The Blessed Lord looked upon the exhausted visitor and spoke kindly, “O son of Shakuni, you seem weary—have you traveled from afar? Rest a moment here, for this very self is the fulfiller of all desires.” He continued, “If your purpose is not too secret for us to hear, O mighty one, please share it. For generally, people seek to achieve their aims through others.” Thus questioned by the Lord, whose words were like a shower of nectar, the visitor’s fatigue vanished. He recounted to the Lord everything that had transpired before. The Lord replied, “If this is the case, then we will not trust the words of one who, by Daksha’s curse, has become demonic and now rules over ghosts and spirits. If you truly have faith, O lord of the Dānavas, in the Teacher of the Universe, then, dear one, place your hand quickly on your head and let the truth be revealed.” The Lord further said, “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.” By these artful and clever words, the Lord bewildered the mind of the foolish Vṛkāsura. Forgetting himself, Vṛkāsura placed his own hand upon his head. In that instant, his head split apart and he fell, struck down like a felled ox. Cries of “Victory!”, “Homage!”, and “Well done!” resounded in the heavens. Showers of flowers rained down as the wicked Vṛkāsura was slain; the gods, sages, ancestors, and gandharvas rejoiced, and Lord Śiva was freed from distress. The Supreme Person then addressed the liberated Lord of the Mountain, saying, “O great god, O divine one, this wicked being has been destroyed by his own evil. O Lord, who among the great, having committed sin, can survive? What to say, O Lord of the Universe, if one offends the Teacher of the World?” The Lord declared, “Whoever recounts or hears this deliverance of the Lord of the Mountain, accomplished by the direct Supreme Self, Hari—whose power is unfathomable—is freed from the cycles of birth and death, as are their enemies.” Some time later, on the banks of the Sarasvatī, a great assembly of sages was performing a sacrifice. Among them arose a debate: “Of the three Lords—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva—who is the greatest?” Desiring to settle the question, the sages sent Bhṛgu, the son of Brahmā, to ascertain the truth. Bhṛgu first entered the assembly of Brahmā, but as a test, he neither offered obeisance nor praise. Brahmā grew angry, his radiance blazing, but as master of himself, Brahmā restrained his anger, just as one might hold back fire with water. Bhṛgu then journeyed to Mount Kailāsa, where Maheśvara, Lord Śiva, rose joyfully to embrace his brother. Yet Bhṛgu did not return the embrace, considering him disrespectful. Śiva’s eyes blazed with anger and he raised his trident to strike him down, but the goddess fell at Śiva’s feet and soothed him with gentle words. From there, Bhṛgu went to Vaikuṇṭha, the abode of Lord Janārdana. He approached the Lord, who was reclining with Śrī (Lakṣmī) upon his chest, and struck him with his foot. The Lord, the refuge of the virtuous, rose together with Lakṣmī. Descending from his bed, he bowed his head to the sage and said, “Welcome, O Brāhmaṇa, please be seated for a moment. O Lord, forgive us who did not know of your arrival. Purify me, along with the world and its guardians devoted to me, with the water that has washed your feet, O maker of holy places among the holy. Today, O Lord, I have become the exclusive recipient of Lakṣmī’s favor; prosperity, freed from sin by the touch of your feet, will dwell upon my chest.” Hearing these gentle words in Vaikuṇṭha, Bhṛgu became deeply satisfied and fulfilled. He fell silent, overwhelmed with devotion, tears filling his eyes. Returning to the assembly of sages, he described everything he had directly experienced. Hearing this, the sages were astonished and free from doubt, placing even greater faith in Viṣṇu, from whom peace and fearlessness arise. From Him springs dharma itself, along with knowledge, renunciation, eightfold sovereignty, and fame that purifies the self. He is the supreme goal of the peaceful and virtuous sages, who are equal-minded, possessing nothing, and have laid down their rods. His beloved form is pure sattva, and for Him, the brāhmaṇas are the chosen deities. The peaceful and wise, desiring nothing, worship Him without seeking reward. By His māyā, endowed with the guṇas, the threefold classes—rākṣasas, asuras, and suras—are created; and sattva is the means to attain that holy place. Thus, the Sarasvata brāhmaṇas, for the removal of people’s doubts, attained the supreme destination by serving the lotus feet of the Supreme Person. Sūta then said: Whoever, with ears as vessels, repeatedly drinks this nectar—fragrant with the lotus feet of the sage’s son, which removes the fear of worldly existence and concerns the Supreme Person—that traveler abandons the fatigue of wandering the path. Śuka continued: Once, in Dvārakā, the newborn son of a brāhmaṇa’s wife, having just touched the earth, died. The brāhmaṇa, taking his dead child, placed him at the king’s gate and, lamenting in distress and sorrow, spoke thus: “Because of the misdeeds of a king who hates the brāhmaṇas, is deceitful, greedy, and attached to sense objects, my child has died. When the king delights in violence, is wicked, and has uncontrolled senses, the people suffer, becoming poor and constantly afflicted.” In this way, when a second and then a third child died, the brāhmaṇa left them at the king’s gate, reciting his lament. Hearing this, Arjuna, at some point in Keśava’s presence, spoke to the brāhmaṇa when his ninth child had passed away. “O brāhmaṇa, what is lacking in your house here, O wielder of the bow? These brāhmaṇas are performing a sacrifice, attended by kṣatriya friends. Where brāhmaṇas, surrounded by wealth, wives, and sons, are lamenting, those who live in the guise of kṣatriyas are actually impostors, living in disgrace.