O noble brāhmaṇa, the king’s heart was heavy with worry for his young son, who had been sent alone into the forest. He prayed fervently that the wolves would not harm the helpless child, who lay tired, hungry, and weary, his lotus-like face withered from hardship. Reflecting on his actions, the king lamented his own wretchedness, feeling defeated by circumstances and by the influence of a woman; he grieved that he had not welcomed the innocent child, who wished only to climb into his lap out of love, and he cursed himself for his baseness. At this moment, the sage Nārada appeared and spoke words of comfort: “O protector of the people, do not grieve for your son. The gods themselves guard him. Though you do not know his greatness, you lament needlessly—his fame will spread throughout the world. He is performing a deed difficult even for the guardians of the worlds. Soon, your son will attain a glory that will bring you immense renown.” Maitreya then recounts that, hearing Nārada’s divine words, the king, disregarding all royal opulence, thought only of his son. Consecrated and purified, the young prince spent the night in observance, his mind focused, serving the Supreme Person as instructed. Every three nights, he subsisted only on wood-apple and jujube fruits, spending a month worshipping Hari to the best of his capacity. In the second month, on every sixth day, he prepared food from fallen leaves and grass, continuing his worship. The third month saw him subsisting on water alone every ninth day, absorbed in meditation as he approached the Glorious Lord. By the fourth month, on every twelfth day, he lived only 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 solely on the form of the Lord, seeing 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 the royal boy stood on one foot, the earth, pressed by his big toe, bent wherever he stood, just 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 became oppressed and breathless, seeking refuge in Hari. The gods cried out, “O Lord, we do not know such restraint of life-breath in any being, 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 own realms. It was because of his union with Me that your breath was restrained, O sons of Uttānapāda.” Sūta then tells of the king, driven by fear of harming his subjects and desiring to know all righteousness, who 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 Himself, together with Dhanañjaya, rode in a chariot; among them, the king shone like Kubera among the Yakṣas. Upon seeing Bhīṣma fallen on the ground, like a god cast from heaven, the Pāṇḍavas, with their followers and Krishna, 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, along with other pure-hearted sages like Brahmarata, Kashyapa, Angiras, and their disciples. Bhīṣma, perceiving those most fortunate ones assembled, honored them, knowing righteousness and the proper distinctions of place and time. He also worshipped Krishna, who, seated there as Lord of the universe, present in the heart, had assumed a form through His own maya. Bhīṣma addressed the sons of Pandu, who were seated with humility and affection, their eyes blinded by tears of deep attachment. He spoke: “Alas, how grievous, how unjust it is that you, O sons of Dharma, devoted to the Brahmanas, to righteousness, and to Acyuta, should suffer or live in distress. With the great warrior Pandu gone, Kunti, left with young children and as a widow, has endured many hardships for your sake, time and again, like a mother with her child. I consider all that is unpleasant for you to be caused by time; the world, with its rulers, is under its sway, just as clouds are driven by the wind. Where the son of Dharma is king, Bhima wields the mace, Krishna holds the Gandiva bow, and Krishna is your friend—how can there be adversity? O King, no one ever knows His intention; even those endowed with inquiry are bewildered by it, as are the wise. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, understand this to be the arrangement of destiny; being thus ordained, O protectorless one, you, as the lord, must protect the people. This indeed is Bhagavan Himself, the original Narayana, who, concealing Himself among the Vrishnis, moves about, bewildering the world by His maya. His most secret power is known only by Bhagavan Shiva, the divine sage Narada, and Bhagavan Kapila, O King. He whom you consider your maternal cousin, dear friend, best well-wisher, whom you made your minister, messenger, and charioteer out of affection—He is the soul of all, who sees all equally, who is nondual and free from ego. There is never any fault in the differences He causes in people’s minds. Yet, see, O King, His compassion for those with exclusive devotion: as I am giving up my life, Krishna Himself has come before me. The yogi who, with devotion, fixes his mind upon Him and utters His name with his voice, is freed from desires and actions when he leaves his body.” Thus, the story unfolds with reverence for the Supreme and the noble souls who, through devotion and steadfastness, reveal the greatness of dharma and the mystery of the Lord’s grace.