Though the Supreme Lord dwells within the heart of every being, He remains distant from those whose minds are scattered by worldly actions and distracted by the pursuit of material qualities. By His own inscrutable power, He is inaccessible to those who are attached to the ever-changing modes of nature, and thus cannot be grasped by their senses or understanding. In reverence, those devoted to Him offer their obeisance, recognizing Him as the Supreme Self, the knower of all inner realities, who stands beyond even the individual self. He is the One who severs the soul’s bondage to death, who assumes forms both with and without cause, and whose true vision is veiled by His own divine māyā. With humility, the devotees implore, “O Lord, please instruct us, your servants—what should we do? For the greatest suffering of people is that You, the highest goal, are beyond the reach of their senses.” Hearing these earnest words, Śuka narrates, the Lord—who dispels the distress of those who bow before Him—graciously took the devotee’s hand in His own, smiled kindly, and spoke. “O brāhmaṇa,” said the Lord, “know that these sages have come here for your blessing. They wander through the worlds with Me, purifying all with the dust of their feet. The gods, holy places, and sacred waters grant purification gradually through sight, touch, and worship, but even they are instantly purified by the mere glance of the best of brāhmaṇas. Among all living beings, the brāhmaṇa is superior by birth; how much more so when he is adorned with austerity, knowledge, and contentment, and especially when his devotion is fixed on Me. This four-armed form of Mine is not as dear to Me as the brāhmaṇas are, for you, O brāhmaṇa, are the embodiment of all the Vedas, just as I am the embodiment of all the gods. Those who lack true understanding, who harbor envy and disrespect, see Me, the guru, the brāhmaṇa, and even their own self as mere idols during worship. But the brāhmaṇa, blessed with My vision, perceives everything—moving and unmoving, and all their causes—as My own forms within 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 the grandest offerings.” Śuka continues: Thus instructed by the Lord, the king of Mithilā worshipped the foremost brāhmaṇas, honoring them alongside Kṛṣṇa, regarding them as one with himself. By this devotion, he attained the highest destination. O King, in this manner, the Lord—who is ever devoted to His devotees and to devotion itself—having stayed there and imparted the true path, returned once more to His beloved city of Dvārakā. Thus concludes the eighty-sixth chapter, “The Blessing of Śrutadeva,” in the second half of the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture revered by the paramahaṃsas. The story continues as Parīkṣit, eager for deeper understanding, asks: “O brāhmaṇa, concerning the indefinable, transcendental Brahman—how do the Vedas, which are rooted in qualities, function with respect to That which is beyond both existence and non-existence?” Śuka replies: “The Lord created the intellect, senses, mind, and vital airs of beings—for the sake of experiencing sense objects, for worldly purposes, for the self, and for the sake of non-identification. This, indeed, is the Upaniṣad of Brahman, upheld by the ancients of old. Whoever holds it with faith, even if possessing nothing else, attains true well-being. Now, I shall recount to you a sacred verse invested with the spirit of Nārāyaṇa, and the dialogue between Nārada and the sage Nārāyaṇa. Once, Nārada, beloved of the Lord, while traveling among the worlds, came to the hermitage of Nārāyaṇa to see the eternal sage, who, in this land of Bhārata, has practiced austerity for the welfare and auspiciousness of people since the beginning of the age, endowed with dharma, knowledge, and tranquility. There, surrounded by sages dwelling in the village of Kalāpa, Nārada bowed and asked his question, O best of the Kurus. To him, the Lord spoke as the sages listened—the doctrine of Brahman preserved by the ancient residents of Janaloka. The Blessed Lord said: Once in Janaloka, a sacrifice to Brahman was performed by the descendants of Svāyambhuva among the mind-born sages, who were celibate. When you, Nārada, had gone to Śvetadvīpa to see its Lord, the doctrine of Brahman was thoroughly discussed there, where the Vedas themselves reside, and the very question you now raise was asked at that time. Those sages were equal in learning, austerity, and conduct, and similar in their possessions, enemies, and friends; some expounded the doctrine, while others listened with full attention. Śrī Sanandana spoke: Absorbing His own creation, the Lord lay down with all 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 Vedas, as His attendants, awaken Him with noble hymns. The Vedas spoke: ‘Victory, victory! O Unborn, O Unconquered, cast off the faults acquired by the qualities! By your very nature, you contain all powers perfectly. You are the awakening of all energies in both the unmanifest and manifest worlds. Sometimes the Vedas follow your steps, yet they cannot reach you when you move by your own inscrutable self. This universe, though perceived as existing, is ultimately understood by the wise as insubstantial—just as the transformations of clay are not separate from the clay itself. Therefore, sages fix their minds, words, and actions on you. How then could the footprints of men on earth be anything but unreal? O Lord of the three worlds, the wise who have plunged into the ocean of nectar that is your stories—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 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 and the subtle space within as the way. From there, O Infinite One, your supreme abode arises above the head; those who reach it do not fall again into the mouth of death. Entering various wondrous wombs as their cause, you shine forth in different degrees, like fire in many 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. Those sages who, with controlled breath, mind, and senses, practice firm yoga and worship you in their hearts—even their enemies attain you by remembrance. Women, whose minds are attached to the serpent king’s embrace, and we too, are equal, having tasted the nectar of your lotus feet. Who here truly knows the beginning, end, or course of the One from whom the sage arose, and after whom the gods, both celestial and otherwise, follow? Therefore, He is neither existent nor non-existent, nor both; nor is He subject to time. When He lies thus, no scripture can reach Him. Those who teach that the soul is born, dies, or is different from the body, speak from ignorance, remembering only the apparent. The idea that the person is made of the three qualities arises from ignorance; in you, and beyond you, such distinctions have no place in the experience of true knowledge. Just as gold, though appearing in various forms, is not abandoned by those who know its essence, so too the knowers of the self perceive all this as the self, considering everything as their own being, and do not reject the transformations, for all is pervaded by you.