In ancient times, the essence of all the Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads was distilled by the great souls who journeyed through the heavens, drawing forth the deepest truths. O heir of Brahma, you have received this wisdom—this teaching of the Self—with unwavering faith. Bearing it, you are free to live upon this earth as you choose, for you carry within you the power to burn away the desires of others. Śrī Śuka narrated: Thus, having received the sacred instruction from the sage, the self-controlled and devoted muni Vīravrata, now filled with understanding, spoke with gratitude and insight. Then, Śrī Nārada offered his salutations to the Blessed Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose spotless fame shines throughout creation, who holds within himself the powers to create and destroy all beings. After bowing to the ancient sage and his noble disciples, Nārada continued on his way and arrived at the ashram of his father, Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa). There, honored by the Blessed Lord, and having taken his seat, he recounted to Vyāsa all that he had heard directly from the lips of Nārāyaṇa. O King, thus has been explained to you what you had asked—how the mind may rest upon Brahman, who is beyond all definition and without qualities. One should meditate constantly upon Hari, who observes the beginning, middle, and end of the universe, who is Lord over the unmanifest, all living beings, and the rulers of the worlds. Having created this universe, he enters into it and, through the seers, governs all. Upon attaining him, the embodied soul abandons all else, just as a sleeping bird leaves its nest. Hari’s unique existence is untouched by any origin and is utterly fearless; upon him, the wise meditate without ceasing. Thus concludes 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, the king inquired: “Among the gods, demons, and humans, it is mostly the wealthy rulers who worship the inauspicious as if it were auspicious, but not the true devotees of Hari, the Lord of Lakṣmī. We wish to understand this, for we are greatly perplexed: why do those who worship two lords of opposing natures receive such different results?” Śuka replied: “Śiva, always united with his power, is threefold in nature, enveloped by the three guṇas—sattva, rajas, and tamas. Thus, I too am threefold. From him arise various transformations, sixteen in number, and, assuming all forms, he attains the state of all. But Hari is directly beyond the guṇas, the Supreme Person, transcending all of nature. He is the witness and overseer of everything. By worshipping him, one becomes free from the guṇas. When the aśvamedha sacrifices had ceased, your grandfather, the king, heard of the Lord’s dharmas and asked Acyuta about them. The Blessed Lord, pleased by his attentive service, spoke for the highest good of all men—he, the illustrious one 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 even more. When, frustrated in his efforts and disillusioned with the pursuit of wealth, he seeks the company of 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. Intoxicated and arrogant from the quick boons they receive—kingdoms and prosperity—they become proud and reckless, and, seeking further boons, disregard me.’ Śuka continued: “O dear one, among the lords of blessing and curse—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and others—Śiva is quick to grant boons or curses, Brahmā does not, and Acyuta never bestows them immediately. There is an ancient tale to illustrate this: Having granted a boon to Vṛkāsura, the Lord of the Mountain, Śiva, fell into distress. There was once an asura named Vṛka, son of Śakuni, who, while traveling, encountered Nārada. Being of wicked intent, he asked Nārada which of the three gods was quickest to be pleased. Nārada replied that he should quickly approach Girisha (Śiva), for he is easily pleased or angered by even the smallest virtue or fault. Just as he was pleased by the praises of Rāvaṇa and Bāṇa and granted them incomparable power, only for them to fall into great distress. Thus instructed, the demon hurried to Śiva, offering pieces of his own flesh as oblations into the mouth of Hara, who is fire. For six days he continued, and on the seventh, failing to gain the god’s presence and overcome with despair, he cut off his own head with a sharp blade, his hair soaked in blood at that holy place. Then, the great compassionate one, Dhurjati (Śiva), just as any of us would, sprang up like fire from a flame. He restrained the asura with his arms, preventing him from falling, and restored his form, now more splendid than before. Śiva said to him, ‘Enough, Angala! Choose a boon from me as you desire; I will grant it to you. I am pleased even by water offered by those who surrender, but you have tormented yourself excessively and in vain.’ That sinful one then asked for a boon that would bring terror to all beings: ‘Whosoever’s head I touch with my hand, let him die.’ Hearing this, Lord Rudra, though displeased, laughed and granted the boon, saying ‘Om’—just as nectar is given to a serpent. Immediately, the demon sought to test his boon, and tried to place his own hand on Śiva’s head. But Śiva, fearful of his own act, withdrew and fled. Pursued by the demon, trembling with fear, Śiva ran as far as the ends of heaven and earth, to the boundaries of the quarters and into the waters. The lords of the gods, unable to find a remedy, sat in silence. At last, Śiva went to Vaikuntha, the radiant realm beyond all darkness, where Nārāyaṇa himself abides—the supreme goal of renunciants, the peaceful who have laid down their staff, a place from which none return. Seeing Śiva so afflicted, the Lord, destroyer of evil, approached from afar, having assumed the form of a young Brahmachari by his yogic power. Wearing a belt, deerskin, and staff, blazing like fire with his radiance, and holding kusa grass in his hand, he respectfully greeted the demon with humility. The Blessed Lord said: ‘O son of Śakuni, you look exhausted—have you come from afar? Rest for a moment, for this self is the fulfiller of all desires. If your purpose is not too secret for us to hear, O mighty one, please tell it; for generally, people seek to achieve their own aims by the help of others.’ Śrī Śuka concluded: Thus questioned by the Lord, whose words were like nectar, the demon’s fatigue vanished, and he recounted everything that had happened.