With heartfelt devotion, he offered maidservants, abundant wealth, soldiers, chariots, horses, and precious weapons. The maidservants themselves, speaking among each other, revealed that they had come to serve him—he who is utterly self-satisfied—through the power of true austerity and complete detachment. The queens spoke: “When Bhauma and his followers were slain in battle, he freed us—princesses who had been conquered and held captive. Remembering his lotus feet, the fulfiller of all desires, he accepted us in marriage, granting us liberation from worldly bondage.” They continued, “We do not desire sovereignty, lordship, rulership, or even the supreme position of Brahmā, nor the endless abode of Hari. Our only wish is to bear on our heads the dust of his glorious feet, fragrant with the unguent from his consort’s breast, he who wields the mace. The cowherd women of Vraja, the Pulinda women, the grasses and herbs, the cows and the cowherd boys—all long for the touch of the feet of that great soul as he tends the cows.” Śuka narrates: When Kuntī, Subhadrā, Draupadī, Mādhavī, the royal wives, and their own gopīs heard of the deep affection Krishna, the Supreme Soul, had for them, they were amazed. Tears brimmed in their eyes. As the women spoke among themselves and the men among men, the sages arrived, eager to see Krishna and Balarāma. Among them came Vyāsa, Nārada, Cyavana, Devala, Asita, Viśvāmitra, Śatānanda, Bharadvāja, and Gautama. Rāma arrived with his disciples, along with Vasiṣṭha, Gālava, Bhṛgu, Pulastya, Kaśyapa, Atri, Mārkaṇḍeya, and Bṛhaspati. Dvitas, Trita, Ekata—the sons of Brahmā—Aṅgirā, Agastya, Yājñavalkya, Vāmadeva, and many others also came. Seeing these illustrious sages, the kings who had been seated, along with the Pāṇḍavas, Krishna, and Balarāma, immediately rose and bowed to those revered by the world. They worshipped the sages as was proper, and Rāma and Acyuta honored them with words of welcome, seats, water for washing feet, offerings, garlands, incense, and ointments. The Lord, embodiment of righteousness, spoke to them as they sat comfortably, while the great assembly listened in silence to his measured words. Krishna said, “Ah, we who are born into this world have attained the highest fruit, difficult even for the gods to obtain—the sight of the masters of yoga. What to say of those men of little austerity, who in worshipping the gods—the eyes of the world—gain the chance to see, touch, question, and bow to the feet of such beings? Neither sacred waters nor gods made of clay and stone purify in the same way; it is the holy ones who purify, simply by their sight, even in a brief moment. Neither fire, nor sun, nor moon and stars, nor earth, water, sky, wind, speech, or mind—though worshipped as separate—remove sin; the wise destroy it by serving the enlightened, even for a moment. He who identifies the self with the body of three elements, regards wife and kin as his own, worships earth as sacred, and sees holy places only as water, but never seeks out the wise—he is no better than a cow or donkey.” Śuka says: Hearing Krishna’s words, whose wisdom is unfathomable, the sages sat silent, their minds perplexed by the depth of his speech. After long deliberation, the sages, smiling at the Lord of the universe, said that his sovereignty was for gathering people together. The sages spoke: “By your māyā, O highest knower of truth, even we, lords among the creators of the world, are bewildered; your mastery is hidden by your own mysterious power—how wondrous are the Lord’s actions! Though without desire, you create, maintain, and withdraw the world in many ways, yet are not bound—just as the earth, though appearing in many forms and names, remains unchanged. How marvelous and mysterious are the acts of your greatness! At the proper time, for the protection of Your own people, You assume the mode of goodness, and also for the subjugation of the wicked; by Your own play, You uphold the eternal path of the Veda, O Supreme Person, soul of the varṇāśrama order. Your heart is pure, attained through austerity, study, and self-restraint; in it is realized that which is manifest, unmanifest, and beyond both. Therefore, O Brahman, You honor the community of Brahmins, the very source of the scriptures and of Yourself; thus You become the foremost among those devoted to Brahman. Today, our birth, our learning, our austerity, and our vision have borne fruit, for by meeting You, who are the highest goal, we have attained the supreme good. Obeisance to that Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose intellect is unfailing, whose greatness is concealed by His own yogamāyā, and who is the Supreme Soul. He whom these kings and even the Vṛṣṇis, who delight in Him alone, do not know—He is the Lord of time and the Self, hidden by the curtain of māyā. Just as a man lying asleep, though perceiving the elements and qualities, does not know his own true self, which is distinct from mere names and sense-objects. So too, by the delusion of māyā, the mind bewildered by attachment to names, objects, and senses, does not know You, due to the disturbance of memory. Today, we have seen Your feet, which remove the mass of sins, which are the very abode of holy places, established in the heart by those whose yoga is fully matured; O Lord, whose devotees, their inner coverings pierced by overflowing devotion, attain Your path—please grant them Your grace.” Śuka continues: Thus, after taking leave of the Dāśārha (Kṛṣṇa), Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Yudhiṣṭhira, the royal sage, the sages set their minds on returning to their own hermitages. Seeing them, the illustrious Vasudeva approached, bowed, honored them, and spoke these well-controlled words: “O sages, I bow to you, who are all the gods. Please tell us how, by action, the bondage of action may be destroyed.” Śrī Nārada replied: “O Brāhmaṇas, it is not surprising that Vasudeva, out of eagerness to know, asks us about the highest good for himself, considering Kṛṣṇa as his own child. Here, among mortals, close association leads to disregard, just as one, leaving the Ganges, seeks other water for purification. He whose realization, by time, creation, dissolution, and so on, is never diminished by himself, by others, or by qualities, from anywhere. That Lord, who is undivided, whose experience is unobstructed by the flows of suffering, karma, and qualities, yet is concealed by His own powers such as life-force—one may mistake Him, as one mistakes the sun covered by clouds, mist, or eclipse.” Then, O King, the sages, having addressed Anakadundubhi, spoke before all the assembled kings and the two descendants of Acyuta.