Akrūra, filled with reverence, began to praise the Lord, reflecting on the mysteries of existence. He contemplated how even those beings who emerge from the unmanifest, those who are unborn yet bound by qualities, cannot grasp the Lord’s true nature, for their understanding is limited to what is beyond qualities, never touching His real form. Yogis, however, worship Him directly as the Supreme Person, recognizing Him as the principle within their own selves, within all beings, and within the gods. Some twice-born, following the Vedic path, honor Him through the threefold Veda, performing elaborate sacrifices of many kinds and names. Others, having renounced all actions and attained tranquility, worship Him—the embodiment of knowledge—through the sacrifice of wisdom. Still others, purified in mind and following prescribed rites, adore Him as the One composed of all, the One with many forms yet a single essence. There are those who worship the Lord as Śiva, following the path taught by Śiva, each according to the teachings of many teachers. Indeed, all worship Him, the Lord in whom all gods reside; even those devoted to other deities, though their minds are set elsewhere, ultimately worship Him, the 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 Him. Sattva, rajas, and tamas are the qualities of His nature, and in these all beings, from Brahmā down to the immovable, are woven. Akrūra offered homage to the Lord, whose vision is unattached, who is the self of all, the witness of all minds. The flow of qualities, produced by ignorance, moves among gods, humans, and animals, yet He remains untouched. He reflected on the cosmic form of the Lord: fire is His mouth, the earth His feet, the sun His eye, the sky His navel, the chariot His heart, the directions His ears, the heavens His head, Indra and the gods His arms, the oceans His belly, the wind His breath, and strength is established as His energy. Trees and herbs are His body hair, the hair on His head is vegetation, clouds are His bones and nails, mountains are His teeth, blinking is day and night, Prajapati is His mind, the generative organ is rain, and virility belongs to Him. In the imperishable Self, all 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 the Lord assumes for the sake of play, by those forms the worlds, cleansed of impurity, joyfully sing His glory. Akrūra offered salutations to the primal Fish who moved in the waters of dissolution, to the Lord with the head of a horse, the slayer of Madhu and Kaitabha. He saluted the vast One, the support without a shore, the lifter of Mandara mountain, and the Boar who delights in uplifting the earth. He praised the wondrous Lion who removes the fear of the virtuous, and Vāmana who traversed the three worlds. He honored the Lord of the Bhṛgus, destroyer of the prideful Kṣatriyas in the forest, and the best of the Raghus, the destroyer of Rāvaṇa. Salutations were offered to Vāsudeva, to Saṅkarṣaṇa, to Pradyumna and Aniruddha, the Lord of the Sātvatas. He saluted Buddha, the pure one who deludes the Daityas and Dānavas, and to Kalki, destroyer of the impure and unrighteous rulers. Akrūra acknowledged that the world of living beings is bewildered by the Lord’s māyā, wandering along the paths of karma while grasping false notions of 'I' and 'mine.' He confessed that he too, deluded, wandered among things like body, children, home, wealth, and relatives, mistaking them for reality. Immersed in darkness and confused by opposites, he did not know what was truly dear to his own self, being attached to impermanent, non-self, and painful things. Just as an ignorant person leaves water concealed by vegetation to pursue a mirage, so too did Akrūra, turning away from the Lord, chase after illusions. He lamented his pitiable mind, struck down by desires and actions, unable to restrain it as it was carried away by the difficult-to-control senses. Thus, he had come to the Lord’s feet, which are hard for the unworthy to attain; even this, he considered to be by the Lord’s grace. Liberation from the cycle of birth and death comes to a person when the mind is devoted to proper worship of the Lotus-naveled One. Akrūra then offered salutations to the One who is pure consciousness, the cause of all certitude, the Lord of Puruṣa and Pradhāna, Brahman of infinite power. He saluted Vāsudeva, the destroyer of all beings, and Hṛṣīkeśa, praying to be protected, for he had surrendered himself. Thus ended the fortieth chapter, named 'Akrura's Praise,' in the first half of the tenth book of the glorious Bhagavata Mahapurana, the scripture of the supreme renunciates. Śrī Śuka continued: As Akrūra was offering praise, the Lord revealed His form in the water, and then, like an actor concluding his performance, Kṛṣṇa withdrew it once more. Seeing that the vision had vanished, Akrūra quickly emerged from the water, completed all his necessary duties, and, astonished, returned to the chariot. Hṛṣīkeśa asked him, “What wondrous thing did you see—on earth, in the sky, or in the water—that you appear so amazed?” Akrūra 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. Meeting them, the Lord, master of the universe, greeted Akrūra, taking his extended hand in His own, smiling warmly. He said, “You should enter the city and your house ahead of us, accompanied by your chariot. We will remain here for now, and then come to see the city.” Akrūra replied, “O Lord, I will not enter Mathurā without You both. Do not abandon me, O master, for I am Your devotee and You are fond of Your devotees.