In the aftermath of the great war, Kunti, the revered mother of the Pāṇḍavas, approached Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Guru of the world, and spoke with heartfelt devotion. She prayed, “May calamities always befall us, O Lord, so that we may see you again and again. For seeing you means we shall not suffer repeated birth.” Her words revealed a profound truth: those who grow proud from birth, wealth, learning, or beauty cannot truly approach Kṛṣṇa, for he is accessible only to those who possess nothing, to those whose hearts are humble and empty of worldly attachments. Offering salutations, Kunti praised Kṛṣṇa as the wealth of the destitute, whose actions are free from the modes of nature, who delights in his own self, who is peaceful, and who is the Lord of liberation. She saw him as Time itself—beginningless and endless, moving equally among all beings, the cause of their mutual discord. Kunti marveled at the inscrutable ways of the Lord. No one knows his intentions; his actions in this world are a mockery of men. He has no favorites or enemies, yet people imagine he is partial. The birth and deeds of the soul of the universe, the unborn and non-acting self, among beasts, humans, and aquatic creatures, are the utmost mockery. She recalled how, when the gopī tried to bind the mischievous child Kṛṣṇa with a rope, his eyes, troubled by fear, were smeared with tears and ointment, and he bowed his face in dread—even though the fearful fear him. Kunti was bewildered by this display of vulnerability. Many explanations for Kṛṣṇa’s birth were offered. Some said the unborn was born for the fame of the virtuous, in the Yadu line, his beloved, just as sandalwood grows in the Malaya mountains. Others said he appeared at the request of Vasudeva and Devakī for the protection of the world and the destruction of those who hate the gods. Some believed he was born at Brahmā’s request when the earth, burdened and sinking like a boat in the ocean, needed relief. Others said he came to perform deeds worthy of being heard and remembered by those suffering from ignorance, desire, and action. Kunti declared that those who constantly hear, sing, praise, remember, and rejoice in Kṛṣṇa’s deeds soon behold his lotus feet, which end the flow of worldly existence. She pleaded, “O Lord, will you now abandon us, your devoted friends and dependents, for whose sake there is no other refuge but your lotus feet, though we are bound to kingship and its sins?” She acknowledged that the Pāṇḍavas and the Yadus are mere names and forms; without the Lord of the senses, they are nothing. She lamented that the earth would not shine as it does now, adorned by Kṛṣṇa’s feet, marked with their unique signs. The prosperity of the lands, the ripening of herbs and plants, the flourishing of forests, mountains, rivers, and oceans—all were due to his glances. Kunti prayed, “O Lord of the universe, soul and form of the universe, please cut this strong bond of affection in me for the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis. May my mind, without any other object, always bear love for you directly, just as the Ganges flows unbroken to the sea.” She offered her final salutations: “O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, friend of Kṛṣṇa, chief of the Vṛṣṇis, destroyer of the unrighteous, fire among royal lines, whose power brings liberation, Govinda, who relieves the distress of cows, brāhmaṇas, and gods, master of yoga, teacher of all, O Lord, I bow to you.” Hearing these sweet words of praise from Pṛthā, the all-auspicious Lord Vaikuṇṭha smiled gently, as if bewildering her with his divine māyā. After affectionately bidding her farewell, he entered Hastināpura. As he was about to depart for his own city with the women, King Yudhiṣṭhira stopped him out of love. Despite being instructed by Vyāsa and other sages, and by Kṛṣṇa himself—performer of wondrous deeds—and taught with histories, Yudhiṣṭhira did not understand, being overwhelmed by grief. Thinking of the slaughter of his friends, he spoke, overcome by attachment and delusion, with the mind of an ordinary man. He lamented, “Alas, see my ignorance, deeply rooted in my wicked heart! For the sake of another’s body, I have caused the death of many armies. Even if I were freed from hell for ten thousand times ten thousand years, I would not be released from the sin of harming children, brāhmaṇas, friends, kin, fathers, brothers, and teachers. Though the killing of enemies in a righteous war is not a sin for a king who protects his people, these words do not bring me understanding.” He could not remove the enmity that had arisen against women whose relatives had been slain, through the actions of householders. He reflected, “Just as mud cannot cleanse muddy water, nor liquor remove the stain of liquor, so too a single act of killing living beings cannot be purified by sacrifices.” Then, addressing the prince, a sage said, “Listen to the supreme secret mantra, which, when recited for seven nights, enables one to see the beings who move in the sky: ‘Om, obeisance to the Blessed Lord Vāsudeva.’ With this mantra, the wise should perform worship with material offerings, using various substances, knowing the proper place and time. He should worship the Lord with pure water, flowers, wild roots, fruits, tender sprouts, fresh garments, and especially with the beloved tulasī leaves. Having obtained a material image for worship, whether of earth, water, or other elements, the sage—self-controlled, peaceful, restrained in speech, and moderate in food—should worship it.” “The Lord, praised in sublime verses, will manifest by his own inconceivable power and by his freely chosen deeds; one should meditate on Him as present in the heart. All forms of service previously performed should now be offered to the Lord’s form established by mantra, with the heart absorbed in the mantra. Thus, when the Lord is served with body, mind, and speech, and with devotion arising from the heart, He is truly worshipped. To those who are free from deceit and worship Him properly, the Lord increases their devotion and grants the highest good they desire, which is not attained by ordinary duties. One who is detached from sense pleasures should worship Him with constant and sincere devotion through the yoga of devotion, for complete liberation.” Having been thus instructed, the prince circumambulated and bowed, then went to the sacred Madhuvana, sanctified by the Lord’s footprints. When he had gone to the forest of penance, the sage entered the inner chambers, was properly honored by the king, and, seated comfortably, spoke to him. Nārada said, “O King, why do you sit long in thought, your face dried with sorrow? Is it that desire or duty, joined with wealth, is not being fulfilled?