After a long and deep sleep, the great soul Mucukunda slowly awoke and opened his eyes. As his gaze wandered around the dim cave, he noticed a man standing nearby. At that very moment, the Yavana who had entered the cave was struck by the furious glance of this awakened man. Instantly, the Yavana was reduced to ashes, consumed by a fire that seemed to spring from the man’s very being. King Parīkṣit, listening with rapt attention, asked Śuka, “O revered brāhmaṇa, who was this man of such lineage and power? Why did he enter the cave and fall into such a deep sleep? What was the brilliance of the one who destroyed the Yavana?” Śrī Śuka replied: “He was Mucukunda, born in the illustrious Ikṣvāku dynasty, the noble son of Māndhātṛ. Renowned for his devotion to the brāhmaṇas and steadfast adherence to truth, he was a protector of dharma. In a time of great need, the hosts of gods, including Indra, approached Mucukunda, trembling in fear of the asuras, and begged him to defend them. Mucukunda agreed and guarded the gods for a long time. Eventually, the gods found Mucukunda resting in a cave. They addressed him, saying, ‘O king, please set aside these hardships of protecting us. You left behind the world of men and a kingdom free from enemies. All your desires have been relinquished as you served us. Alas, your sons, wives, relatives, ministers, and peers—all your contemporaries—are no longer alive. Time, the almighty and imperishable Lord, is mightier than the mightiest. In sport, He brings all beings to their end, just as a herdsman drives cattle to the pen. ‘Choose a boon, O blessed one, anything except liberation, for that is not ours to grant. There is but one Supreme Lord, the imperishable Bhagavān Viṣṇu, who alone bestows liberation.’ Thus addressed, Mucukunda bowed to the gods and, overtaken by divine sleep, entered the cave to rest. Now, when the Yavana was reduced to ashes by the power of Mucukunda’s gaze, the Blessed Lord, the best of the Sātvatas, revealed Himself to the awakened king. Mucukunda beheld before him a divine form: dark as a rain-laden cloud, clad in radiant yellow silk, with the Śrīvatsa mark shining on His chest and the Kaustubha gem glowing at His heart. The Lord stood with four luminous arms, adorned with the Vaijayantī garland, His beautiful and gracious face framed by dazzling makara earrings. His eyes sparkled with affectionate smiles, His form ever youthful and majestic like a proud lion, radiating noble prowess for all to see. Overwhelmed by this brilliance, the wise king, cautious and awed, gently addressed the Lord as one might speak to an unconquerable power: “Who are you, O wondrous one, who has come into this forest and entered this mountain cave, treading with lotus-petal feet among the thorns? What is the radiance of the gods—be it the Lord, fire, sun, moon, Indra, or any guardian of the worlds—compared to yours? I consider you the foremost among the gods of gods, for you dispel the darkness of this cave as a lamp banishes the night. O best of men, if it pleases you, please tell me, eager to serve you without fault, about your birth, deeds, and lineage. “As for myself, O tiger among men, I am of the Ikṣvāku line, a kṣatriya; I am called Mucukunda, son of Yuvanāśva. Exhausted from long years of wakefulness, my senses dulled by sleep, I lay here alone until someone awakened me just now. That person was surely reduced to ashes by his own wickedness, and immediately after, you, glorious and renowned for subduing enemies, appeared before me. Your radiance is so unbearable that I cannot gaze upon you, O illustrious one, worthy of honor among all embodied beings.” Thus addressed, the Lord, creator of beings, smiled. His voice, deep as thunderclouds, replied, “O friend, my births, deeds, and names are countless; even I cannot enumerate them, for they are infinite. Sometimes I have examined my incarnations among earthly beings, but my births are never defined by qualities, deeds, or names. My appearances and actions extend across all three times—past, present, and future. Even the greatest sages, tracing them in order, can never reach their end. “Yet, O friend, listen as I speak of my present birth. Long ago, at Brahmā’s request, I descended to protect dharma. To relieve the earth’s burden and destroy the asuras, I took birth in the Yadu dynasty, in the house of Anakadundubhi. People know me as Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva. Kalanemi, Kaṁsa, Pralamba, and many other evil ones have been slain; this Yavana too has been burned by your fierce gaze, O king. I have come to this cave for your sake, to show you favor, for you prayed to me greatly in times past, and I am ever devoted to my devotees. Choose your boons, O royal sage, for I grant all desires. One who has my favor need never grieve again.” Śuka continued: Hearing these words, Mucukunda was filled with joy. Bowing deeply, he recognized Nārāyaṇa and recalled the words of the sage Garga. Mucukunda then spoke, “O Lord, people are deluded by your māyā and do not worship you. Seeing only misfortune, they seek happiness in homes, women, and men, only to be deceived. O sinless one, when someone attains this rare human birth—healthy and without effort—but fails to worship your lotus feet due to a misguided mind, he falls into the dark well of household life like an animal. “O Unconquered Lord, my time has passed fruitlessly, intoxicated by royal opulence and absorbed in mortal attachments—children, wife, wealth, possessions—tormented by endless anxieties. In this body, like a clay pot, I was established as ‘king of men,’ surrounded by chariots, elephants, horses, and armies, roaming the earth in arrogance, thinking myself above all others. Absorbed in constant plans and ever-increasing greed for sense pleasures, I was intoxicated by power. But you, O Lord—never bewildered—arrive suddenly, like Death itself, as a snake slips into a mouse’s hole. “Once I was called ‘king of men,’ riding on golden chariots or mighty elephants, but by the inescapable force of time, this very body becomes known as excrement, worms, or ashes.” Thus, in the presence of the Lord, Mucukunda poured out his heart, recognizing the fleeting nature of worldly glory and the supreme grace of the Lord who had appeared before him.