With deep reverence, the assembly offered their obeisance to Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose intellect never fails, whose true greatness is hidden by His own yogamāyā, and who is verily the Supreme Soul. Even the assembled kings and the Vṛṣṇis, who delight in Him alone, do not truly know Him; for He is the Lord of time and the Self, veiled behind the curtain of māyā. Just as a man lying asleep, though his senses may perceive the elements and their qualities, does not realize his own true self—distinct from mere names and objects—so too, by the power of māyā, the mind becomes bewildered. Attached to names, objects, and the senses, and disturbed in memory, it fails to recognize the Lord. But today, the devotees declared, they had been blessed to behold His feet—those feet which dispel all sin, which are the very abode of holy places, and which are established in the hearts of perfected yogis. They prayed: "O Lord, whose devotees, their hearts pierced by overflowing devotion, attain Your path—please bestow Your grace upon them." Śuka then narrated that, after taking leave of Kṛṣṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and the noble Yudhiṣṭhira, the royal sage, the assembled sages set their minds on returning to their hermitages. As they prepared to depart, the illustrious Vasudeva approached them, bowed down, honored them with due respect, and addressed them with gentle, self-controlled words. "O revered sages," Vasudeva said, "I bow to you, who are verily all the gods. Please instruct us: by what actions can the bondage of action be destroyed?" At this, Nārada spoke: "O Brāhmaṇas, it is not surprising that Vasudeva, eager to know the highest good for himself, asks us this, even though he regards Kṛṣṇa as his own son. For among mortals, close association often leads to disregard, just as one who leaves the Ganges seeks other water for purification. Yet, He—whose realization is undiminished by time, creation, or dissolution, by Himself, others, or even by qualities—remains ever the same. That Lord is undivided, His experience unobstructed by suffering, karma, or qualities, yet He is concealed by His own powers, such as the life-force. People may mistake Him, just as one mistakes the sun when it is covered by clouds, mist, or an eclipse." Then, O King, the sages addressed Anakadundubhi (Vasudeva) before the assembly of kings and the two descendants of Acyuta. They explained: "The destruction of karma by action is established by the wise. With faith, one should worship Viṣṇu, the Lord of all sacrifices, through sacrificial rites. This tranquility of mind has been revealed by poets with the eye of scripture; the path of yoga is easy and brings joy to the self. This is the auspicious path for the twice-born householder, who should worship with pure means and faith, according to his wealth. "In due time, the wise should renounce the pursuit of wealth through sacrifices and charity, the pursuit of wife and children through household life, and the pursuit of self through the hope of heavenly worlds. Those who have abandoned all such pursuits in the village have steadfastly gone to the forest of austerity. "O Lord, the twice-born is born with three debts—to the gods, sages, and ancestors. By sacrifices, study, and sons, he repays them; if he departs without settling them, he falls. Today, O wise one, you are freed from two debts—to the sages and ancestors; having discharged the debt to the gods with sacrifices, become free from debt and without further obligation. Surely you have worshipped Hari, the Lord of the worlds, with supreme devotion, and He has become your son." Hearing these words, the great-minded Vasudeva bowed his head, pleased the sages and priests, and selected them as his officiants. The sages, chosen by him in righteousness, performed sacrifices for him in that sacred field, following excellent rituals. When the consecration began, the Vrishnis, adorned with lotus garlands, bathed and dressed themselves splendidly, as did the kings. The queens, joyful and dressed in fine garments, approached the consecration hall, anointed and bearing offerings, though without necklaces. The air resounded with the music of drums, mridangas, kettledrums, conches, trumpets, and other instruments. Dancers and performers displayed their art, bards and genealogists sang praises, and Gandharva women, with sweet voices, sang together with their husbands. The priests, following ritual, anointed Vasudeva—already bathed and smeared—along with his eighteen wives, just as the king of Soma is anointed by the stars. Adorned by them with silk, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and earrings, Vasudeva shone, consecrated and clad in a sacrificial garment. His priests, dressed in silk and adorned with jewels, together with the assembly, shone like Indra amid his sacrifice. Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by their relatives, shone with their sons and wives, radiant with their own splendor. Vasudeva worshipped, as prescribed, with sacrifices marked by agnihotra and other rites, both ordinary and special, the Lord of sacrifice, knowledge, and action. At the proper time, he gave the priests their due gifts, adorning them with cows, land, daughters, and great wealth. After performing the rites for his wives and the concluding ablution, those great sages, with the priests and led by the sacrificer, bathed in the Rama lake. Having bathed, Vasudeva gave his ornaments and garments to the bards and women. Then, adorning himself anew, he honored the priests and others with abundant food. He lavishly honored his relatives, their wives and sons, and the people of Vidarbha, Kosala, Kuru, Kashi, Kekaya, and Sṛñjaya. He also honored the assembly members, officiating priests, sages, kings, spirits, ancestors, and wandering mendicants. After taking leave of the Lord's abode, they departed, offering blessings, to the sacrifice. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his younger brother, the sons of Pṛthā, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Pṛthā herself, the two sons of Yamā, Nārada, the divine Vyāsa, and their friends and relatives—embracing their kinsmen, the Yadus, their hearts softened by affection—some departed for their own lands, enduring the pain of separation. Nanda, together with the cowherds, was honored with great reverence by Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Ugrasena, and others, and, fond of his relatives, he remained there. Vasudeva, having easily crossed the vast ocean of his desires, surrounded by friends and with a joyful mind, approached Nanda, touched his hand, and spoke warmly: "Brother, the bond of affection that arises among people, which is called love—I consider that the hardest of all to abandon, even for heroes and yogis.