma and Kṛṣṇa to Mathurā. On the way, villagers gathered here and there, and, seeing the sons of Vasudeva, were delighted and could not turn their gaze away. Meanwhile, the residents of Vraja, led by Nanda and the cowherds, arrived at the city's gardens and waited there in anticipation.