Thinking thus within himself, the brāhmaṇa resolved to set out on his journey. He turned to his wife and asked, “Is there any gift at home, O good lady? Let something be given.” Hearing this, his devoted wife went to the brāhmaṇas nearby and humbly begged for four handfuls of flat rice. She tied them carefully in a piece of cloth and handed them to her husband as a gift for his journey. Taking this simple offering, the foremost among brāhmaṇas began his trek toward Dvārakā, his heart filled with hope: “How might I obtain a vision of Kṛṣṇa?” Passing through three enclosures and three courtyards, he entered the homes of the Andhakas and Vṛṣṇis, those devoted followers of the infallible Lord. Eventually, he found himself within one of the houses belonging to Hari’s sixteen thousand queens, and, as if touched by divine bliss, his heart overflowed with joy. From afar, Acyuta—Kṛṣṇa himself—was seated on his beloved’s couch. The moment he saw his friend approaching, he immediately rose, hurried forward, and joyfully embraced the brāhmaṇa with both arms. Delighted by the touch of his dear friend, the sage among the twice-born, the lotus-eyed Lord was so overwhelmed with happiness that tears welled up in his eyes. After seating his friend upon the couch, Kṛṣṇa himself attended to him with proper honors. He brought water and, with his own hands, washed the brāhmaṇa’s feet. Then, as the purifier of worlds, he respectfully took the water upon his head and anointed his guest with divine fragrances—sandalwood, aguru, and saffron. With fragrant incense and rows of shining lamps, Kṛṣṇa worshipped his friend with joy, offering betel nut and, after presenting a cow, spoke words of warm welcome. The goddess herself, Śrī, served the brāhmaṇa, who sat clad in worn, soiled garments, his body emaciated and veins prominent, by fanning him with a yak-tail fan. Witnessing this humble avadhūta so honored by Kṛṣṇa of spotless fame, the women of the inner chambers were amazed and filled with affection. They wondered, “What pious act has this avadhūta, this mendicant, performed—he who is destitute of fortune, despised and lowly in this world?” Yet he was honored by Śrīnivāsa, the teacher of the three worlds, embraced like an elder brother, even as the goddess of fortune remained seated on the couch. Together, Kṛṣṇa and his friend began to recount delightful stories from their days in the preceptor’s house, holding each other’s hands as they reminisced. 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? I know well, 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. 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. O brāhmaṇa, those skilled in the true meaning, among those who follow varṇa and āśrama, easily cross the ocean of worldly existence by my instruction as their teacher. I, the indwelling soul of all beings, am not satisfied by worship, offspring, austerity, or restraint, as I am by service to the teacher. “O brāhmaṇa, do you remember our conduct while living with the preceptor, when, prompted by the preceptor’s wives, we sometimes went to gather firewood? As we entered the great forest, O twice-born one, a fierce storm arose, with violent winds and harsh thunder. By then, the sun had set and darkness covered all directions; the low-lying riverbank, now flooded, could not be discerned at all. There, we were struck repeatedly by powerful winds and torrents of water, overwhelmed by the flood; unable to tell the directions or see each other in the forest, we wandered about, holding hands, distressed. “At sunrise, our teacher Sāndīpani, searching for us, saw his students in a wretched state. ‘Ah, dear children, you have suffered greatly for my sake; yet, forgoing your own well-being, you have devoted yourselves to me. Indeed, this is what true disciples must do for their teacher: to dedicate all their efforts and very selves to the guru with pure intent. I am pleased, O best of the twice-born; may all your true wishes be fulfilled, and may you master the Vedas and their limbs, here and hereafter.’ In this way, by the guru’s grace alone, a person living in the teacher’s house attains completeness and peace through many such experiences.” The blessed brāhmaṇa replied, “What remains unfulfilled for us, O Lord of gods, teacher of the world, when we have lived in your house, you who are ever true to your word? For him whose body is composed of Vedic sound, O mighty one, dwelling with a teacher is the highest honor among all blessings.” Thus ends the eightieth chapter, entitled “The Story of Śrīdāma,” in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for supreme renunciants. Śrī Śuka continued: Thus, as Hari conversed with the foremost brāhmaṇa, he, who knows the minds of all beings, smiled and spoke to him. Kṛṣṇa, the Lord devoted to the brāhmaṇas, gazed affectionately at the brāhmaṇa, and with a loving smile—indeed, such a look is the goal of the virtuous. The Blessed Lord said, “O brāhmaṇa, what gift have you brought me from your home? Even a small offering brought by devotees with love becomes great to me; but even a great gift from one without devotion does not please me. Whoever offers me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water with devotion, I accept that offering from the pure-hearted devotee.” Though thus addressed, the brāhmaṇa, embarrassed before the Lord of Śrī, did not offer the handful of parched rice, remaining silent and ashamed. But Kṛṣṇa, who directly sees the Self in all beings, understood the reason for his coming, thinking, “This man did not worship me before out of desire for wealth.