If the listener to the sacred Bhāgavata is a detached soul, then on the following day, devotional singing and instrumental music should be performed to honor the occasion. If the listener is a householder, a fire sacrifice ought to be conducted for the purification of one’s actions. With each verse recited, offerings should be made in the prescribed manner: sweet rice, honey, ghee, and sesame mixed with other ingredients, with special care and devotion when reciting from the Tenth Canto. Alternatively, one may perform the fire offering using the Gāyatrī mantra, focusing the mind completely, for the Purāṇa is of the same essence as the Supreme. If a person is unable to perform the fire sacrifice, the wise should instead give the necessary materials to others so that the intended results may be attained, thus removing any obstacles, deficiencies, or excesses. To pacify faults, one should recite the thousand names of the Lord, for by this act all endeavors become fruitful—there is nothing greater than this. Afterwards, twelve brāhmaṇas should be fed with sweet rice and honey, and gifts of gold and a cow should be given to complete the observance. If one is able, a lion of gold, weighing three palas, should be fashioned, and upon it the Bhāgavata book, written in beautiful script, should be placed. The honored recipient—self-controlled and worthy of worship—should be invited and offered all appropriate gifts, including clothing, ornaments, fragrances, and the like, as befits the sacred rite. If the wise give this to the teacher, they are freed from the bonds of worldly existence; thus, by performing the prescribed rite, all sins are removed. This auspicious Purāṇa, the Śrīmad Bhāgavata, bestows blessings; it is indeed the means for attaining righteousness, desire, wealth, and liberation—of this there is no doubt. The Kumāras then declared, “Thus, everything has been told to you. What more do you wish to hear? The Śrīmad Bhāgavata itself grants both enjoyment and liberation.” Having spoken thus, Sūta narrated, those great souls recited the Bhāgavata narrative, which destroys all sins, brings merit, and bestows both enjoyment and liberation. For seven days, all those present, their minds controlled, listened as prescribed, and then praised the Supreme Person, the best among the gods. At the conclusion, the strength of knowledge, detachment, and devotion became supreme, and a youthful vigor arose, enchanting all beings. Nārada, having achieved his purpose and fulfilled his heart’s desire, was overwhelmed with supreme bliss, his whole body thrilled. Having attentively heard the narrative, Nārada, beloved of the Lord, with hands joined and voice choked with love, addressed the assembly: “I am blessed, I am favored by you, who are full of boundless compassion; today I have attained the Lord Hari, the remover of all sins. Among all religious practices, I consider hearing to be the best, O ascetics, for by hearing alone one attains Kṛṣṇa, who dwells in Vaikuṇṭha.” As Nārada spoke these words, Śuka, the lord of yogis, arrived there, wandering as he pleased. At that time, Vyāsa’s sixteen-year-old son—Śuka, the moon of the great ocean of knowledge—appeared. At the end of the discourse, fulfilled in his own realization, he began to recite the Bhāgavata with love, slowly and gently. Seeing him, the entire assembly, perceiving his supreme brilliance, immediately rose and offered him the great seat. The sage among the gods honored him with affection, and, seated comfortably, Śuka began to speak: “Listen to my pure words.” Śuka declared, “The Bhāgavata is the ripened fruit of the wish-fulfilling tree of the Vedas, imbued with nectar flowing from the mouth of Śuka. O connoisseurs and sensitive souls on earth, repeatedly drink the essence of the Bhāgavata. Here, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavata composed by the great sage, all deceitful religion is cast aside; it is meant for the pure-hearted, free from envy. The true, beneficial reality is revealed here, uprooting the threefold miseries. What need is there for other scriptures? Here, the Lord is immediately bound in the hearts of the sincere, eager to listen. The Śrīmad Bhāgavata, the crest-jewel of Purāṇas, is the treasure of the Vaiṣṇavas; in it, the supreme, spotless knowledge of the paramahaṃsas is sung. Here, actionless knowledge, together with wisdom, detachment, and devotion, is revealed; by hearing, reciting, and deeply contemplating it with devotion, a person is liberated. In heaven, in Satya-loka, on Kailāsa, or in Vaikuṇṭha, this taste is not found; therefore, O fortunate ones, always drink it—never let it go.” As Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsa) spoke thus in the assembly, Hari himself appeared there, surrounded by Prahlāda, Bali, Uddhava, Arjuna, and others; the sage among the gods, Nārada, honored him and his companions. Seeing Hari, radiant and seated on the exalted seat, the assembly began to sing his praises at the forefront. Then Śiva with Pārvatī, and Brahmā upon his lotus seat, also arrived to witness the glorification. Prahlāda played the cymbals, Uddhava rang the bell with lively movement, Nārada took up the vīṇā, skillful in melody, and Arjuna became the leader of the tune. Indra played the mṛdaṅga, exclaiming, “Victory! Victory! How skillful you are, O Kumāras, in this praise!” At the front, Vyāsa’s son, Śuka, recited with flowing composition. There, in the midst, the three—Hari, Śiva, and Brahmā—danced together, shining like actors amidst the most radiant devotees. Witnessing this extraordinary glorification, though pleased, Hari addressed them: “Ask from me a boon, according to your heart’s devotion; I am pleased by your narration and praise at this very moment.” Hearing these words, they, deeply moved with love, joyfully replied, “In all the songs of the mountains and serpents, and by all devotees, may you be remembered with effort—this is our wish, which must be fulfilled.” Hari, the infallible one, replied, “So be it,” and then disappeared. Nārada then bowed at his feet, as did Śuka and the other ascetics. Rejoicing, their delusion dispelled, all departed, having drunk the nectar of the divine story. That devotion, together with his sons, was preserved by Śuka even in his own scripture. Thus, by serving the Bhāgavata, the minds of the Vaiṣṇavas are drawn irresistibly to Hari. For those afflicted by poverty, suffering, and fever, crushed by the demon of illusion and cast into the ocean of worldly existence, the Bhāgavata resounds for their well-being. Then Śaunaka inquired, “When did Śuka speak to the king? When did Gokarṇa speak again? When did the sage among the gods speak to the Brāhmaṇas? Please dispel this doubt of mine.” Sūta replied, “Thirty years after Kṛṣṇa’s departure, when Kali had advanced, on the ninth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Bhādrapada, Śuka began the narration. At the end of Parīkṣit’s hearing, in Kali, after two hundred years had passed, on a pure and auspicious ninth day, Gokarṇa, born of a cow, recited the story. Then, when Kali had further advanced by thirty years, on the ninth day of the bright half of Kārtika, the sons of Brahmā recited it. Thus, O sinless one, I have described to you what you asked: the Bhāgavata story in Kali, which destroys the disease of worldly existence.” This narration, dear to Kṛṣṇa, destroys all sins, is the sole cause of liberation, and brings forth the play of devotion. Let the virtuous drink this tale with reverence—what need is there for pilgrimage or ritual service in this world?