The grieving brāhmaṇa, burdened by the loss of his child, carried the lifeless body to the king’s gate. His heart heavy with sorrow, he cried out in anguish, blaming the king’s misdeeds for his tragedy. “Because the king despises brāhmaṇas, is deceitful, greedy, and attached to sense pleasures, my child has died,” he lamented. He spoke further, declaring that when a ruler delights in violence, is wicked and uncontrolled, the people suffer, becoming impoverished and afflicted. This sorrowful ritual repeated itself: when a second and then a third child died, the brāhmaṇa left their bodies at the king’s gate, reciting the same lament. Arjuna, hearing these words in the presence of Keśava (Krishna), spoke to the brāhmaṇa after the ninth child had perished. He asked, “O brāhmaṇa, what is lacking in your house? Here, brāhmaṇas perform sacrifice, surrounded by kṣatriya friends. Yet, where brāhmaṇas, wealthy and blessed with wives and sons, are found lamenting, those who live as kṣatriyas are impostors, disgraced.” Moved by the brāhmaṇa’s plight, Arjuna declared, “O Lord, I will protect your children, who are helpless and afflicted. If I fail, I shall enter fire, purified of sin.” But the brāhmaṇa, recalling the failed attempts of Sankarshana, Vasudeva, Pradyumna—great archers—and Aniruddha with his unconquerable chariot, doubted Arjuna’s promise. “How can you, desiring a deed difficult even for the Lords of the world, hope to accomplish it out of childishness? We do not believe you.” Arjuna responded, “O brāhmaṇa, I am not Sankarshana, nor Krishna, nor Krishna’s son. I am Arjuna, wielder of Gandiva. Do not underestimate my power, which has pleased Tryambaka. Having conquered death in battle, I will bring back your children.” Reassured by Arjuna, the brāhmaṇa returned home, pleased after witnessing Partha’s prowess. As the time of birth approached for the brāhmaṇa’s wife, the distressed brāhmaṇa called out to Arjuna, “Protect, protect my child from death!” Arjuna purified himself with water, bowed to Maheshvara, recalled divine weapons, and took up his Gandiva bow. He blocked the birthing chamber with arrows, creating a cage of arrows on all sides—across, above, and below. Yet, as the child was born, crying repeatedly, it vanished instantly, body and all, into the sky. In Krishna’s presence, the brāhmaṇa reproached Arjuna, saying, “See my foolishness, that I believed his boastful words. Neither Pradyumna, nor Aniruddha, nor Rama, nor Kesava could protect him. Who else, O Lord of the universe, could do so? Shame on Arjuna for his false words, shame on his self-praise and his bow; deluded, he seeks to defy fate.” Thus cursed by the brāhmaṇa, Arjuna, relying on his knowledge, quickly went to Samyamanī, the abode of Lord Yama. Not finding the brāhmaṇa’s son there, he traveled armed to the cities of Indra, Agni, Nirriti, Soma, Vayu, and Varuna. He searched Rasatala, the heavens, and the abodes of other deities, bearing his weapons. Unable to find the brāhmaṇa’s son and unable to fulfill his promise, Arjuna resolved to enter fire, but Krishna stopped him. Krishna reassured him, “I will show you the brāhmaṇa’s sons; do not belittle yourself. Those who establish our pure fame will be blessed.” With these words, Krishna and Arjuna mounted the divine chariot and entered the western direction. The exalted Lord crossed over the seven continents, seven oceans, seven mountains, and even Lokāloka, entering within. There, the horses—Śaibya, Sugrīva, Meghapuṣpa, and Balāhaka—lost their way and became lost in darkness. Seeing this, Krishna, the master of yoga, sent forth his Sudarśana discus, shining like a thousand suns, ahead. Swift as the mind, Sudarśana entered the dense, terrible darkness, splitting it apart with its intense radiance, just as Rāma’s arrow would penetrate an army. Through the path opened by the discus, Arjuna beheld a supreme, boundless light beyond the darkness. Struck by its brilliance, he closed his eyes. Carried by the wind, he entered water adorned with great waves, where he saw a wondrous, radiant palace shining with thousands of columns of brilliant gems. Within the palace was the infinite, great serpent, with a thousand heads, its hoods adorned with radiant gems, shining brilliantly, with two fierce eyes, white as a mountain, and a blue-black tongue. Upon the serpent’s comfortable seat, Arjuna saw the all-pervading Lord of supreme majesty, the highest among persons, dark as a dense raincloud, clad in yellow garments, with a serene face and beautiful, wide eyes. He was adorned with a crown and earrings of great jewels, his thousand curling locks encircled by a radiant aura, with eight long, graceful arms, bearing the Kaustubha gem, marked with Śrīvatsa, and garlanded with a forest wreath. Acyuta bowed to the infinite Self, and Arjuna, overcome with awe, did likewise. The Lord of the great lords, with joined palms and a smiling, powerful voice, addressed them. “Desiring to see you both, I brought the brāhmaṇa’s sons here to preserve righteousness on earth. You, incarnations of My portion, should quickly return after destroying the burden of evil on earth. Though your desires are fulfilled, you two—Nara and Nārāyaṇa, the foremost sages—practice righteousness for the stability of the world and the welfare of the people.” Thus instructed by the Supreme Lord, Krishna and Arjuna bowed with “Om,” took the brāhmaṇa boys and the great Lord, and departed. Filled with joy, they returned to their own abode as before, and gave the sons to the brāhmaṇa, each restored according to his form and age.