Though he was instructed by the great sage Vyāsa and other wise seers, and even by Kṛṣṇa Himself—the performer of wondrous deeds—King Yudhiṣṭhira could not find understanding. Despite being taught through histories and wise counsel, his heart was overwhelmed by grief, and the teachings did not penetrate his sorrow. The son of Dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira, brooded constantly over the slaughter of his friends and kin. O brāhmaṇas, his mind, clouded by attachment and delusion, was like that of ordinary men. In his anguish, he lamented, “Alas, see my ignorance, so deeply rooted in my sinful heart! For the sake of another’s body, I have caused the deaths of countless armies. Even if I were liberated from hell ten thousand times ten thousand years over, I would still not be free from the sin of harming children, brāhmaṇas, friends, kin, fathers, brothers, and teachers. “They say that the killing of enemies in a righteous war is not sinful for a king who protects his people, yet these words of dharma offer me no solace or understanding. The enmity that has arisen among women whose relatives have been slain, because of householders’ actions, I am powerless to remove. Just as mud cannot cleanse muddy water, nor can liquor remove the stain of liquor, so too, a single act of killing cannot be purified by sacrifices. How can I ever be free from this stain?” Then, a sage spoke: “O prince, listen now to the supreme secret mantra. If one recites it for seven nights, one will be able to see the beings who move in the sky. The mantra is: ‘Om, obeisance to the Blessed Lord Vāsudeva.’ With this sacred sound, the wise should worship the Lord, offering various substances with due attention to place and time. “Worship Him with pure water, flowers, wild roots, fruits, tender sprouts, fresh garments, and, above all, with the beloved tulasī leaves. Having obtained an image for worship—whether made of earth, water, or other elements—the sage, self-controlled and 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 free will; one should meditate on Him as present within the heart. “All the forms of service that were previously performed should now be offered to the Lord’s form established by mantra, with the heart absorbed in that sacred sound. When the Lord is served with body, mind, and speech, and with devotion arising from the heart, then He is truly worshipped. For those who are free from deceit and worship Him properly, the Lord increases their devotion and grants them the highest good they desire, a good not attained by ordinary duties. One who is detached from sense pleasures should worship Him with constant, sincere devotion through the yoga of devotion, for complete liberation.” Thus instructed, the prince circumambulated the sage and bowed, then journeyed to the sacred Madhuvana, blessed by the Lord’s own footprints. There, having entered the forest of penance, the sage made his way into the inner chambers. The king received him with proper honor, and, once seated comfortably, the sage addressed him. Nārada said: “O King, why do you sit so long in thought, your face parched with sorrow? Is it because desire or duty, joined with wealth, remains unfulfilled?” The king replied, “O brāhmaṇa, my son, a mere child of five, has been exiled with his mother by a cruel-hearted woman. Yet he is a great sage. Though helpless in the forest, may the wolves not harm him—tired, lying down, hungry, his lotus-face withered. Alas, see my wretchedness! Conquered by a woman’s will, I did not welcome that innocent child when he wished to climb into my lap out of love—how base I am!” Nārada consoled him: “O protector of the people, do not grieve for your son, who is guarded by the gods. Not knowing his greatness, you lament, yet his fame will spread throughout the world. He has performed a deed difficult even for the guardians of the worlds, O King, and he will soon bring you a fame that will become immense.” Maitreya continued: Hearing these words from the divine sage, the king, disregarding royal opulence, thought only of his son. There, having been consecrated and purified, he spent the night in observance, and with focused mind, served the Supreme Person as instructed. At the end of every three nights, subsisting on wood-apple and jujube fruits, he spent a month worshipping Hari according to his capacity. In the second month, on every sixth day, the boy prepared food from fallen leaves, grass, and such, and worshipped the Lord. In the third month, on every ninth day, he subsisted on water alone and, absorbed in meditation, approached the Glorious Lord. In the fourth month, on every twelfth day, he lived on air alone, having conquered his breath, and sustained his meditation on the Lord. When the fifth month arrived, the prince, having mastered his breath, stood on one leg, meditating on the Absolute, unmoving like a pillar. Withdrawing his mind from everywhere and fixing it in his heart—the seat of the elements and senses—he meditated on the form of the Lord and saw nothing else. As he thus sustained the Supreme, the Lord of primordial matter and the great elements, the support of all, the three worlds began to tremble. When that royal boy stood on one foot, the earth, pressed by his big toe, bent wherever he stood, as an elephant’s platform tilts under its weight. As he meditated on the Self of the universe, closing the doors of his senses with unwavering concentration, the worlds and their guardians, oppressed and breathless, sought refuge in Hari. The gods cried out: “O Lord, we do not know of such restraint of life-breath in all beings, moving or unmoving, whose abode is You. Please grant us release from this distress; we have come to You, the ultimate refuge.” The Blessed Lord replied: “Do not fear. I will cause the boy to desist from this arduous austerity. Return to your realms, O sons of Uttānapāda. It was because of his union with Me that your breath was restrained.” Meanwhile, Sūta said: Thus, out of fear of harming his subjects and desiring to know all righteousness, Yudhiṣṭhira went to the place where Devavrata, the venerable Bhīṣma, lay. At that time, all his brothers, with horses adorned in gold, followed in chariots, as did the sages Vyāsa, Dhaumya, and others. The Blessed Lord Himself, along with Dhanañjaya, rode in a chariot; among them, the king shone like Kubera among the Yakṣas.