Dhundhukārī, now existing as a restless spirit, spoke with great distress to his brother Gokarṇa. “Because of my actions, I have become a ghost, condemned to this miserable state,” he lamented. “I subsist only on air and receive whatever little comes to me, entirely at the mercy of fate.” Overwhelmed by his suffering, Dhundhukārī pleaded, “O friend, ocean of compassion, my dear brother, please deliver me quickly from this agony!” Hearing his brother’s desperate plea, Gokarṇa responded with concern and affection. Gokarṇa said, “For your sake, I have performed the sacred ancestral rites at Gayā, offering the proper oblations. How is it possible that you have not been liberated? This truly astonishes me.” He continued, “If even the śrāddha at Gayā does not grant liberation, then what other means are there in this world? Tell me honestly, what else can I do for you, O departed one?” Dhundhukārī replied, “Even if a hundred Gayā śrāddhas were performed for me, I would still not attain liberation. Please consider some other way for my release.” Gokarṇa was amazed at these words. “If you cannot be liberated even by a hundred śrāddhas,” he thought, “then your deliverance is indeed difficult.” He reassured his brother, “Remain in your own place without fear. I will contemplate and perform some act that will bring about your liberation.” Thus instructed, Dhundhukārī withdrew to his own realm, while Gokarṇa spent the night deep in thought, unable to sleep as he pondered a solution. At dawn, Gokarṇa arrived among the people, who gathered joyfully to see him. He recounted to them all that had transpired during the night. The learned, the steadfast in yoga, the wise, and those versed in the Vedas—all of them searched the vast collections of scriptures, but none could find a means for Dhundhukārī’s liberation. Then, the words of the Sun were recognized by all as supreme in this matter. At that moment, Gokarṇa, with great devotion, addressed the Sun: “O witness of the world, I offer you my respects. Please reveal the means of liberation.” Hearing this sincere plea from afar, the Sun spoke clearly: “Recite the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam for seven days. This alone brings liberation.” All present accepted the Sun’s words as the true path of dharma. They declared, “Let this be done with effort, for it is indeed easy.” With firm resolve, Gokarṇa began preparations for the seven-day recitation. News spread, and people came from distant villages and regions. The lame, the blind, the old, and the slow—all gathered, seeking freedom from their sins. A vast and wondrous assembly formed, so remarkable that even the gods looked on in amazement. Gokarṇa, having taken his seat, began to narrate the sacred story. Meanwhile, Dhundhukārī, the departed soul, also arrived, searching for a place to listen. He noticed a bamboo stalk standing upright, marked by seven knots. Entering a hole at its base, Dhundhukārī took his place within the bamboo, relinquishing his airy, ghostly form. Gokarṇa, the chief Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa and son of Dhenu, began to recite the Bhāgavatam from the very first canto, considering the attentive listeners before him. At the close of the first day’s recitation, a wondrous event occurred: the first knot of the bamboo split open with a resounding crack, witnessed by all the virtuous assembled. On the evening of the second day, the second knot broke. On the third evening, the third knot split, and so it continued. Each day, as the narration progressed, another knot was broken. Over the course of seven days, all seven knots were split. Having heard the twelve cantos of the Bhāgavatam, Dhundhukārī shed his state as a wandering spirit. He emerged in a divine form, adorned with a garland of tulasi, clad in yellow garments, his complexion dark as a rain cloud, crowned and wearing shining earrings. He immediately bowed before his brother Gokarṇa and said, “By your compassion, I have been freed from bondage and from the impurity of being a departed soul.” He proclaimed, “Blessed is the discourse of the Bhagavata, which destroys the suffering of departed souls! Blessed is the seven-day recitation, which grants the fruit of attaining Krishna’s realm. All sins tremble when the seven-day hearing is undertaken; this narration brings about our immediate deliverance. Whether sins are moist or dry, light or heavy, committed by speech, mind, or action—hearing this sacred story burns them away, just as fire consumes fuel.” He continued, “In this land of Bharata, among the wise and even in the assembly of gods, the birth of those who do not hear this narration is declared fruitless. What is the use of maintaining a strong, well-nourished body—which is unstable—without hearing the teachings of Shuka? This body is but a pillar of bones, bound by sinews, smeared with flesh and blood, covered by skin, foul-smelling, and a vessel for urine and excrement. Afflicted by old age, sorrow, and the consequences of actions, it is a house of disease and suffering, difficult to fill, hard to bear, corrupted, flawed, and perishable in a moment. The body ends in worms, filth, and ashes; how can unstable actions performed with such a body ever yield anything lasting?” He added, “Even the food prepared in the morning perishes by evening; in a body nourished by such impermanent food, what permanence can there be? By hearing for seven days, Hari is attained in this very world; therefore, for the removal of faults, this alone is the means. Like bubbles in water or insects among creatures, those who lack the hearing of the sacred narration are born only to die. If the splitting of a dry bamboo’s knot is wondrous, how much more wondrous is the splitting of the knot in the heart by hearing this story! The knot of the heart is broken, all doubts are cut, and one’s actions are exhausted when the seven-day hearing is performed. When the mind is established at the sacred ford of narration, which can wash away the filth of worldly mire, then liberation alone is declared by the wise.” As Dhundhukārī spoke, a celestial chariot descended from the heavens, surrounded by the radiant residents of Vaikuṇṭha, its brilliance illuminating all directions. In the presence of all those assembled, Dhundhukārī ascended the divine chariot. Seeing the illustrious Vaiṣṇavas in the chariot, Gokarṇa joyfully addressed them, marveling at the wondrous fulfillment of his brother’s liberation.