Hearing the Lord's words, the king of Mithilā was filled with humility and devotion. The Lord had instructed him, “O brāhmaṇa, if you wish to worship Me, do so by honoring these brāhmaṇa sages with faith in Me. Know for certain: I am truly worshipped only when you serve them in this way. No amount of opulent offerings can compare if this faith is absent.” Thus guided, King Mithilā, with a heart full of reverence, worshipped the foremost brāhmaṇas, honoring them alongside Kṛṣṇa Himself, seeing them as non-different from himself. Through this sincere devotion, he attained the highest spiritual goal. In this way, the Lord—who is ever devoted to His devotees and to the path of devotion—remained there for some time, imparting the true way of dharma. When His purpose was fulfilled, He returned to His own city of Dvārakā. Here concludes the eighty-sixth chapter, “The Blessing of Śrutadeva,” from the second half of the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture cherished by the paramahaṃsas. Then, in the next assembly, King Parīkṣit turned to Śrī Śuka and asked, “O brāhmaṇa, the Vedas are rooted in qualities and distinctions, yet Brahman is beyond all such attributes—transcending both being and non-being. How then do the Vedas operate with respect to That which is indefinable?” Śrī Śuka replied, “The Lord, for the sake of the world, created the intellect, senses, mind, and vital airs of living beings—for their engagement with sense objects, for worldly pursuits, for the self, and for the realization of non-identification with the body.” “This,” he continued, “is truly the Upaniṣad of Brahman, upheld by the ancient sages. Whoever embraces it with faith, even if they possess nothing else, attains true well-being.” “Now, I shall recount to you a profound verse, invested with the power of Nārāyaṇa, and the dialogue that once took place between Nārada and the sage Nārāyaṇa.” Once, the sage Nārada, beloved of the Lord and ever wandering among the worlds, journeyed to the hermitage of Nārāyaṇa to meet the eternal sage. This sage, in the land of Bhārata, had practiced austerity since the dawn of the age, upholding dharma, knowledge, and tranquility for the welfare of all beings. In that sacred place, surrounded by sages who dwelled in the village of Kalāpa, Nārada, after offering his respectful obeisance, humbly inquired about the highest truth. The Lord, as the sages listened, began to speak—the same doctrine of Brahman once cherished by the ancient residents of Janaloka. He said, “Long ago in Janaloka, the descendants of Svāyambhuva performed a sacrifice to Brahman amidst the mind-born sages, who observed perfect celibacy. At that time, you Nārada, had gone to Śvetadvīpa to see its Lord. While you were gone, the doctrine of Brahman was thoroughly discussed among the sages where the Vedas themselves find their rest. The very question you now ask Me arose then as well.” “These sages were equal in learning, austerity, and conduct, and alike in their possessions, enemies, and friends. Some expounded the doctrine, while others listened with deep attention.” Śrī Sanandana, one of those sages, spoke: “Absorbing all of creation within Himself, the Lord lay down with His energies. Then, at the end of the cosmic night, the Vedas themselves, bearing their distinctive marks, awakened Him as if from slumber.” “It was like bards approaching a sleeping king at dawn, rousing him with songs of his valor. In the same way, the Vedas, as His attendants, awakened Him with noble hymns.” The Vedas addressed Him, saying, “Victory, victory to You, O Unborn, O Unconquered! Cast off the faults acquired through association with the qualities. By Your very nature, all powers are perfectly contained within You. You are the awakening of all energies in both the manifest and unmanifest worlds. Sometimes the Vedas follow You, but when You move by Your own inscrutable will, they cannot reach You.” “This vast universe, which appears to exist, is ultimately understood by the wise to be insubstantial—just as the transformations of clay are nothing apart from the clay itself. Therefore, the sages fix their minds, words, and actions on You. How then could the fleeting marks of men upon the earth be anything but unreal?” “O Lord of the three worlds! The wise, having plunged into the ocean of nectar that is Your divine stories—stories that destroy all impurities—abandon even their austerities. What, then, of those who, purified of all motives of time and desire, dwell in Your own realm, worshipping Your supreme abode and enjoying unbroken bliss?” “Just as the vital airs sustain the body according to Your will, so too did the great elements, beginning with cosmic fire, create the cosmic egg by Your grace. The entire sequence of beings, from food onwards, is Your manifestation, yet You are beyond both the real and the unreal; what remains is Your immortal nature.” “Some, with limited vision, worship the subtle path within the heart, meditating on the inner space. From there, O Infinite One, Your supreme abode arises above the head, and those who reach it never fall again into the jaws of death.” “Entering the various wondrous wombs as their cause, You shine forth in different degrees, like fire taking many forms according to the actions performed. Yet, in those free from false identification, Your supreme abode is realized equally. The pure-minded follow You, the one taste, abandoning all diversity.” “In these bodies, which are Your own creation both inner and outer, You are known as 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, placing their trust in You.” “Some, seeking the truth of the self which is so difficult to grasp, labor in the ocean of Your immortal deeds. Yet, O Lord, they do not even seek liberation. Having left their homes for the company of swan-like devotees at Your lotus feet, they desire nothing else.” “Following Your path, all embodied beings move through life with their kin, friends, and beloveds, but when they turn toward You—their true well-wisher and self—they find fulfillment. Alas, those who delight in false worship and harm themselves wander in suffering, burdened by attachment and heavy bodies.” “The 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 embrace of the serpent king, and we ourselves, are all equal, having tasted the nectar of Your lotus feet.” “Who here can truly know the beginning, end, or course of the One from whom the sage arose, and after whom even the gods follow? Therefore, He is neither existent nor non-existent, nor both; nor is He subject to time. When He lies thus beyond all, no scripture can reach Him.” “Those who teach that the soul is born, dies, or is different from the body, speak from ignorance, seeing 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. They do not reject the transformations, for all is pervaded by You.” “Those who move about as Your companions, as the abode of all beings, tread fearlessly even upon the head of death. You, O Lord, gather even the gods as a herdsman gathers cattle, and those who have befriended You are truly purified, but not those who turn away.” “You are actionless, self-ruling, bearer of all creative powers. The gods, ever wakeful, honor and serve You as the arms serve the universal sovereign. The creators of the worlds, appointed by You, act with awe in Your presence.” “All moving and unmoving species arise from the union of causes and the unborn; they act under Your gaze, O Free One. Yet, when freed from that, there is no other, nor a second, for the Supreme; just as space, bearing all things, remains incomparable and empty.” “If embodied beings were truly unlimited and all-pervading, there could be no rule of authority over them—yet this is not so. And if what is born is made of that which is unborn, then, unless released, the controller would remain, even if one accepts the equality of all; but to reject this understanding is a mistake.” “There can be no real origin for both Prakriti and Purusha, since both are uncreated. What arises from their union is unstable, like bubbles on water. In You, O Supreme, all these diverse names and qualities dissolve, just as rivers, with all their flavors, merge into the ocean.” “Among humans, those who recognize the intense delusion caused by Your Māyā and fix their minds on You, the source of all, develop ever-deepening devotion. How can fear of worldly existence persist for those who follow You, when even a mere frown from You repeatedly creates fear in those who seek shelter elsewhere, like blades of grass?” “Those who strive to control the restless mind—like an untamed horse—by force of the senses and breath, but neglect the feet of the Guru, are afflicted by countless miseries, like merchants on the ocean who abandon their helmsman and are lost at sea.” “When You exist, what value is there for people in relying on relatives, children, self, spouse, wealth, home, or chariots? For those who, ignorant of this, wander in pursuit of pleasure through union—who indeed finds happiness when their own share is denied and their portion is lost?” “On earth, the sages, purified by visiting holy places and abodes, whose hearts are washed by the water from Your lotus feet, who fix their minds even once on You—the eternal bliss within—never again seek the abodes of those who rob men of their true essence.” “If one says, ‘This arises from the existent,’ such reasoning is flawed, for it is inconsistent and sometimes false, not truly combining both. For practical dealings, distinctions are made, but these are passed down blindly, and speech, with its elaborate forms, confuses those who are dull-witted from ritual recitation.” Thus, the sages extolled the Supreme Lord, expressing the deepest truths of the Vedas and the Upaniṣads, revealing the path to the highest realization for all who seek Him with faith and devotion.