When the honored guests were seated in his humble home, Śrutadeva, accompanied by his wife, children, and relatives, approached with reverence and touched their feet in deep respect. With a heart overflowing with devotion, Śrutadeva spoke, his voice trembling with gratitude: “Today, the Supreme Person, who creates this world with His own energies and then enters it by His own being, has not appeared before my eyes for the first time. Just as a man, lying in sleep, creates a dream world by his mind and then enters and illuminates it, so too does He create and enter this universe. “To those who listen to You, speak of You, worship You, bow to You, and converse sincerely, You reveal Yourself within their pure hearts. Yet, though You dwell within the heart, You remain distant from those whose minds are distracted by worldly actions, and though You are beyond the reach of all, those attached to the qualities of matter cannot grasp You. Obeisance to You, the Supreme Self, knower of the innermost reality, who transcends the self, who separates the soul from death, who assumes forms both with and without cause, and whose vision is veiled by Your own māyā. “Therefore, O Lord, instruct us, Your servants—what should we do? For the greatest suffering of people is that You are beyond the reach of their senses.” Hearing these heartfelt words, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the remover of distress for those who bow to Him, gently took Śrutadeva’s hand in His own, smiled kindly, and spoke: “O brāhmaṇa, know that these sages have come here for your blessing. They wander the worlds with Me, purifying all with the dust of their feet. The gods, sacred places, and holy waters purify gradually through sight, touch, and worship, but even they are instantly purified by the gaze of the best among brāhmaṇas. Among all living beings, the brāhmaṇa is superior by birth—how much more so when endowed with austerity, knowledge, contentment, and especially when devoted to Me. “This four-armed form of Mine is not as dear to Me as the brāhmaṇas are. O brāhmaṇa, you are the embodiment of all the Vedas, and indeed, I am the embodiment of all the gods. Those of poor understanding, who do not know this, who are envious and disrespectful, see Me, the guru, the brāhmaṇa, and even their own self as mere idols during worship. But whatever is moving or unmoving in this universe, and all the causes of these, the brāhmaṇa, by My vision, regards as My forms in his mind. Therefore, O brāhmaṇa, worship these brāhmaṇa sages with faith in Me. If you worship in this way, I am truly worshipped—not otherwise, even with great opulence.” Thus instructed by the Lord, the king of Mithilā worshipped the foremost brāhmaṇas along with Kṛṣṇa, regarding them as one with himself, and attained the highest destination. In this way, O King, the Lord—who is ever devoted to His devotees and to the path of devotion—after staying there and instructing the right path, returned again to Dvārakā. Thus concludes the eighty-sixth chapter, entitled “The Blessing of Śrutadeva,” in the second half of the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. After hearing of these wondrous events, King Parīkṣit inquired further: “O brāhmaṇa, in regard to the indefinable, transcendental Brahman, how do the Vedas, which are based on qualities, function with respect to That which is beyond both existence and non-existence?” Śrī Śuka replied: “The Lord created the intellect, senses, mind, and vital airs of beings—for the sake of sense objects, for worldly purposes, for the self, and for the sake of non-identification. This is indeed the Upaniṣad of Brahman, upheld by the ancients of old; whoever holds it with faith, even if possessing nothing, attains well-being. Now, I shall recount to you the verse endowed with Nārāyaṇa, and the dialogue between Nārada and the sage Nārāyaṇa. “Once, Nārada, dear to the Lord, while wandering among the worlds, went to the hermitage of Nārāyaṇa to see the eternal sage. He, who in this land of Bhārata, for the welfare and auspiciousness of people, has practiced austerity endowed with dharma, knowledge, and tranquility since the beginning of the age. There, surrounded by sages dwelling in the village of Kalāpa, Nārada, having bowed, asked him this, O best of the Kurus. “To him, the Lord spoke as the sages listened—the doctrine of Brahman held by the ancient residents of Janaloka. The Blessed Lord said: Once, in Janaloka, there was a sacrifice to Brahman by the descendants of Svāyambhuva, among the mind-born sages who were celibate. When you had gone to Śvetadvīpa to see its Lord, the doctrine of Brahman was thoroughly discussed there, where the Vedas rest; and there arose the very question that you now ask Me. They were equal in learning, austerity, and conduct, and similar in their possessions, enemies, and friends; some expounded the doctrine, while others listened attentively. “Śrī Sanandana spoke: Absorbing this creation of His, He lay down together with His energies; then, at the end, the Vedas awakened Him with their marks, as if rousing Him from sleep. Just as bards approach a sleeping king at dawn and awaken him with praises of his valor, so too did the attendants awaken Him with noble hymns. “The Vedas spoke: ‘Victory, victory! O Unborn, O Unconquered, cast off the faults acquired by the qualities! You are, by your own nature, the one in whom all powers are perfectly contained. You, who are the awakening of all energies in the unmanifest and manifest worlds, are sometimes followed by the Vedas, yet they cannot reach you when you move by your own inscrutable self. ‘This vast universe, perceived as existing, is understood by the wise as ultimately insubstantial, just as the rise and setting of transformations are in clay, not in the transformations themselves. Therefore, sages fix their minds, words, and actions on you—how then could the footprints of men on earth be otherwise than unreal? ‘Thus, O Lord of the three worlds, the wise, having plunged into the ocean of nectar that is your stories which destroy all impurities, abandon their austerities. What then of those who, purified of all motives of time and desire, dwell in your own realm and worship your supreme abode, experiencing unbroken bliss? ‘Just as the vital airs, though sustaining the body, follow your will, so too did the great elements, beginning with the cosmic fire, create the cosmic egg by your grace. The sequence of beings, from food onwards, is your manifestation here, yet you are beyond both the real and the unreal, and whatever remains is your immortal nature. ‘Those whose vision is limited, who worship the lower path among the sages, meditate on the heart as the path, the subtle space within as the way. From there, O Infinite One, your supreme abode arises above the head, and those who reach it do not fall again into the mouth of death. ‘Entering the various wondrous wombs as their cause, you shine forth in different degrees, like fire in various forms, according to the actions performed. Yet, in those who are free from false identification, your supreme abode is realized equally; those pure-minded ones follow you, the one taste, abandoning all diversity. ‘In these bodies, which are your own creation, both inner and outer, you are called the Person, the bearer of all powers, present in every part. Thus, having examined the path of men and the end of the Vedas, the wise worship your feet on earth, trusting in you. ‘Desiring to know the truth of the self, which is difficult to grasp, some, laboring in the ocean of your immortal deeds, do not even seek liberation, O Lord. Having abandoned their homes for the company of swan-like devotees at your lotus feet, they desire nothing else. ‘Following your path, this flock of embodied beings moves as if with their own kin, friends, and beloveds, yet, when turned toward you, their true well-wisher and self, they find fulfillment. Alas, those who delight in false worship, harming themselves, wander in suffering, bearing heavy bodies, because of attachment.’” Thus, the Lord’s teachings and the Vedas’ hymns were revealed, illuminating the path for all who seek the Supreme.