Just as muddy water cannot be cleansed by mud, nor the stain of liquor removed by more liquor, so too, a single act of killing living beings cannot be purified by performing sacrifices. With this profound truth spoken, the sage turned to the prince and said, “Now, listen to the supreme secret mantra. If this mantra is recited for seven nights, one gains the ability to perceive the beings who move in the sky.” He revealed the mantra: “Om, obeisance to the Blessed Lord Vāsudeva.” With this sacred utterance, the wise should perform worship, offering various substances with knowledge of the proper place and time. The Lord is to be worshipped with pure water, flowers, wild roots, fruits, tender sprouts, fresh garments, and, above all, the beloved tulasī leaves. After obtaining a material image for worship—be it made from earth, water, or other elements—the sage, self-controlled, peaceful, restrained in speech, and moderate in food, should worship the image. The Lord, praised in sublime verses, will manifest by His own inconceivable power and freely chosen deeds; one should meditate upon Him as present within 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 that mantra. When the Lord is served with body, mind, and speech, and with devotion arising from the heart, 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—something unattainable through ordinary duties. One who is detached from sense pleasures should worship Him with constant and sincere devotion through the yoga of devotion, seeking complete liberation. Having received these instructions, the prince circumambulated and bowed reverently, then journeyed to the sacred Madhuvana, sanctified by the Lord’s footprints. In that forest of penance, the sage entered the inner chambers, was properly honored by the king, and, seated comfortably, began to speak. Nārada addressed the king: “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?” The king replied, “O brāhmaṇa, my son, a mere child of five, has been exiled with his mother by a cruel-hearted woman; he is a great sage. Though helpless in the forest, may the wolves not harm that child—tired, lying down, hungry, his lotus-face withered. Alas, consider my wretchedness, conquered by a woman! I did not welcome that innocent one, who wished to climb into my lap out of love—how base I am!” Nārada comforted him: “O protector of the people, do not grieve for your son, who is guarded by the gods. Not knowing his greatness, you lament, though his fame will spread throughout the world. Having performed a deed difficult even for the guardians of the worlds, O King, he will soon attain for you a fame that will become immense.” Maitreya then narrates: Hearing the divine sage’s words, the lord of the earth disregarded royal opulence and 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 only 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, 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 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 door of his senses with unwavering concentration, the worlds and their guardians, oppressed and breathless, sought refuge in Hari. The gods prayed, “O Lord, we do not know such restraint of life-breath in all beings, moving and unmoving, whose abode is You. Please grant us release from this distress; we have come to You, the ultimate refuge.” The Blessed Lord spoke, “Do not fear. I will cause the boy to desist from this arduous austerity. Return to your own realms. For it was because of his union with Me that your breath was restrained, O sons of Uttānapāda.” Meanwhile, Sūta tells us: Out of fear of harming his subjects and desiring to know all righteousness, the king went to the place where Devavrata 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, too, together with Dhanañjaya, rode in a chariot; among them, the king shone like Kubera among the Yakṣas. Seeing Bhīṣma fallen on the ground, like a god fallen from heaven, the Pāṇḍavas, along with their followers and the wielder of the discus, bowed to him. There, all the great sages among the Brahmanas, the foremost among the divine sages, and the royal sages assembled to see the chief of the Bharatas. Parvata, Narada, Dhaumya, the venerable Badarayana, Brihadasva, Bharadvaja with his disciples, and the son of Renuka were present. Vasishtha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gritsamada, Asita, Kakshivan, Gautama, Atri, Kaushika, and Sudarshana were also there. Other sages as well, pure-hearted ones like Brahmarata and others, arrived with their disciples—Kashyapa, Angiras, and the rest. Having perceived those assembled, most fortunate ones, the best of the Vasus, who knew righteousness and the proper distinctions of place and time, honored them.