In the presence of the assembled devotees, the wish was spoken: “May you, O Lord, be remembered with devotion in all the songs of the mountains and serpents, and by all your devotees—may this desire of ours be fulfilled.” To this, Acyuta, the infallible Lord, replied, “So be it,” and then vanished from their sight. Narada, filled with reverence, bowed at the Lord’s feet, as did Śuka and the other ascetics. Their hearts rejoiced, and with all confusion dispelled, they departed, having drunk deeply of the nectar that is the story of the Divine. Śuka, the sage, preserved this devotion, protecting it along with his disciples, and committed it to his own scripture. By serving the Bhāgavata, the minds of Vaiṣṇavas are irresistibly drawn to Hari. For those suffering from poverty, affliction, fever, and for those tormented by the demon of illusion and cast into the ocean of worldly existence, the Bhāgavata resounds as a call for their well-being. At this, Śaunaka inquired: “When did Śuka speak to the king? When did Gokarṇa speak again? When did the sage among the gods address the Brāhmaṇas? Please, dispel this doubt of mine.” Sūta replied: “Thirty years after Kṛṣṇa’s departure, when the Kali age 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, two hundred years into Kali, on a pure and auspicious ninth day, Gokarṇa, born of a cow, recited the story. Then, when Kali had advanced by another 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 recitation of the Bhāgavata in the age of 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? It is said that even when Yama sees his own servant holding the noose, he whispers: ‘Avoid those intoxicated by the Lord’s stories; I am the master of others’ anger, but not of the Vaiṣṇavas.’ In this insubstantial world, where minds are disturbed by the poison of sense-objects, drink, even for half a moment, the nectar-like verses of Śuka for your own good. Why wander uselessly on the wrong path, listening to base stories, when Parīkṣit himself witnessed the narration that grants liberation upon hearing? The story spoken by Śuka, flowing with the stream of rasa, binds itself to the throat of the one who recites it—and such a person becomes the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. Thus, the most confidential truth, established by all doctrines, has been spoken to you; having surveyed the multitude of scriptures, nothing in this world is as pure as the tale of Śuka—drink, for the sake of supreme joy, the very essence of the twelve books. Whoever listens to this regularly with devotion, and whoever narrates it before pure Vaiṣṇavas—both, by properly performing this act, obtain its fruit; for them, truly, nothing in this world is unattainable. Śaunaka then asked: “O Sūta, when Narada had departed, what did the venerable Bādarāyaṇa, having understood his intent, do next?” Sūta replied: “On the western bank of the sacred Sarasvatī river stands an āśrama called Śamyāprāsa, renowned as the gathering place of sages. There, amidst clusters of badarī trees, Vyāsa sat down, purified himself with water, and by his own will concentrated his mind. With his heart made pure and steady by devotion, he beheld the complete Person, and also Māyā, who stands dependent upon Him. By her power, the living being, though transcendental, becomes deluded, imagining himself composed of the three guṇas, and accepts the misfortunes caused by her. To bring an end to these miseries, the wise Vyāsa composed the Sātvata Saṃhitā, teaching direct devotion to the Transcendent, for the benefit of those who do not know. In this scripture, when it is heard, devotion to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, arises in a person, removing sorrow, delusion, and fear. Having composed this Bhāgavata Saṃhitā in proper order, the sage taught it to his son Śuka, who was devoted to renunciation. Śaunaka then asked: “That sage, devoted to renunciation and indifferent to all, being self-satisfied—why did he, the self-delighted one, study this great work?” Sūta answered: “Even sages who are self-satisfied and free from all bonds perform causeless devotion to Hari, for His qualities are such. The venerable son of Badarāyaṇa, whose mind was captivated by Hari’s qualities, constantly studied the great narrative, ever dear to the devotees of Viṣṇu. Now, I will describe to you the birth, deeds, and departure of King Parīkṣit, and the passing of the sons of Pāṇḍu, as well as the rise of Kṛṣṇa’s story. When, in the battle between the Kauravas and the Sṛñjayas, the heroes had fallen to the fate of warriors, and the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra lay with his thighs broken by the blow of Bhīma’s mace, Aśvatthāmā, desiring to please his master, committed a heinous act: he severed the heads of the sleeping sons of Kṛṣṇā, bringing only harm, an act condemned by all. Hearing of the dreadful slaughter of her sons, the mother, overwhelmed with grief, wept, her eyes brimming with tears. To console her, the one crowned with a diadem—Arjuna—spoke: ‘O gentle lady, I will wipe away your sorrow—by arrows released from Gāṇḍīva, I will bring you the head of that brahma-bandhu, the aggressor, so that you may bathe after cremating your sons.’ Having comforted his beloved with sweet and varied words, Arjuna, the son of Acyuta’s friend, with anger pursued the mighty-armed son of his teacher, his chariot bearing the banner of Hanumān. Perceiving Arjuna’s approach from afar, the prince, his mind agitated, fled with his chariot across the earth, seeking to save his life, just as one flees from the sun out of fear of Rudra. When the twice-born son saw himself without refuge, his horses exhausted, he considered the Brahmāstra weapon as his only means of self-protection. Then, having purified himself with water, he concentrated and invoked that weapon, though he did not know how to withdraw it, as death drew near. Thereupon, a fierce and blazing energy manifested in all directions. Seeing the threat to life, Arjuna spoke to Viṣṇu: ‘O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, mighty-armed one, you alone are the remover of fear for your devotees; you are the deliverance from burning suffering in this cycle of birth and death. You are the original person, the direct Lord, transcendent over nature; casting aside illusion by your power of consciousness, you remain established in the Self, in oneness. You alone, by your own strength, bestow the highest good, marked by dharma and other virtues, upon the living beings whose minds are deluded by your māyā. Thus, this incarnation of yours has appeared on earth to relieve its burden, and again and again for the constant meditation of your own devoted ones. What is this, and from where does it come, O God of gods? I do not know. From all sides, a most terrible and blazing energy approaches.