How wondrous it is that Lord Kṛṣṇa, with but a single body, could simultaneously marry eight thousand and two hundred women, each in her own home. This marvel drew the divine sage Nārada, eager to behold the city of Dvārakā. Upon his arrival, he found the city vibrant with blooming gardens and parks, alive with the melodious voices of flocks of birds and the chanting of brahmins. The lakes of Dvārakā were adorned with fully blossomed blue lotuses, water lilies, day-blooming lotuses, and kumudas. Tall reeds swayed at their edges, and the air echoed with the calls of swans and cranes. The city itself was resplendent, graced with nine hundred thousand palaces crafted from crystal and silver, each resembling great emeralds and furnished with golden and jeweled decorations. Its avenues, streets, squares, and marketplaces were neatly distinguished; beautiful halls and assembly chambers stood alongside celestial temples. Roads, courtyards, alleys, and thresholds were sprinkled with water, and flags and banners shielded the city from the sun’s glare. Within, the splendid inner chambers were honored by all householders, displaying Hari’s own skill, as if crafted by Tvaṣṭṛ himself. Nārada entered one among the sixteen thousand beautifully adorned mansions, a grand residence belonging to one of Śauri’s wives. The palace was supported by coral pillars, its floors of the finest lapis lazuli, walls made of sapphire, and the ground shone with unmatched brilliance. Canopies crafted by Tvaṣṭṛ hung with strings of pearls, and seats and couches were adorned with the finest gems and ivory. Maidservants in splendid garments, though without necklaces, and men dressed in fine robes with sashes, turbans, and jeweled earrings, filled the palace. The darkness was dispelled by the radiance of jeweled lamps; in the balconies, peacocks danced, incense and sacred offerings were arranged, and those of deep intellect sang loudly as they saw the sage’s arrival. Among thousands of maidservants equal in qualities, beauty, youth, and attire, Nārada saw the queen herself fanning the Lord of the Sātvatas with a golden-handled camara. Beholding Nārada, the Blessed Lord, greatest among upholders of dharma, immediately rose from his couch, bowed his crowned head to the sage’s feet, and, with joined palms, welcomed him to his own seat. Kṛṣṇa washed the sage’s feet and placed that water upon his own head, though he is the supreme teacher of the world and lord of the virtuous. The purity of Nārada’s feet, known as ‘Brahmaṇyadeva,’ is the ultimate holy place. Having honored the foremost of divine sages, the ancient ṛṣi Nārāyaṇa, friend of Nara, Kṛṣṇa spoke to him with sweet, measured words, as tradition prescribes: “O Lord, what may we do for you, O Blessed One?” Nārada replied, “It is not surprising in you, O master of all worlds, that you show friendship to all people and self-restraint toward the wicked. For the welfare of the world, you maintain and protect it through your free descents, O praised one, as we well know. Having seen your pair of feet, which grant liberation to people, contemplated in the hearts of Brahmā and others endowed with profound wisdom, and serving as a support for those fallen into the well of worldly existence, I wander, meditating—grant me your grace, so that remembrance may arise.” On another day, Nārada entered the house of another wife of Kṛṣṇa, desiring to understand the yoga-māyā of the lord of yogis. There, he found Kṛṣṇa playing dice with his beloved and Uddhava, being honored with supreme devotion through rising, offering a seat, and other acts. Kṛṣṇa then asked, as if unaware, “When did you arrive, O Lord? What could those like us, who are incomplete, do for those who are complete?” Still, O brāhmaṇa, tell us about this beautiful birth; but Nārada, astonished, rose and silently went to another house. There too, he saw Govinda delighting his young sons; then, in another house, he saw him preparing for bathing. Elsewhere, he saw him offering oblations into sacrificial fires, performing sacrifices with five kinds of rituals, feeding the brāhmaṇas in some places, and in others, eating what remained. In some places, he saw Kṛṣṇa seated at twilight, reciting the Veda with controlled speech; elsewhere, walking the paths of archers with sword and shield. In other places, he saw him traveling with horses, elephants, and chariots, accompanied by Balarāma; elsewhere, reclining on a couch, being praised by bards. In some places, he was seen consulting with ministers like Uddhava; elsewhere, engaged in water sports, surrounded by the foremost women of the palace. Somewhere, he was giving well-adorned cows to the foremost brāhmaṇas; elsewhere, listening to auspicious histories and Purāṇas. Sometimes, he was seen laughing at home with his beloved, through humorous stories; elsewhere, engaged in dharma, and in other places, in pursuits of wealth and desire. In one place, he was seen sitting alone, meditating on the Supreme Person beyond nature; elsewhere, serving his teachers with pleasures and offerings. In some places, Keśava was seen making treaties with some, and in others, making war; elsewhere, together with Rāma, contemplating the welfare of the virtuous. At the proper time, he arranged the marriages of his sons and daughters with spouses equal to them, providing them with appropriate wealth. He observed great festivals for his children, such as their departure and initiation ceremonies; seeing these, the worlds were astonished at the Lord of the masters of yoga. In some places, he was seen worshipping all the gods with powerful sacrifices; elsewhere, fulfilling dharma through wells, gardens, monasteries, and the like. In some places, he was seen hunting, riding a Sindhu horse, killing sacrificial animals, surrounded by the foremost of the Yadus. With unmanifest form, he moved among the residences of the inner apartments and elsewhere, the Lord of yoga, desiring to experience various states. Then Nārada, as if smiling, spoke to Hṛṣīkeśa, having witnessed the manifestation of yoga-māyā and the human-like conduct he had assumed: “We know your yoga-māyā, which is difficult to perceive even for those skilled in illusion; it shines forth from the Lord of yogis, through service at your feet. Permit me, O Lord, to depart for the worlds flooded with your fame; I will wander, singing your playful deeds that purify the universe.” The Blessed Lord replied, “I am the speaker and agent of the duties of householders, acting with their approval; teaching this, I have taken up this world—do not grieve, my son.” Śuka concluded: Thus, as Kṛṣṇa practiced the pure duties that sanctify householders, Nārada saw the Lord present in every home, the one abiding everywhere.