Having paid homage to the foremost among divine sages, the ancient seer Nārāyaṇa, friend of Nara, addressed him with gentle, measured words, in keeping with tradition: “O Lord, what service may we offer you, O Blessed One?” Śrī Nārada replied, “O master of all worlds, it is not surprising that you show friendship to all beings and self-restraint even 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 feet—which grant liberation and are contemplated in the hearts of Brahmā and other wise ones, and which serve as a support for those fallen into the well of worldly existence—I wander, meditating. Grant me your grace, so that remembrance of you may arise within me.” On another day, Nārada entered the house of another wife of Kṛṣṇa, wishing to witness the wondrous yoga-māyā of the lord of yogis. There, he found Kṛṣṇa engaged in playing dice with his beloved and Uddhava. Upon Nārada’s arrival, they rose in devotion, offering him a seat and other marks of respect. Kṛṣṇa, as if unaware, asked Nārada, “When did you arrive, O Lord? What could those like us, who are incomplete, do for those who are whole?” Still, he requested, “O brāhmaṇa, please tell us about this beautiful birth.” But Nārada, amazed, rose and silently went to another house. There too, he saw Govinda delighting his young sons. In another home, he watched as Kṛṣṇa prepared for bathing. Elsewhere, he saw the Lord offering oblations into sacrificial fires, performing various rituals, feeding brāhmaṇas in some places, and in others, partaking of what remained. At twilight in some homes, Kṛṣṇa was seated, reciting the Veda with controlled speech; elsewhere, he walked the path of archers, sword and shield in hand. In some places, he traveled with horses, elephants, and chariots, accompanied by Balarāma; in others, he reclined on a couch, praised by bards. Sometimes he consulted with ministers like Uddhava; elsewhere, he enjoyed water sports, surrounded by the foremost women of the palace. In some homes, he gave well-adorned cows to eminent brāhmaṇas; in others, he listened to auspicious histories and Purāṇas. He was sometimes seen laughing at home with his beloved, exchanging humorous stories; elsewhere, he was engaged in dharma, or in pursuits of wealth or desire. In one place, he sat alone, meditating on the Supreme Person beyond material nature; elsewhere, he served his teachers with pleasures and offerings. In some places, Keśava was seen making treaties, and in others, making war; elsewhere, together with Rāma, he contemplated the welfare of the virtuous. At the proper time, he arranged the marriages of his sons and daughters with worthy spouses, providing them with suitable 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 yogis. In some places, he worshipped all the gods with powerful sacrifices; elsewhere, he fulfilled dharma by creating wells, gardens, monasteries, and similar works. In some places, he was seen hunting, riding a Sindhu horse, surrounded by the foremost of the Yadus, and there he killed sacrificial animals. With unmanifest form, he moved among the inner residences and elsewhere, the Lord of yoga, desiring to experience various states. Having witnessed these wondrous manifestations, Nārada, smiling, spoke to Hṛṣīkeśa: “We know your yoga-māyā, which is difficult to perceive even for those skilled in illusion; it shines forth from the Lord of yogis, revealed through service at your feet. Permit me, O Lord, to depart for the worlds resounding 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; by teaching this, I have taken up this world—do not grieve, my son.” Śuka continued: Thus, as he practiced the pure duties that sanctify householders, Nārada saw the Lord present in every home, the one abiding everywhere. Repeatedly seeing the great manifestation of yoga-māyā of Krishna, whose power is limitless, the sage became astonished and filled with wonder. Thus, fully honored by Krishna, who was ever devoted to the duties of wealth, pleasure, and righteousness, Nārada departed, his heart filled with remembrance and joy. And so, following the path of human life, Nārāyaṇa, whose power is taken up for the sake of all beings, enjoyed himself among sixteen thousand chosen women, surrounded by their bashful, affectionate glances and smiles. Whatever actions Hari performed here—which are the cause of the creation and dissolution of the universe and have no other object—whoever, O dear one, sings, hears, or approves them, devotion arises for the Lord on the path of liberation. Thus ends the sixty-ninth chapter, named “The Vision of Krishna’s Household Life,” in the tenth book, second half, of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the great Purāṇa, the scripture of the supreme swan. Śuka continued: Then, as dawn approached and the roosters crowed, Krishna’s wives, afflicted by separation, were embraced by their husbands. The birds, awakening, seemed to praise Krishna, singing sleepless songs, stirred by gentle breezes from the Mandara forest. For a moment, Vaidarbhi could not bear the beautiful separation from her beloved’s embrace, having entered between his arms. At the Brahma hour, rising and touching water, Mādhava, with a clear mind, meditated on himself, the one beyond darkness. He is the one, self-luminous, unique, imperishable, eternally pure by his own nature, called Brahman, whose manifestation and dissolution are caused by his own powers, and whose bliss is revealed through those energies. Then, having bathed properly in pure water and put on clean garments, the most virtuous one performed the sequence of rituals; he offered fire and recited the Brahman with controlled speech. Presenting himself to the rising sun, he satisfied the portions of his own self, worshipped the gods, sages, ancestors, elders, and Brahmins, being ever self-possessed. He gave to the Brahmins cows with golden horns, adorned with pearl garlands, yielding milk, healthy, with calves and fine clothing. He gave to the decorated Brahmins, day after day, cows with silver-tipped hooves, along with linen, deer skins, and sesame seeds.