The kings and even the Vṛṣṇis, who delight in Him alone, do not truly know Him—the Lord of time, the indwelling Self—because He is concealed behind the veil of māyā. Just as a man lying asleep, though his senses may register the elements and their qualities, does not perceive his own true self, which is beyond mere names and sense-objects, so too, by the bewilderment of māyā, the mind, attached to names, objects, and the senses, loses sight of You, O Lord, as memory becomes disturbed. But today, we have been blessed to behold Your feet, which remove the weight of sin and are the very abode of all holy places. Those whose yoga is fully matured enshrine Your feet within their hearts. O Lord, Your devotees, whose inner coverings are pierced by overflowing devotion, reach Your path—please shower Your grace upon them. After these words, Śuka continued: Having taken leave of Kṛṣṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and the wise king Yudhiṣṭhira, the assembled sages set their minds on returning to their hermitages. Seeing them depart, the illustrious Vasudeva approached, bowed low, honored them, and spoke with self-control and humility. Vasudeva said, “O revered sages, I bow to you, who are as the gods themselves. Please instruct me: by what actions may the bondage of action be destroyed?” Śrī Nārada replied, “O Brāhmaṇas, it is not surprising that Vasudeva, eager for true knowledge, asks us about the highest good for himself, for he regards Kṛṣṇa as his own son. Among mortals, close association often leads to a certain disregard, just as one, having the Ganges, seeks other waters for purification. Yet He—whose realization is never diminished by time, creation, dissolution, or by any being or quality—remains ever the same. The Lord is undivided, His experience unimpeded by suffering, karma, or the modes of nature, yet He is hidden by His own powers, such as the life-force. As clouds, mist, or eclipse may conceal the sun, so too is He sometimes mistaken for less than He is.” Then, O King, the sages, addressing Anakadundubhi (Vasudeva), spoke before all the assembled kings and the two descendants of Acyuta: “The wise have established that karma is destroyed by action when one, with faith, worships Viṣṇu, the Lord of all sacrifices, through sacrificial rites. Poets, with the eye of scripture, have shown that tranquility of mind is attained by this path of yoga, which 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 resources. “In due time, one 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 spiritual worlds. Those who have abandoned all such pursuits in the village go steadfastly to the forest of austerity. O Lord, the twice-born is born with three debts—to the gods, sages, and ancestors; these are repaid through sacrifices, study, and sons. If one departs without settling these debts, he falls. Today, O wise Vasudeva, you are freed from the debts to the sages and ancestors. Having discharged your debt to the gods with sacrifices, you 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 very son.” Hearing these words, Vasudeva, great of mind, bowed his head, pleased the sages and priests, and duly chose them. Those sages, thus chosen by him in righteousness, performed sacrifices for him in that field, following excellent rituals. When the consecration began, the Vrishnis, adorned with lotus garlands, bathed and dressed in fine attire, as did the splendidly adorned kings. Vasudeva’s queens, joyful and in fine garments, approached the consecration hall, anointed and bearing offerings. Music resounded: drums, mridangas, kettledrums, conches, trumpets, and other instruments. Dancers and performers displayed their art; bards and genealogists sang praises. Gandharva women, with sweet voices, sang melodious songs with their husbands. The priests, according to ritual, anointed Vasudeva—already bathed and adorned—together with his eighteen wives, as the king of Soma is anointed by the stars. Adorned with silk, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and earrings, Vasudeva shone, consecrated and clad in sacrificial garments. His priests, dressed in silk and adorned with jewels, shone in the assembly like Indra among the gods at sacrifice. Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by their relatives, sons, and wives, radiated their own divine splendor. Vasudeva worshipped, according to ritual, with sacrifices marked by agnihotra and others, both ordinary and special, the Lord of sacrifice, knowledge, and action. At the proper time, he gave the priests their due gifts, bestowing cows, land, daughters, and great wealth. After performing the rites for the wives and the concluding ablution, the great sages, with the priests and led by the sacrificer, bathed in the sacred Rama lake. Having bathed, Vasudeva distributed his ornaments and garments to the bards and the women; then, adorned himself anew, he honored the priests and others with food. He lavished honor upon his relatives, their wives and sons, and the people of Vidarbha, Kosala, Kuru, Kashi, Kekaya, and Sṛñjaya. The assembly members, officiating priests, sages, kings, spirits, ancestors, and wandering mendicants were all honored; after taking leave of the Lord’s abode, they departed, offering blessings, to return to their own lands. 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—having embraced their kinsmen, the Yadus, their hearts softened by affection—departed for their own lands, enduring the pain of separation. Nanda, together with the cowherds, was worshipped with great honor 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 filled with joy, addressed Nanda, touching his hand. Vasudeva said, “Brother, the bond created by affection among people, which is called love, is, I believe, hard to abandon—even for heroes and yogis. This friendship, established by the noble even toward those who have not returned their kindness, and whose fruit is offered in friendship, should never be abandoned.