The Blessed Lord spoke to the assembled sages, saying, “I shall perform the proper expiation for the act of killing, for I desire the welfare of the world. Let the same rule be established as it was in the first age.” He continued, “Long life, strength, and the full use of the senses were promised to him. What you have spoken, I shall accomplish by my yogic power.” The sages replied, “Let it be so, O Rāma. Let your word, the power of your weapon, and death for us all remain true.” The Lord then declared, “The self is indeed born as the son—so the Veda teaches. Therefore, let his son be the speaker, endowed with life, senses, and strength.” Turning to the sages, the Lord asked, “What is your wish, O best of sages? Speak, and I shall do it. Consider well, O wise ones, how I may atone for my unknowing act.” The sages responded, “There is a fierce demon named Balvala, son of Ilvala. At every festival, he comes and defiles our sacrifice.” They pleaded, “O descendant of Daśārha, slay that wicked one for us—that is our highest wish. He showers pus, blood, excrement, urine, liquor, and flesh upon us.” The sages then instructed, “After leaving the land of Bharata with a steady mind, wandering for twelve months, and bathing at holy places, you will become purified.” Some time later, King Parīkṣit, eager to hear more tales of the Lord, addressed Śuka, “O venerable one, I wish to hear other heroic deeds of Mukunda, the great soul, whose power is infinite, O master.” He added, “Who, having once heard the sacred stories of the praiseworthy Lord, would cease listening—except one afflicted by desires and ignorant of their true worth?” He proclaimed, “That speech by which one praises His qualities, those hands that perform His deeds, that mind which remembers Him dwelling among all beings, and those ears that hear His holy stories—these alone are truly speech, hands, mind, and ears. That head is truly a head which bows to Him who bears both forms; those eyes alone see which behold Him; those limbs are truly limbs which always serve the water that has washed the feet of Viṣṇu or His devotees.” Sūta, the narrator, continued, “Thus questioned by Viṣṇurāta, the blessed son of Badarāyaṇa, whose heart was immersed in Lord Vāsudeva, spoke.” Śuka began, “Kṛṣṇa had a certain brāhmaṇa friend, most learned in the Veda, detached from sense pleasures, peaceful in mind, and self-controlled. Living as a householder, he sustained himself with whatever came by chance. His wife, thin from hunger, was just like him—her clothing in tatters.” One day, this devoted wife, pale and trembling, approached her impoverished husband and spoke, “O brāhmaṇa, is not the Lord, the husband of Śrī herself, your friend? He is devoted to the brāhmaṇas, the refuge of all, and the exalted Lord of the Sātvatas. Go to Him, O blessed one, who is the supreme shelter of the virtuous. He will surely give abundant wealth to you, the householder, who is in distress.” She continued, “He now resides in Dvārakā as the Lord of the Bhojas, Vṛṣṇis, and Andhakas. Even as He remembers His lotus feet, He offers Himself to His devotees. Why would the teacher of the world not grant the desired objects, even those not sought, to one who worships Him?” Thus, gently entreated by his wife, the brāhmaṇa thought, “Indeed, the greatest gain is to see the Lord praised in the highest hymns.” He resolved to go, asking, “Is there any gift at home, O good lady? Let something be given.” She begged four handfuls of flat rice from the brāhmaṇas, tied them in a piece of cloth, and gave them to her husband as a gift. Taking them, the foremost brāhmaṇa set out for Dvārakā, thinking, “How might I obtain a vision of Kṛṣṇa?” Passing through three enclosures and three courtyards, he entered the homes of the Andhakas and Vṛṣṇis, who followed the path of the infallible Lord. He entered one of the houses of Hari’s sixteen thousand queens and, as if attaining divine bliss, became filled with joy. Seeing him from afar, Acyuta, seated on his beloved’s couch, immediately rose up, approached, and joyfully embraced him with both arms. Delighted by the touch of his dear friend, the sage among the twice-born, the lotus-eyed Lord, overwhelmed with joy, shed tears from his eyes. After seating his friend upon the couch, Kṛṣṇa himself performed the proper honors, bringing water and washing his feet with his own hands. The Lord, purifier of the worlds, respectfully took the water with his head and anointed his guest with divine fragrances of sandalwood, aguru, and saffron. With fragrant incense and rows of lamps, he worshipped his friend with joy, offered him betel nut, and, after presenting a cow, spoke words of welcome. The goddess herself served the twice-born, who was clad in worn, soiled garments, emaciated, and with veins prominent, by fanning him with a yak-tail fan. Seeing the avadhūta so honored by Kṛṣṇa of spotless fame, the women of the inner chambers were amazed and filled with great affection. They wondered, “What pious act has this avadhūta, this mendicant, performed—he who is destitute of fortune, despised and lowly in this world?” He, so honored by Śrīnivāsa, the preceptor of the three worlds, was embraced like an elder brother, even as the goddess of fortune remained seated on the couch. They began to recount delightful stories from their time together in the preceptor’s house, holding each other’s hands as they spoke. The Blessed Lord asked, “O brāhmaṇa, after you completed your studies in the preceptor’s house and offered the proper fee, did you marry a suitable wife or not, O knower of dharma? It is well known to me, wise one, that your mind is not attached to household life or to wealth, for you act without desire and do not take much pleasure in such things.” He continued, “Some perform actions, their minds deluded by desire, abandoning their divine natures, just as I do for the sake of maintaining the world. O brāhmaṇa, do you remember our time living together in the preceptor’s house? For the twice-born, by knowing what is to be known, crosses beyond darkness. Indeed, he is the very origin here of those devoted to righteous action, born of the twice-born, and the foremost among those in the āśramas, just as I am the giver of knowledge and the teacher.” Thus, the Lord honored his friend and recalled their shared past, exemplifying the sacred bond between the devotee and the Divine.