Listen to this sacred tale, where the glory of devotion to Hari shines above all else. Even those considered outcastes, if they are devoted to Hari, are truly the best among people. Service to Hari is renowned for granting both the pleasures of this world and ultimate liberation. Whoever worships Viṣṇu attains happiness that never fades, as if they have bathed in all the sacred waters, becoming most dear to Viṣṇu himself. The water from Hari’s feet is famed for removing every sorrow, and those noble souls who surrender themselves find eternal liberation. For those who recite or listen to these teachings, all sins are destroyed. Yet, there are those who are ever intent on taking another’s wife or wealth, who have slain hundreds or thousands of brāhmaṇas and cows, and who act as the lord of evildoers. Their numbers are so great, they cannot be counted even in tens of millions of years. In those days, a hunter made his way to the city of the king of Sauvīra, a place endowed with all prosperity, adorned with bustling markets and golden spires, resembling the city of the gods. Seeing its splendor, the hunter felt joy. But a thief, greedy for plunder, entered its inner quarters. There he encountered Uttanka, a sage who was a treasury of austerities and devoted to the service of Viṣṇu. The hunter, seeing Uttanka obstructing the theft, beheld the sage. Intoxicated with pride and weapon drawn, he rushed at Uttanka to seize him. Uttanka, observing the hunter’s intent, spoke calmly: “What offense have I committed against you? Tell me, O wise one. Gentle one, even the virtuous do not kill the wicked without cause. The virtuous, with peaceful minds, do not engage in hostility. Such a man is called the highest, always dearest to Vishnu. Even when cut, the sandalwood tree perfumes the axe with its fragrance. Though free from attachments, the virtuous are afflicted by the wicked, yet never harmed by equals at any time. In this world, hunters, fishermen, and slanderers are enemies without reason. For the sake of son, friend, wife, and wealth, one endures all suffering, but in the end, abandoning all that, one departs alone. The notion ‘this is mine’ afflicts creatures in vain. Let virtue and vice remain together here and hereafter; there is no other. Having offered food with ghee into the mouth of the dead, they partake of it. Yet neither virtue nor vice, nor wealth, nor sons, nor relatives remain. Desire diminishes for men of virtuous deeds. People are troubled in vain by the accumulation and giving of wealth. Those whose minds are thus resolved are never afflicted by anxiety. Therefore, only fate knows birth and death; no one else does. Yet people, even knowing this, make fruitless efforts. Even after committing great sins, they strive diligently to benefit others. But it is only one foolish person who alone experiences the fruit of that sin.” Thus, Uttanka spoke, revealing the wisdom of detachment, virtue, and the supreme value of devotion to Hari.