The Supreme Lord, though undivided and untouched by suffering, karma, or the qualities of nature, is veiled by His own powers—such as the life-force—so that, just as the sun may be hidden by clouds, mist, or an eclipse, people may mistake His true nature. At that time, O King, the assembled sages addressed Anakadundubhi—Vasudeva—in the presence of the gathered kings and the two noble descendants of Acyuta. They spoke of the means to destroy karma through action: with faith, one should worship Viṣṇu, the Lord of all sacrifices, through proper sacrificial rites. The tranquility of mind attainable through this path has been described by poets who see through the eye of scripture; the path of yoga is easy and brings joy to the soul. This, they said, is the auspicious path for the twice-born householder, who should worship with pure means and faith, according to his wealth and ability. 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 hopes for spiritual worlds. Those who have abandoned all worldly pursuits and left the village have steadfastly gone to the forest of austerity. O Lord, the twice-born is born with three debts: to the gods, the sages, and the ancestors. By sacrifices, study, and sons, he repays them; if he departs without settling these debts, he falls. Today, O wise Vasudeva, you are freed from two debts—to the sages and ancestors—and having discharged the debt to the gods through sacrifices, you are now free from all obligations and without refuge. O Vasudeva, you have worshipped Hari, the Lord of all worlds, with supreme devotion, and He has become your son. Hearing these words, Vasudeva, great-hearted, bowed his head, pleased the sages and priests, and chose them for the sacrificial rites. The sages, chosen by him in righteousness, performed the sacrifices in that sacred field with excellent rituals. When the consecration began, the Vrishnis, adorned with lotus garlands, bathed and dressed themselves splendidly, as did the assembled kings. The queens, joyful and radiant, dressed in fine garments and bearing offerings, approached the consecration hall, their necks bare of necklaces. The air resounded with the music of drums, mridangas, kettledrums, conches, and trumpets. Dancers performed, bards and genealogists sang praises, and Gandharva women, with their husbands, sang melodiously. The priests, following the ritual, anointed Vasudeva—already bathed and perfumed—along 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 the sacrificial garment. His priests, dressed in silk and adorned with jewels, together with the assembly, shone like Indra at his great sacrifice. Then Balarāma and Krishna, accompanied by their relatives, sons, and wives, shone in their own splendor, lords of life among their kinsmen. According to the ritual, Vasudeva worshipped the Lord of sacrifice, knowledge, and action with sacrifices marked by agnihotra and other rites, both ordinary and special. At the proper time, he gave the priests their prescribed gifts—cows, land, daughters, and great wealth—adorning those already adorned. After performing the rites for the wives and the concluding ablutions, the great sages, priests, and the sacrificer himself bathed together in the Rama lake. Having bathed, Vasudeva gave his ornaments and garments to the bards and women, then, adorned afresh, 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 honored the assembly members, officiating priests, sages, kings, spirits, ancestors, and wandering mendicants. After taking leave of the Lord's abode, all departed, offering blessings, to their respective homes. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his younger brother, the sons of Pṛthā, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Pṛthā, the two sons of Yamā, Nārada, the divine Vyāsa, and their friends and relatives embraced 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 affection by Krishna, Balarāma, Ugrasena, and others. 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, took Nanda by the hand and spoke: "Brother, the bond of affection among people, which is called love, is hard to abandon—even for heroes and yogis. This friendship, established by noble ones even toward those who have not returned their kindness, and whose fruit is offered in friendship, should never be abandoned. In times past, brothers, we did not act for each other's welfare; now, blinded by pride in prosperity, we do not see those standing before us. O bestower of honor, may the splendor of sovereignty never come to a man who desires true welfare, for by it, one does not see his own people or relatives, becoming blind in vision." Thus, with his heart softened by affection, Vasudeva remembered the friendship that had been shown and wept, his eyes filled with tears. Nanda, honored by the Yadus for the love he had shown to Govinda and Balarāma, stayed there for three months, thinking each day, "Today, tomorrow." Then, filled with desires, Nanda, together with his kin and the people of Vraja, was honored with the finest ornaments, silks, and many priceless gifts. Receiving abundant gifts from Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Krishna, Uddhava, Balarāma, and others, Nanda, accompanied by the Yadus, set out on his way. The cowherds and cowherd women, their minds absorbed in the lotus feet of Govinda, could not withdraw their hearts from Him, but departed for Mathurā. When their relatives had departed, the Vṛṣṇis, whose deity was Krishna, seeing that the rainy season was at hand, returned again to Dvārakā. There, they recounted to the people the great festival of the Yadu gods, which had taken place during the pilgrimage, along with the joyous meetings with friends and all the wondrous events. Thus ends the eighty-fourth chapter, entitled "The Description of Pilgrimage," in the tenth book, second half, of the glorious Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the supreme renunciates.