Akrura, upon arriving, quietly observed the court and noticed that King Dhṛtarāṣṭra showed no desire to witness the brilliance, strength, valor, humility, and other virtues, nor did he appreciate the people's affection for the sons of Pṛthā—the Pāṇḍavas. The wrongs committed by the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, including the poisoning and many other misdeeds, were recounted to Akrura in detail by both Pṛthā herself and Vidura. When Pṛthā, also known as Kunti, saw her brother Akrura had arrived, she approached him with eyes brimming with tears, remembering her birthplace and family. She spoke to him with tenderness, asking, “O gentle one, do my parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, sisters-in-law, and friends still remember us?” She also wondered if Krishna, her illustrious cousin who is the refuge and beloved of His devotees, and Rama, the lotus-eyed, remembered their maternal aunt’s children. Kunti, grieving among her co-wives like a doe among wolves, expressed her hope that Krishna would console her with His comforting words, and also comfort her children, who were bereft of their father. In her sorrow, she prayed, “Krishna, Krishna, great yogi, soul of the universe, creator of the world, protect me, O Govinda, who 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, the sage, narrates: Thus, remembering her relatives and Krishna, the Lord of the universe, your great-grandmother, O King, began to pray, afflicted by sorrow. The noble Vidura, impartial in happiness and distress, and the renowned Akrura, comforted Kunti with wise words, reminding her of the circumstances of her sons’ birth. As Akrura prepared to depart, he approached King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who favored his own sons, and spoke among friends and relatives, prompted by goodwill. Akrura said, “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, 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, let alone 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.” 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 intentions, Akrura, permitted by his friends, returned to the city of the Yadus. There, 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 then spoke: 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, Jarāsandha, the king of Magadha, who was distressed. They revealed to him everything—the cause of their widowhood. Hearing this 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, on all sides with twenty akṣauhiṇīs and three more—an immense force. Seeing this vast army, swelling like the ocean, and his own city besieged, with his people filled with fear, Kṛṣṇa considered the situation. Lord Hari, in his human form, reflected on the purpose of his descent, considering the time, place, and circumstances. He thought, “I will destroy this force, which has gathered as a burden upon the earth, brought together by the king of Magadha from all the subjugated rulers. The armies, counted by akṣauhiṇīs, with soldiers, horses, chariots, and elephants, are to be destroyed, but the king of Magadha is not to be slain, for he will again assemble a force. This is the purpose of my descent: to relieve the earth of its burden, to protect the virtuous, and to destroy others. Another body is also assumed by me for the protection of dharma, and, when adharma arises at certain times, for its cessation.” As Govinda was thus meditating, two chariots, radiant as the sun, suddenly appeared from the sky, complete with drivers and all equipment. Divine, ancient weapons also appeared by chance; seeing them, Hṛṣīkeśa spoke to Saṅkarṣaṇa.