O Lord, I have been born again and again, in the homes of kings, their servants, and among countless embodied beings. Throughout these many births, I have served numerous men, experienced both poverty and lordship, and tasted the fruits of ownership. I have killed and been killed; I have caused death and suffered it myself; I have given much to others and received much from them, over and over. My actions have involved fathers and mothers, friends and brothers, wives, the wealthy, the learned, the poor, and ascetics. I have spoken of many forms of misery, abandoning all shame, O Janardana, among gods, animals, humans, and all beings, both moving and immobile. There is no place, O Lord, where I have not wandered; I have dwelt in hell and in heaven, O Lord of the world. Sometimes I have been among humans, sometimes among animals—my journey through existence like a water-wheel, or a pot bound by a rope, moving up and down and sometimes resting in the middle. So too, O best of gods, am I enveloped by the rope of karma. I wander below, above, and in between, moved by the power of yoga, caught in this dreadful wheel of samsara, O Romaharshana. For a long time I have wandered, never seeing an end; I do not know what to do now, O Hari, my senses are troubled. Overcome by grief and thirst, confused and lost, I come to you, O Lord, distressed and seeking refuge. Save me, O Krishna, for I am suffering and submerged in the ocean of samsara. Have mercy, O Lord of the world, if you consider me your devotee. Except for you, I have no friend who will care for me; O Lord, having attained you as my protector, I have no fear anywhere. In life and in death, in prosperity and adversity, those base men who do not worship you properly, O Lord—how can there be a good destination for those bound in the cycle of worldly existence? What use to them is family, conduct, learning, or even life itself? Those in whom devotion to Keśava, the Creator of the universe, does not arise—who, deluded, revile you and possess a demonic nature—they fall into dreadful hell, being born again and again; for them, there is no deliverance from the ocean of hell. Those wicked ones of evil conduct, lowest among men, who revile you, O Lord—wherever I am born because of my karma, may there always be firm devotion to you, O Hari. Gods, demons, humans, and others, having worshipped you with restraint, have attained supreme perfection. Who would not worship you, O Lord, who have attained the highest perfection? Even Brahmā and the other gods, O Hari, are unable to praise you fully. How, with a human intellect, can I praise you, who are beyond nature? And yet, out of ignorance, I have praised you, O Lord. Therefore, forgive my offense, if you have compassion for me; even when an offense is committed, O Hari, the virtuous forgive. Therefore, O Lord of gods, be gracious, for I have taken refuge in devotion and affection; whatever I have praised you with, O God, with a mind full of devotion—may all that be complete; O Vāsudeva, homage to you. Thus, when praised at that time, the Lord Garuḍa-bannered became pleased and granted him, O best of sages, all that he desired in his heart. Whoever worships the Lord of the universe and daily praises him with this hymn, being wise, surely attains liberation. A learned and pure person who recites this excellent hymn at the three junctions of the day attains righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation. Whoever recites, hears, or causes this to be heard with concentration goes to Viṣṇu’s eternal realm, freed from all sin. This hymn is blessed, sin-destroying, bestowing enjoyment and liberation, auspicious, secret, very rare, and meritorious; it should not be given to just anyone. It should never be given to an atheist, a fool, an ungrateful person, a proud one, one of wicked mind, or one who lacks devotion. It should be given to one endowed with devotion, good conduct, a devotee of Viṣṇu, peaceful, and steadfast in faith and observance. This supreme hymn of Puruṣottama, which destroys all sins, is called compassionate, grants happiness and liberation, and fulfills all desires—I have declared it. Those pure ones who always meditate on that subtle, stainless, ancient Person, the enemy of Mura, become recipients of liberation and enter Viṣṇu, just as oblations offered with mantras enter the sacrificial fire. He alone is the god who removes the suffering of existence; he is supreme among the supreme, and there is no other beyond him. He is the seer, the protector, and indeed the destroyer; Viṣṇu is the very essence of all that exists. What use is knowledge, or one's own virtues, or sacrifices, gifts, or severe austerities, for those who do not have devotion here to Kṛṣṇa, the teacher of the world and bestower of liberation and happiness? In this world, he is blessed, he is pure, he is wise, he is foremost in sacrifices, austerities, and virtues; he is the knower, the giver, the speaker of truth—he who has devotion to the one called Puruṣottama. Having thus praised and bowed to the eternal one, the tigers among sages worshipped Vāsudeva, lord of the universe, the giver of all desired fruits. Filled with anxiety, the king spread kuśa grass on the ground, set his mind on it, and lay down to sleep upon the earth. He pondered, “How will the god of gods, Janārdana, appear before me? How will that god, the remover of my distress, manifest now?” As the king slept, Vāsudeva, the teacher of the world, revealed himself, bearing the conch, discus, and mace. The king beheld with devotion the god of gods, the teacher of the world, the deity holding the conch and discus, the god with the fierce mace and discus in his hands.