As Śauri, the beloved Lord, gazed upon the Kauravas who had journeyed from afar and were sorrowful at the prospect of separation, He gently and affectionately urged them to return to their homes. Then, accompanied by His dear companions, He departed for His own city. Traveling through the lands, He passed first through the territories of the Kurus, then through Jāngala, Pāñcāla, Śūrasena, the regions along the Yamunā, Brahmāvarta, Kurukṣetra, Matsya, and the Sārasvatas. Crossing the arid desert of Marudhanva, He entered the domains of the Sauvīras and Ābhīras, and finally reached Ānarta, with Bhārgava by His side and His horses showing signs of fatigue from the journey. At every place along the way, the people honored Hari with due reverence. As evening approached, He turned westward, seeking pastures, and entered the land of the cows. There, His servants and attendants, having been blessed by the sage’s grace with the sight of the Lord, humbly sought His permission to depart. With heartfelt devotion, they prayed: “May our words always recount Your virtues, our ears delight in Your stories, our hands serve You, our minds rest at Your feet; may our heads bow in remembrance of You, the abode of the universe, and may our eyes behold the holy ones who embody You.” Śuka then described how, as these two offered their praises, the Lord of Gokula—still 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 lost your position and thus 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, Nalakūbara, return to your own abode, for the supreme devotion you both desired for Me has arisen in your hearts.” 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 cannot behold Him. His actions, birth, and all such events are not governed by the laws that bind others; these are attributed to Him by Māyā only to dispel the misconception of agency. This period is called Brahmā’s kalpa, which is described as having distinctions; within it, the general process of creation unfolds, both primary and secondary. Now, I will explain the measure of time, the form that marks a kalpa, and, as before, describe the Padma Kalpa—please listen. Śaunaka then asked Sūta, “You told us that Vidura, the foremost devotee, left behind his most difficult-to-abandon relatives and wandered to holy places on earth. The conversation between Vidura, son of Vyāsa, and the sage Kauśārava was based on spiritual inquiry; or, that great soul, when questioned, spoke the truth to him. Please tell us, gentle one, what Vidura did, and for what reason he renounced his family and then returned again.” Sūta replied, “What the great sage answered when King Parīkṣit asked him, I will now relate to you—listen, as it follows the king’s questions.” The king had asked, “In which action of the Lord, the maker of the universe and my own self, was his fame increased by Kṛṣṇa? Please describe this.” Śrī Nārada then spoke: “When the demons were defeated in battle by the gods, strengthened by him, they sought refuge with Maya, the supreme master of illusion. Maya, the powerful one, constructed three cities—of gold, silver, and iron—difficult to perceive, joined by subtle means, and furnished with defenses beyond imagination. With these cities, the armies of the demons and their lords, remembering their ancient enmity, began to destroy the three worlds, O king. The rulers of the worlds, along with their lords, approached the Lord, bowed down, and pleaded, ‘Protect us, O God! We are being destroyed by the inhabitants of Tripura.’ The Lord, showing them favor, said, ‘Do not fear,’ and, stringing an arrow to His bow, released a weapon upon the cities. Arrows blazing like fire arose from the solar orb; like rays of light, they were unseen as they approached the cities. Struck by these, all the inhabitants of the cities lost their lives and fell; Maya, the great yogī, gathered them and cast them into a well of nectar. Touched by the nectar of immortality, they, strong as thunderbolts and full of great energy, rose up, splitting the clouds like flashes of lightning. Seeing his resolve broken and Vṛṣadhvaja disheartened, Lord Viṣṇu devised another means at that place. At that time, Brahmā became the calf, Viṣṇu himself became the cow, and, entering Tripura at the right moment, drank the nectar from the well. Though the demons saw this, they did not prevent it, being deluded; realizing this, the great yogī Maya spoke to the guardians of the nectar. Smiling and free from sorrow, he remembered those afflicted by grief and the workings of destiny; for god, demon, human, or any other—none here is independent. What is ordained for oneself or another cannot be averted by either, for fate prevails. Then, with his own powers, he performed the principal act of Shiva. Through righteousness, knowledge, detachment, prosperity, austerity, learning, and action, he manifested the chariot, charioteer, banner, horses, bow, armor, arrows, and all else. Fully armed, mounting the chariot, he took up the bow and arrow; fitting the arrow to the bow, in a moment, the Lord of Victory prepared himself. With that arrow, O King, Hara burned the three impregnable cities; in the heavens, drums resounded, and the skies were crowded with hundreds of celestial vehicles. The gods, sages, ancestors, and perfected beings, joyful, showered flowers and proclaimed victory; the hosts of Apsaras danced in delight. Thus, having burned the three cities, the Lord, destroyer of cities, praised by Brahma and others, returned to his own abode. In this way, the deeds of Hari, who, by his own power, playfully imitates the ways of mortals, are sung by the sages; what more can I say, for these purify the world. Then, as Sūta continued, he described how, approaching the lands of Ānarta and his own prosperous regions, the Lord blew His resounding conch, as if dispelling the sorrow of His people.