Sūta began: After journeying far and wide in search of wisdom, Vidura, having learned the path of the self from the sage Maitreya during his pilgrimage, returned to Hastināpura, his heart and mind satisfied by the knowledge he had gained. Throughout his time questioning the sage Kauṣārava, Vidura’s devotion to Govinda grew ever deeper, and when his yearning was fulfilled, he ceased his inquiries. When Vidura returned, his kinsmen were overjoyed. Dharmaputra Yudhishthira, his brothers, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Yuyutsu, Sūta, Kṛpa, and Pṛthā—all rose to greet him. Gāndhārī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Uttara, Kṛpī, and the other wives of Pāṇḍu, along with their sons and female relatives, joined in this warm welcome. It was as if life itself had returned to their bodies; with delight, they approached Vidura, embracing him and offering salutations. Overcome by the longing born of separation, tears of love streamed from their eyes. The king honored Vidura, offering him a seat and welcoming him warmly. Once Vidura had eaten, rested, and was comfortably seated, Yudhishthira, bowing with humility, spoke as all listened. "Do you remember us," he asked, "those who flourished under your shelter and who, along with our mother, were saved from many dangers—poison, fire, and more? How did you sustain yourself while wandering the earth? Did you visit the chief holy places and sacred fields?" Yudhishthira continued, "O Lord, devotees like you are themselves holy places; you sanctify even sacred sites by carrying within your heart the bearer of the mace. Dear one, have you seen or heard from our friends and relatives, the worshippers of Krishna? Are the Yadavas living happily in their city?" Vidura, thus addressed by Dharmaraja, recounted all his experiences in detail, step by step, except for the destruction of the Yadu dynasty. Though something painful and unbearable had happened, Vidura, out of compassion and unwillingness to cause sorrow, did not speak of it. For some time, Vidura stayed in Hastināpura, honored and happy like a god, bringing well-being to his elder brother and joy to all. Aryama, meanwhile, carried out justice upon wrongdoers as needed, while Yama, due to a curse, lived as a Shudra for a hundred years. Yudhishthira, having regained his kingdom and seeing his grandson as heir to the dynasty, rejoiced with his brothers—guardians of the world—in supreme prosperity. Yet, for those attached to their homes and heedless, absorbed in such pursuits, time, difficult to overcome, slipped by unnoticed. Vidura perceived this and spoke to Dhritarashtra: "O King, depart quickly; see how danger has arrived. There is no remedy here, from anywhere or at any time; this is the Supreme Time, the Lord, who has come for all of us. Even those most dear, with their very lives, are overtaken, and people are suddenly separated; what to say of others—wealth and so forth?" He continued, "Fathers, brothers, friends, sons—all have been slain; youth has departed; your self is consumed by old age, and you reside in another's house. Ah, how great is the hope for life in a living being, by which you, like a caretaker, accept food left aside by Bhima. Fire has been set, gifts given, poison administered, wives dishonored, land and wealth stolen—how much remains for those who gave their lives for such things?" Vidura's words grew more urgent: "Even your body, desiring to live, though unwilling, will depart, worn out by old age, like clothes that are threadbare. One who, having lost all purpose for this body, becomes detached and freed from bonds, leaves it without concern for its destination; such a person is wise. He who, whether from his own or another's cause, has become disillusioned and self-possessed, placing Hari in his heart, leaves home; such a man is supreme." He advised, "Therefore, let your journey be toward the northern direction, with your path unknown to others; for from here onward, time generally draws men away through the influence of the qualities." Awakened by Vidura’s wise counsel, King Dhritarashtra cut the strong bonds of affection for his own people and departed along the path shown by his brother. The virtuous Gāndhārī, daughter of Subala, devoted to her husband, followed him, laying aside her staff of authority, just as noble souls relinquish attachments at the end. Ajatashatru, having made peace with all, performed fire sacrifices, honored the brahmins with sesame, cows, land, and gold, and entered his house to pay respects to his elders. But he did not see his parents or Gāndhārī. Finding Sanjaya seated, Yudhishthira anxiously asked, "O Gavalgana, where is our aged father, now deprived of sight? And where is mother, grieving for her slain sons? Where has my uncle, our friend, gone? Perhaps, thinking me lacking in wisdom and now bereft of kin, he has, with his wife, sought the Ganga, hoping for relief from sorrow," he wondered, falling into distress. He lamented, "After our father Pandu passed away, our uncles protected all our friends and children from calamity. Where have those protectors gone now, leaving us behind?" Sūta explained that Sanjaya, overwhelmed by compassion and the pain of separation, unable to see the Lord within himself, could not reply, being deeply afflicted. Wiping his tears and steadying himself, Sanjaya answered Ajatashatru, remembering the feet of the Lord. "O delight of your lineage," Sanjaya said, "I do not know the decision of your parents or of Gandhari, O mighty-armed one; I have been deceived by these great souls." At that moment, the venerable sage Narada arrived with Tumburu. Rising to greet and honor him, Yudhishthira and his brothers worshipped the sage. Yudhishthira spoke: "O revered one, I do not know where my parents have gone, nor where my mother, grieving for her slain sons and devoted to austerity, has departed." Then, like a helmsman guiding a ship across the sea, the illustrious Narada, best among sages, spoke. "Just as cows, tied by their own ropes to a stake, are bound by a cord, so too are beings bound by names and words, carrying out the offerings for the Lord.