After spending several months in Hastināpura, Hari—Lord Kṛṣṇa—brought immense joy to His friends and delighted His beloved sister. When the time came to depart, He took leave with their permission, embracing and bowing to them. Ascending His chariot, He was warmly honored and embraced by some. Present at this farewell were Subhadrā, Draupadī, Kuntī, the daughter of Virāṭa, Gāndhārī, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Yuyutsu, Kripa, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. Vṛkodara (Bhīma), Dhaumya, and the women—such as the daughter of the King of Matsya—were overcome with bewilderment and grief, unable to bear the separation from the wielder of the Śārṅga bow. One who has been freed from bad company by association with the virtuous finds it impossible to abandon such company, once having heard the delightful fame of Him who is always praised. How could the sons of Pṛthā, whose minds were fixed on Kṛṣṇa, endure the pain of separation—having seen, touched, conversed, rested, sat, and eaten with Him? All of them, their hearts rushing after Him, followed Him with unblinking eyes, bound by affection, wandering here and there. The women of the family restrained their streaming tears, longing for Devakī’s son, thinking, “Let no inauspiciousness occur as He leaves the house.” As Kṛṣṇa departed, the atmosphere was filled with the sound of mṛdaṅgas, conches, bherīs, vīṇās, paṇavas, gomukhas, dhundhuris, ānakas, bells, and dundubhis. The noble women of the Kurus, eager to see Him, climbed to the tops of the palaces and showered flowers upon Him, their eyes smiling with love and modesty. Guḍākeśa (Arjuna), the beloved of Kṛṣṇa, took up a white parasol adorned with a string of pearls and a jeweled handle. Uddhava and Sātyaki, with wondrous fans, fanned Madhupati as He shone upon the road, being showered with flowers. Here and there, true blessings were heard, uttered by the twice-born—some appropriate, some not—addressed to Him who is beyond qualities, yet whose essence is qualities. Among the women of the Kaurava king’s city, mutual conversation arose, captivating to all who heard, as their minds were absorbed in the Glorious One. They spoke: “Indeed, this very person is the ancient Being, who alone existed, undifferentiated, before the qualities, as the soul and Lord of the universe, with His own power dormant in the night of dissolution. Again, impelled by His own power, He followed His living energy—nature—desiring to create; wishing to assign names and forms to the formless Self, He, the maker of scripture, set it all in motion. That very abode, which the sages—having mastered their senses and conquered the wind—behold with minds purified by overflowing devotion, surely this Being is worthy to purify existence. He, whose friendship is sung, whose sacred stories are told in the Vedas and in secret by those who know the mysteries, is the sole Lord, the soul of the universe, who by His play creates, maintains, and destroys, yet is not attached to these. Whenever kings of darkened minds live by unrighteousness, then indeed, from among the Sātvatas, He assumes forms, bearing fortune, truth, compassion, and fame, for the welfare of the world, age after age. Ah, how praiseworthy is the lineage of Yadu! How supremely holy is the forest of Madhu, where this foremost of men, the Lord of Śrī, delights both by His birth and by His wandering. Indeed, Kuśasthalī, which eclipses the fame of heaven and brings virtue to the earth, is blessed, for its people, by His grace, constantly behold their Lord’s smiling, glancing face. Surely, the Lord has been worshipped by these women through vows, ritual baths, offerings, and other observances, for He has taken their hands in marriage; repeatedly drinking the nectar of His affectionate speech, the women of Vraja became utterly absorbed in Him. Those whom He won at their own svayamvara by the price of His valor, after subduing powerful kings like Shishupala and others, and those other maidens, daughters of kings such as Pradyumna and Samba, whom He rescued by slaying Bhauma, were brought to Him by the thousands. These women, though they had abandoned all decorum and purity, have indeed attained the highest womanhood, for their lotus-eyed husband never departs from their homes, touching their hearts with His presence.” As the women of the city spoke in this way, Hari, with a smiling glance, acknowledged their words and proceeded on His way. Ajātaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira), out of affection and concern for the safety of the enemy of Madhu, deployed his fourfold army to protect Kṛṣṇa from possible threats by others. Then Śauri, seeing the Kauravas who had come from afar and were distressed by separation, affectionately persuaded them to return and departed for His own city with His beloveds. He passed through the lands of the Kurus, Jāngalas, Pāñcālas, Śūrasenas, those along the Yamunā, Brahmāvarta, Kurukṣetra, Matsyas, and Sārasvatas. Crossing the desert of Marudhanva, He went to the regions of the Sauvīras and Ābhīras, and then to Ānarta, accompanied by Bhārgava, His horses somewhat fatigued. At each place, Hari was duly honored by the local people; in the evening, He turned westward and, seeking pasture, went to the land of the cows. There, His attendants and servants approached Him: “O Supreme Lord, permit us to depart; by the sage’s grace, we have been blessed with the sight of the Lord. May our speech be used in recounting Your virtues, our ears in hearing Your stories, our hands in Your service, our minds at Your feet; may our heads bow in remembrance to You, the abode of the universe, and may our eyes behold the holy ones who embody You.” Śuka continued: Thus, as the two praised Him, the Lord of Gokula, bound to the mortar by the rope, smiled and spoke to the celestial beings. The Blessed Lord said: “This was already known to Me, revealed by the compassionate sage, that by the words of those blinded by wealth, you were deprived of your position and received My grace. For those who are virtuous, even-minded, and wholly devoted to Me, there is no bondage from seeing Me, just as the sun does not bind the eyes of men. Now go to your own abode, O Nalakūbara, for the supreme devotion you both desired for Me has arisen in your hearts.” Śuka said: Thus addressed, the two circumambulated Him, bowed again and again, took leave of the bound mortar, and departed for the northern direction. In this way, the Supreme Lord was revealed through devotion; without such devotion, even the wise are not able to behold Him. His actions, birth, and so forth are not subject to the laws governing others; these are ascribed to Him by Māyā, only to refute the notion of agency. This is called the Brahmā’s kalpa, which is described as having distinctions; in it, the general process of creation occurs, both primary and secondary.