Where am I, poor and sinful, and where is Krishna, the very abode of fortune? Though I am a Brahmin only in name, He, the Supreme Lord, embraced me with His own arms. Seated upon a couch, cherished by my dear friend as brothers are, I was fanned by the queen herself, though weary, with her hand holding a child’s fan. With utmost care, including massaging my feet, I was honored by the Lord of gods, the god of Brahmins, as if I were a god myself. For men, the root of all happiness—whether in heaven or liberation, wealth on earth, or all perfections—is worship of His feet. If this poor man were to obtain wealth, he might become intoxicated and forget the Lord; thus, out of compassion, He surely did not bestow abundant riches upon me. Thinking in this way, the Brahmin approached his humble home, which was now surrounded on all sides by aerial palaces shining like the sun, fire, and moon. The house was adorned with wondrous groves and gardens, filled with the songs of flocks of birds, and ponds blossoming with lotuses, water lilies, and blue lotuses. Men and women, beautifully adorned and doe-eyed, graced the place; the Brahmin wondered, “What is this? Whose place is this? How has this come to be?” As he pondered, men and women, radiant as immortals, welcomed the blessed one with abundant singing and instrumental music. Hearing that her husband had arrived, his wife, overwhelmed with joy and excitement, quickly came out, like Lakshmi herself from her abode. Seeing her husband, with eyes brimming with love and longing, she closed her eyes and embraced him with reverence in mind and heart. He, astonished, beheld his wife shining among the maidservants, radiant like a celestial goddess, standing out in the midst of those without necklaces. Pleased and united with her, he entered his own palace, adorned with hundreds of jeweled pillars, resembling Indra’s mansion. Beds resembling milk foam, gentle and decorated with gold, couches with golden rails, and yak-tail fans were present. There were golden seats with soft cushions, canopies hung with pearl garlands, and shining coverings. On clear crystal walls and great emerald surfaces, jeweled lamps shone, and women adorned with gems attended. The Brahmin, seeing there the abundance of all riches, calmly reflected on his own prosperity, which had arisen without apparent cause. Surely, he thought, this is the cause of prosperity for me, so unfortunate and always poor; nothing else could explain the wealth of the foremost Yadu. Indeed, even without asking, the generous king gives abundantly to those who request; like a cloud, he observes and provides—my friend, the chief of the Dasharhas. Whatever little he gives, even if small, is done as a friend; though he is a great giver, he accepted from me a handful of parched grain, offered with affection. “May I have friendship, companionship, and service to him, birth after birth; through association with that great soul, the abode of virtues, my attachment is fixed. For the devoted, the Lord indeed grants wondrous prosperity and kingdoms; but the unborn one does not bestow them on those lacking discernment, seeing himself the downfall and pride of the wealthy.” Thus resolved in mind, the devotee of Janardana, though surrounded by pleasures, enjoyed them without excessive attachment. For that Lord of sacrifice, Hari, the god of gods, the Brahmins are his origin; nothing is higher than them. Thus, the Brahmin, friend of the Lord, seeing the unconquered one defeated by his own servants, with mind bound by meditation on him, soon attained his abode, the path of the virtuous. Hearing this about the god devoted to Brahmins, a man who gains devotion to the Lord is freed from the bondage of karma. Thus ends the eighty-first chapter, named “The Story of Prithu’s Anger,” in the tenth book, second half, of the great Purana, Srimad Bhagavata, the scripture of the supreme paramahamsas. Shri Shuka continued: Once, while Rama and Krishna were residing in Dvaraka, a great solar eclipse occurred, as happens at the end of a kalpa. O King, knowing Him, people from all sides journeyed to the field of Samantapanchaka, desiring to attain auspiciousness. Rāma, foremost among wielders of weapons, had made the earth devoid of kṣatriyas, and by the flood of kings’ blood, he had created great lakes. There, Bhagavān Rāma performed sacrifice, though untouched by karma, gathering the people as the Lord, just as others do to remove sin. During that great pilgrimage, the people of Bhārata, the Vṛṣṇis, as well as Akrūra, Vasudeva, Ahuka, and others, arrived there. Those descendants of Bhārata went to that field, wishing to expiate their own sins—Gada, Pradyumna, Sāmba, and others, along with Sucandra, Śuka, and Sāraṇa. Aniruddha remained for protection, and Kṛtavarmā, the leader, too; they shone, riding chariots adorned with divine emblems and swift horses. With elephants roaring like clouds, men accompanied by Vidyādharas and celestial beings, those of great brilliance, adorned with golden garlands, shone on the road. Wearing divine garlands, garments, and armor, with their wives, they appeared like those who move in the sky. There, after bathing, the highly fortunate ones fasted, fully composed. They gave cows, garments, garlands, and gold ornaments to the brāhmaṇas; then, in the lakes of Rāma, the Vṛṣṇis bathed again according to the prescribed rites. They gave their own food to the foremost twice-born, saying, “May we have devotion to Kṛṣṇa”; and, having received permission, the Vṛṣṇis, devoted to Kṛṣṇa, themselves partook. Having eaten, they sat as they pleased, beneath gentle, shady trees; there, they saw the kings who had arrived, their friends and relatives. They saw the Matsyas, Śīnas, Kauśalyas, Vidarbhas, Kurus, Sṛñjayas, Kāmbojas, Kaikeyas, Madras, Kuntis, Anartas, and Keralas.