The wise ones continued their discourse, contemplating the nature of the soul and the Supreme. They reflected: if embodied beings were truly unlimited and all-pervading, then there would be no scope for any authority or control over them. Yet, we observe that is not so. And if what is born is made from that which is unborn, then unless that underlying principle is released, the controller remains, even if one considers all as equal. To reject this understanding is to err in discernment. They considered further: there can be no true origin for both Prakriti (nature) and Purusha (spirit), since both are uncreated. What arises from their union is unstable, ephemeral, like bubbles on the surface of water. In You, O Supreme, all these diverse names and forms, all qualities and distinctions, dissolve—just as rivers, each carrying their own unique taste, ultimately merge into the vast, undifferentiated ocean. Among men, those who, recognizing the powerful delusion wrought by Your Maya, fix their minds upon You, the source of all, develop ever-deepening devotion. How could the fear of worldly existence persist for such devotees? For those who turn elsewhere for shelter, even a mere frown from You causes them to tremble, as frail as blades of grass before a storm. But those who, in this world, strive to master the restless mind—likened to an untamed horse—by the force of breath and senses alone, yet neglect the feet of the Guru, are beset by countless miseries. They are like merchants who, abandoning their helmsman, are lost at sea, tossed by waves and storms. When You exist, what value is there in relying on relatives, children, one's own self, spouse, wealth, home, or chariots? Those who, ignorant of this, wander in pursuit of pleasure through union and separation—who among them truly finds happiness, when their own share is denied and their own portion is lost? On this earth, there are sages—purified by visiting holy places and sacred abodes—whose hearts are washed by the waters from Your lotus feet. Even if they fix their minds on You but once, O eternal bliss within, they never again seek the abodes of those who rob men of their true essence. If one argues, "This arises from the existent," such reasoning is flawed, for it is inconsistent and sometimes false, never truly combining both. For the sake of worldly dealings, distinctions are made, but these are simply passed down blindly. Speech, with its elaborate forms, confuses those who are dull-witted, lost in ritual recitation. What did not exist before and will not exist after dissolution, and is limited in between, appears in You as a mere illusion of one taste. Therefore, it is compared to distinctions of wealth or caste, but the wise know that the play of the mind is false and its nectar is illusory. When the soul, by association with the unborn, takes on qualities through contact with the uncreated, it attains similarity to that and, freed from death, is released from its portion. You, too, abandon that form, as a snake sheds its skin, and in Your supreme, immeasurable glory, You are eightfold greater and beyond all measure. If ascetics do not uproot the tangle of desire from their hearts, then You, difficult to attain for the unworthy, remain hidden within, like a jewel forgotten at the throat. For those who are not satisfied in soul, there is suffering on both sides, O Lord, since they have not reached Your state, free from death and firmly established. One who does not know You, the source of all auspicious and inauspicious things, cannot discern the qualities and faults arising from You, nor grasp the words of embodied beings. Yet, in every age, O Lord of qualities, You are sung in unbroken succession, and those who hear of You are led toward liberation by the wise. Even the rulers of heaven could not reach Your end, O Infinite One, nor could the many cosmic eggs, the Sāvarṇas, that exist between You. Just as dust motes float in the sky with the wind, so too do the Vedas, along with time, pass away; but in You, they find their fruit, and by rejecting the unreal, they find their end in You. The Blessed Lord then said: Thus, having heard this instruction from Brahma, his sons, the Siddhas, honored Sanandana, who knew the path of the Self. This, indeed, is the essence of all the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Upanishads, drawn out by the great souls of earlier times, traveling through the sky. And you, O heir of Brahma, bearing this instruction of the Self with faith, live on this earth as you wish, burning away the desires of men. Śuka continued: Thus, having received this teaching from the sage with faith and self-control, the muni Vīravrata, full and learned, spoke. Nārada then said: Salutations to that Blessed Lord, Kṛṣṇa, of spotless fame, who bears all the powers of creation and destruction of all beings. Bowing to the ancient sage and his noble disciples, I then went to the ashram of my father, Dvaipāyana. Honored by the Blessed Lord and having accepted a seat, he narrated to him that which he had heard from the mouth of Nārāyaṇa. Thus, O King, has been described that which you asked us—how the mind may dwell upon Brahman, who is beyond definition and without qualities. One should meditate constantly upon that Hari, who observes the beginning, middle, and end of this universe, who is Lord of the unmanifest, the living beings, and the rulers; who, having created this world, enters into it and, through the seers, governs it; whom, upon attaining, the embodied soul abandons, just as a sleeping bird leaves its nest—upon that Hari, whose unique existence is untouched by origin and who is fearless. Thus ends the eighty-seventh chapter, entitled "The Prayers of the Vedas," in the second half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas. Then, King Parīkṣit inquired: Among gods, demons, and humans, it is mostly wealthy rulers who worship the inauspicious as auspicious, but not the devotees of Hari, the Lord of Lakṣmī. We wish to understand this, for we have great doubt: why do those who worship two lords of opposing natures attain opposite results? Śuka answered: Śiva, always united with his power, is threefold, enveloped by the guṇas—he is of the nature of sattva, rajas, and tamas; thus, I am threefold. From him arose various transformations, sixteen in number, and, assuming the forms of all manifestations, he attains the state of all. Hari, however, is directly beyond the guṇas, the Supreme Person, transcendent to nature; he is the witness of all, the overseer. By worshipping him, one becomes free from the guṇas. When the aśvamedha sacrifices had ceased, your grandfather, the king, hearing of the Lord's dharmas, asked this of Acyuta. The Blessed Lord, pleased with his attentive service, spoke to him for the highest good of men—he who descended in the Yadu line. The Blessed Lord said: When I show special favor to someone, I gradually take away his wealth; then, his relatives abandon him, and he, afflicted by suffering, suffers further. When, frustrated in his efforts and disappointed in the pursuit of wealth, he befriends my devotees, I bestow my grace upon him. That supreme, subtle Brahman, consisting only of consciousness, eternal and infinite—knowing it as the Self, the wise one is freed from saṃsāra. Therefore, people, finding me very difficult to worship, turn to others; then, intoxicated and arrogant from the quick boons they receive—kingdoms and prosperity—they become proud, reckless, and, seeking further boons, disregard me. Śuka added: The lords of blessing and curse—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and others—of these, Śiva quickly grants boons or curses, Brahmā does not, and Acyuta never does so immediately. Here they recount an ancient tale: Having granted a boon to Vṛkāsura, the Lord of the Mountain, Śiva, fell into distress. There was an asura named Vṛka, son of Śakuni. On the path, he saw Nārada and, being of evil mind, asked him who among the three gods is most easily pleased. Nārada advised him: "Approach Girisha (Śiva) quickly, for you will succeed; he is one who is easily pleased or angered by even the smallest virtue or fault. Just as he was pleased by the praises of Ravana and Bana, granting them incomparable power, but they then fell into great distress." Thus instructed, the demon hurried to Śiva, offering his own flesh from his body as oblation into the mouth of Hara, who is fire. On the seventh day, failing to obtain the presence of the god, and out of despair, he cut off his own head with a sharp blade, his hair soaked at that holy place.