When the great aśvamedha sacrifices had come to an end, your grandfather, the noble king, heard of the sacred dharmas of the Lord. Eager to understand their essence, he approached Acyuta—Krishna, descended in the Yadu line—and asked his questions. Pleased by the king’s attentive service, the Blessed Lord spoke to him, imparting teachings meant for the highest good of humanity. Krishna explained, “When I wish to show special favor to someone, I gradually take away his wealth. Bereft of riches, his relatives abandon him, and he suffers greatly, afflicted by sorrow. Frustrated in his efforts and disillusioned with the pursuit of wealth, he then turns to my devotees for friendship, and at that point, I bestow my grace upon him. The supreme, subtle Brahman—consisting only of consciousness, eternal and infinite—when known as the Self, liberates the wise one from the endless cycle of birth and death. Therefore, people find it very difficult to worship me and instead turn to other deities. Intoxicated and arrogant from the quick boons they receive—kingdoms and prosperity—they become proud and reckless, seeking further favors and disregarding me.” Śuka then added, “Of the lords who grant blessings and curses—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and others—Śiva is quickest to grant boons and curses, Brahmā does not do so swiftly, and Acyuta never acts immediately. An ancient tale is told to illustrate this: After granting a boon to Vṛkāsura, the Lord of the Mountain, Śiva, fell into great distress. There was an asura named Vṛka, son of Śakuni. On his path, he encountered Nārada and, with evil intent, asked which among the three gods was quickest to be pleased. Nārada advised him to approach Girisha—Śiva—since he is easily pleased or angered by even the smallest virtue or fault. Just as he had been pleased by Ravana and Bana and granted them incomparable power, only for them to fall into great distress. Following this advice, the demon hurried to Śiva, offering his own flesh into the mouth of Hara, who is fire, as an oblation. For seven days, he failed to obtain the god’s presence, and in despair, he cut off his own head with a sharp blade at that holy place. Then, the compassionate Dhurjati, like fire springing from a flame, restrained him with his arms, preventing him from touching, and restored his form, now more splendid. Śiva said, ‘Enough, Angala! Choose a boon from me as you desire; I am pleased even by water offered by those who surrender, but you have tormented yourself excessively and in vain.’ The sinful Vṛka then asked for a boon that would bring terror to all beings: ‘Whosoever’s head I touch with my hand, let him die.’ Though displeased, Lord Rudra laughed and granted the boon, saying ‘Om,’ as nectar is given to a serpent. To test his boon, the demon tried to place his own hand on Śambhu’s head. But Shiva, fearful of his own act, withdrew. Pursued by the demon, trembling with fear, Shiva fled, running to the ends of heaven and earth, to the boundaries of the quarters, and even into the waters. The gods, unable to find a remedy, sat in silence. Then Shiva went to Vaikuntha, the radiant realm beyond darkness, where Narayana abides—the supreme goal of renunciants, the peaceful who have laid down their staff, from which none who have gone return. Seeing Shiva thus 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 hand, he respectfully greeted Vṛka with humility. The Blessed Lord said, ‘O son of Shakuni, you appear 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, men seek to achieve their own aims through others.’ Thus questioned by the Lord, whose words rained nectar, Vṛka’s fatigue vanished, and he recounted everything as it had happened. The Blessed Lord then said, ‘If this is so, then we will not believe the words of one who, by Daksha’s curse, has attained a demonic state and is lord of ghosts and spirits. If you truly have faith there, O lord of the Dānavas, in the Teacher of the Universe, then, dear one, quickly place your hand on your head and let it be proven. If the words of Śambhu are in any way untrue, O best of Dānavas, then abandon him as a speaker of falsehood, for one who speaks lies should not be followed again.’ Confused by the Lord’s clever and artful words, the foolish Vṛka forgot himself and placed his own hand upon his head. Instantly, his head split and he fell, struck down like a felled ox. Cries of ‘Victory!’, ‘Homage!’, and ‘Well done!’ arose in the heavens. Showers of flowers descended as the wicked Vṛkāsura was slain; the gods, sages, ancestors, and gandharvas rejoiced, and Śiva was freed from distress. The Supreme Person addressed the liberated Lord of the Mountain: ‘O great god, O divine one, this wicked one has been destroyed by his own evil. O Lord, who among the great beings, having committed sin, can survive? What to say, O Lord of the Universe, if one offends the Teacher of the World?’ Whoever recounts or hears this deliverance of the Lord of the Mountain, by the direct Supreme Self, Hari, whose power is unfathomable, is freed from the cycles of birth and death, as are their enemies. Now, O King, Śuka continued: On the bank of the Sarasvatī, the sages were performing a sacrifice. Among them arose a debate: ‘Of the three Lords, who is the greatest?’ Desiring to know the truth, they sent Bhṛgu, the son of Brahmā, to ascertain the answer. Bhṛgu went to the assembly of Brahmā, but did not offer obeisance or praise, testing the Lord’s nature. Brahmā became angry, blazing with his own brilliance, but as master of himself, he restrained his anger, just as the progenitor holds back fire with water from his own source. Then Bhṛgu departed for Mount Kailāsa, where the god Maheśvara, rising joyfully, embraced his brother.