Delighted by the touch of his dear friend, the sage among the twice-born, the lotus-eyed Lord Kṛṣṇa was overwhelmed with joy. Tears welled in his eyes and gently rolled down his cheeks, so deep was his affection. After welcoming his friend, Kṛṣṇa seated him upon a soft couch and, with his own hands, performed the proper honors due to a guest. He brought water and reverently washed the brāhmaṇa’s feet. Then, bowing his head, Kṛṣṇa—purifier of the worlds—took the water used for washing and anointed his guest with exquisite fragrances of sandalwood, aguru, and saffron. With fragrant incense and rows of bright lamps, Kṛṣṇa worshipped his friend with joy, offering him betel nut and, as a mark of respect, presented him with a cow. He spoke warm words of welcome, his heart brimming with love. The goddess Lakṣmī herself attended to the brāhmaṇa, who was clad in worn, soiled garments, his body emaciated and veins prominent from the austerities of his wandering life. She fanned him gently with a yak-tail fan, serving him with the utmost devotion. Observing this honor bestowed by Kṛṣṇa, whose fame is spotless, the women of the inner chambers were amazed. Their hearts filled with affection for the brāhmaṇa, they wondered at his fortune: “What pious act has this avadhūta, this mendicant, performed—he who is destitute, despised, and lowly in this world? How has he come to be so honored by Śrīnivāsa, the preceptor of the three worlds, embraced as an elder brother, even as the goddess of fortune herself remains seated on the couch?” Kṛṣṇa and his dear friend, hands joined, began to reminisce about the sweet days they had spent together in their preceptor’s house. Holding each other’s hands, they recounted delightful stories from their youth. Then the Blessed Lord spoke: “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? Yet, I know well, wise one, that your mind is not attached to household life or to wealth. You act without desire and take little pleasure in such things. “Many act, their minds deluded by desire, abandoning their divine natures, just as I do for the sake of maintaining the world. Do you remember, O brāhmaṇa, our time living together in the preceptor’s house? For the twice-born, by knowing what is to be known, crosses beyond darkness. “The preceptor is indeed the very origin of those devoted to righteous action, born of the twice-born and foremost among those in the āśramas, just as I am the giver of knowledge and the teacher. Those skilled in the true meaning, 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. “Do you remember, O brāhmaṇa, our conduct while living with the preceptor, when, at the request of the preceptor’s wives, we sometimes went to gather firewood? One day, as we entered the great forest, a fierce storm arose, with violent winds and harsh thunder. The sun had set, darkness covered all directions, and the riverbank, now flooded, could not be discerned at all. “There, we were struck again and again by powerful winds and torrents of water. Overwhelmed by the flood, unable to tell the directions or even see each other in the forest, we wandered about, holding hands, distressed. “At sunrise, our teacher Sāndīpani came searching for us and found his students in a wretched state. He said, ‘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 concludes the eightieth chapter, “The Story of Śrīdāma,” in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the supreme renunciants. Śrī Śuka continued: As Hari conversed with the foremost brāhmaṇa, he who knows the minds of all beings smiled and spoke to him. Kṛṣṇa, ever devoted to the brāhmaṇas, gazed affectionately at his friend. With a loving smile—a glance that is the very goal of the virtuous—he addressed him: “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 he had brought, remaining silent and ashamed. But Kṛṣṇa, who directly sees the Self in all beings, understood the reason for his coming and thought, “This man did not worship me before out of desire for wealth. But now, prompted by the wish of his devoted wife and out of friendship, he has come to me; I shall grant him riches rarely attained by mortals.” Thinking thus, Kṛṣṇa took from the brāhmaṇa’s bundle the parched rice bound in cloth, wondering, “What is this?” He exclaimed, “O friend, truly this offering brought to Me is supreme satisfaction; these grains of parched rice, O dear one, satisfy Me and the whole universe.” Having eaten one handful, he reached for a second, but at that moment Lakṣmī, ever devoted to the Supreme Lord, gently seized his hand. She said, “O Soul of the Universe, this alone is enough for the abundance of all prosperity, in this world or the next, for a person whose purpose is to please You.” The brāhmaṇa, having spent that night in Achyuta’s abode, eating, drinking, and filled with happiness, felt as if he were in heaven itself.