After instructing Akrura, Lord Hari—the Supreme Controller—departed to His own residence, accompanied by Sankarṣaṇa and Uddhava. Thus concludes the forty-eighth chapter of the first half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the revered scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Śuka then continued his narration: Akrura journeyed to Hastināpura, renowned among the kings of the Paurava lineage. There, he encountered the son of Ambikā, along with Bhīṣma, Vidura, and Pṛthā. He also met Bāhlīka and his son, Bhāradvāja with Gautama, Karṇa, Suyodhana, Aśvatthāmā, the Pāṇḍavas, and other friends. Akrura, the son of Gāndinī, approached each relative as was proper, exchanged inquiries about their well-being, and was asked in turn about the welfare of friends. He remained in Hastināpura for several months, wishing to understand the conduct of the king, who was ill-advised, lacking substance, and inclined to follow the wishes of the wicked. Akrura observed that the king had no desire to witness the brilliance, strength, valor, humility, and other virtues of the sons of Pṛthā, nor did he appreciate the people's affection for them. Pṛthā and Vidura related to him all the wrongs committed by the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, including the poisoning and other misdeeds. When Pṛthā saw her brother Akrura had arrived, she approached him with tears in her eyes, remembering her birthplace, and spoke: “O gentle one, do my parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, sisters-in-law, and friends still remember us? Does the illustrious Krishna, my cousin—the refuge and beloved of His devotees—and Rama, the lotus-eyed, remember their maternal aunt’s children? In the midst of my co-wives, grieving like a doe among wolves, He will console me with words, and comfort my children who are bereft of their father. Krishna, Krishna, great yogi, soul of the universe, creator of the world, protect me, O Govinda! I have taken refuge in You and am sinking together with my children. I see no other refuge for people than Your lotus feet, O Lord, who delivers from the fearful ocean of birth and death. Salutations to Krishna, the pure, the Supreme Spirit, the Supreme Soul, the Lord of yoga and embodiment of yoga; I have sought refuge in You.” Śuka explained that thus, remembering her relatives and Krishna, the Lord of the universe, your great-grandmother, O King, began to pray, afflicted with sorrow. The noble Vidura, impartial in happiness and distress, and the renowned Akrura comforted Kunti, offering reasons related to the birth of her sons. As Akrura prepared to depart, he approached the ruler, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who favored his own sons, and spoke among friends and relatives, prompted by goodwill: “O descendant of Vicitravīrya, you who increase the fame of the Kurus, now that your brother Pāṇḍu has departed, you have assumed the throne. By ruling the earth righteously, pleasing the people with virtue, and remaining impartial to your own, you will attain prosperity and fame. Otherwise, if you act differently in this world, you will be condemned and fall into darkness; therefore, remain impartial toward the Pāṇḍavas and your own sons. In this world, O King, no one has perpetual association with anyone—not even with one's own body, what to speak of wife, sons, and others. A being is born alone and dies alone; alone one enjoys the results of good deeds, and alone also the results of evil. Wealth acquired unrighteously is seized by others of little intelligence, just as leeches take water under the pretext of friendship. He who, lacking wisdom, supports others unrighteously by his own judgment, finds that his life, wealth, sons, and others abandon him unfulfilled. Having taken on sin himself, abandoned by those for whom he was not wise in wealth, he, failing in his purpose, enters blind darkness, turning away from his own duty. Therefore, O King, seeing this world as a dream, illusion, and fantasy, know yourself by yourself, and be equal-minded and peaceful, O master.” Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied, “O lord of charity, just as you speak these auspicious words, so I am never satisfied by them, as a mortal is never satisfied upon obtaining nectar. Still, gentle one, though words may be sweet, they do not remain steady in the heart, which is restless with the poison of attachment to one’s children, just as lightning does not linger in the sky. Who indeed can overturn the will of the Lord, O man? He who has descended in the Yadu dynasty for the removal of the earth’s burden. He who, by his own inscrutable power, creates this world and divides the qualities, then enters into it—unto him, the Supreme Lord, whose play is beyond comprehension, who moves within the wheel of worldly existence, I offer my respects.” Śuka continued: Understanding the king’s intention, Akrura, having been permitted by his friends, returned to the city of the Yadus. He reported to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa all that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had done regarding the Pāṇḍavas, for which he himself had been sent. Thus ends the forty-ninth chapter of the first half of the tenth book in the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Śuka resumed: O best of the Bharatas, Asti and Prāpti, the wives of Kaṃsa, grieving at the death of their husband, went to the house of their father. To their father, Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha, who was distressed, they revealed everything—the cause of their widowhood. Hearing such unpleasant news, Jarāsandha, filled with grief and anger, made a great effort to destroy the Yadava clan. He surrounded Mathurā, the capital of the Yadus, with a mighty force—twenty akṣauhiṇīs and three more—besieging the city on all sides. Seeing this army, swelling like the ocean, and his own city thus besieged, with his people filled with fear, Kṛṣṇa considered the situation. The Lord Hari, in his human form, reflected on the purpose of His descent, taking into account the time, place, and circumstances.