Vidura, perceiving the gravity of the situation, approached King Dhritarashtra and spoke with urgency: “O King, danger has arrived; you must depart quickly.” He explained that there was no remedy to be found, neither from anyone nor at any time, for this was the arrival of Supreme Time—the Lord Himself—who comes for all. Vidura reminded Dhritarashtra that even the most beloved are overtaken by Time, their lives suddenly separated from each other; what then of lesser things, like wealth and possessions? Vidura continued, pointing out that fathers, brothers, friends, and sons had all been slain; youth had passed, and old age now consumed Dhritarashtra, who dwelled in another’s house. He lamented the powerful hope for life within living beings, noting how Dhritarashtra, like a caretaker, accepted food left aside by Bhima. Vidura recalled the many humiliations and dangers they had faced—fire set to their home, gifts given under duress, poison administered, wives dishonored, land and wealth stolen—questioning how much remained for those who had given their lives for such pursuits. He told Dhritarashtra that even his body, worn out by age and desiring to live, would soon depart, just as threadbare clothes are cast aside. Vidura spoke of wisdom: one who, having lost all purpose for the body, becomes detached and freed from bonds, leaves it behind without concern for its destination. Such a person is called wise. He added that one who has become disillusioned, whether by his own actions or another’s, and who places Hari in his heart, leaves home and is regarded as supreme. Vidura advised Dhritarashtra to journey toward the northern direction, keeping his path unknown to others, for from this point onward, Time draws men away through the influence of the qualities. Inspired by his wise younger brother, Dhritarashtra awakened, cut the strong bonds of affection for his family, and departed along the path Vidura had shown him. The virtuous Gandhari, the daughter of Subala, devoted to her husband, followed Dhritarashtra as he left, laying aside her staff of authority, just as noble souls relinquish their attachments at the end of life. Meanwhile, Ajatashatru (Yudhishthira), having made peace with all, performed fire sacrifices and honored the brahmins with gifts of sesame, cows, land, and gold. He then entered his house to pay respects to his elders, but found neither his parents nor Gandhari, the daughter of Subala. Finding Sanjaya seated there, he anxiously asked, “O Gavalgana, where is our aged father, now deprived of sight? And where is my 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,” Yudhishthira 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?” Suta, the narrator, explained that out of compassion and the pain of separation, Sanjaya was overwhelmed and unable to see the Lord within himself, so he could not reply, being deeply afflicted. Wiping his tears with his hands and steadying himself, Sanjaya answered Ajatashatru, remembering the feet of the Lord. Sanjaya said, “O delight of your lineage, 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 said, “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.” Narada, like a helmsman guiding across the sea, spoke to them. He explained that just as cows are bound to a stake by their own ropes, so too are beings bound by names and words, carrying out offerings for the Lord. He likened the unions and separations of people to the coming together and parting of playthings, which depend on the will of the player; so too, these happen by the will of the Lord. Narada taught that what is considered permanent or impermanent in this world is neither truly so; they are not to be grieved for, except due to attachment born of delusion. He advised, “Therefore, O dear one, give up this weakness of heart, born of ignorance. How could those helpless and pitiable ones survive without me?” He continued, “This body, composed of the five elements, is subject to time, action, and the modes of nature. How can one protect others, just as someone seized by a serpent cannot save another? The handless are food for the handed, the footless for the four-footed; among all, the weak are the sustenance of the strong—life lives upon life.” Narada then revealed, “O King, that Supreme Lord, who is the one Self of all selves and perceives Himself by Himself, dwells both within and without; see Him, who appears through the power of His own illusion. This very Lord, O great King, the creator and sustainer of beings, has now descended in the form of Time, to bring about the destruction of the enemies of the gods. The divine task has been accomplished; now He awaits what remains to be done. Until then, you all should observe, as long as the Lord remains here.” Narada informed them that Dhritarashtra, together with his brother and Gandhari his wife, had gone south of the Himalayas to the hermitage of the sages, accompanied by his wife. There, the celestial river Ganga divided herself into seven streams by seven channels for the pleasure of the seven sages, thus she is called the river of seven streams. In that sacred place, after bathing at the proper times and offering oblations into the fire according to prescribed rules, Dhritarashtra lived on water alone, with a tranquil mind, free from all desires. He conquered posture and breath, withdrew his six senses, and destroyed the impurity of passion and ignorance through meditation on Hari, becoming pure in the mode of goodness. Merging the mind into knowledge, dissolving the knower of the field into the Self, and placing the Self in Brahman, as space within a pot merges into the sky, he abided. With the residue of illusion and its qualities destroyed, the senses and mind restrained, and having given up all food, Dhritarashtra remained unmoving like a pillar. Narada prayed that there be no obstacle for him, who had renounced all actions. Narada then foretold, “O King, from today, on the fifth day hence, Dhritarashtra will abandon his body, and it will be reduced to ashes. As the body of her husband burns in the fire, the faithful Gandhari, together with Vidura, will stand outside, gazing upon her husband as he enters the flames. Hearing this astonishing news, O descendant of the Kurus, Vidura, filled with both joy and sorrow, will depart from there to visit holy places.” Thus, the events unfolded as the wise Vidura guided Dhritarashtra toward renunciation, Gandhari followed her husband in devotion, and Yudhishthira sought answers and received the teachings of Narada, learning of the ultimate fate of his elders and the profound workings of Time and the Supreme Lord.