Then, in his boundless compassion, Krishna bestowed upon him the Vaishnava world—a realm eternal, never returning, attainable only by yogis, and composed of the very essence of all the Upanishads. In that very moment, casting off his mortal form, he, together with all his sons and wives, assumed a resplendent Vaishnava form, luminous and divine, woven from the five Upanishads. They entered a celestial vehicle and journeyed to the single, golden realm of Vāsudeva, surrounded by hosts of radiant celestial nymphs, shining with the brilliance of a thousand suns. At that time, Dāruka ascended the chariot and approached the great Lord Viṣṇu. Krishna sent a message: “Bring Arjuna, who is like myself, here as before.” Swift as the mind, Dāruka mounted his chariot and arrived at Arjuna’s side. Meanwhile, Arjuna, together with the queens, mounted the chariot, performed the sacred marriage rites, and, bowing with joined palms, humbly asked Krishna, “What shall I do?” Krishna replied, “O Pārtha, I will now go to my own world. You must return to Dvāravatī, gather my eight wives—Rukmiṇī and the others—who remain there, and send them to my body.” Obeying the Lord’s command, Arjuna and Dāruka entered the city. In the heavens, the gods, stationed in their celestial vehicles, beheld Krishna’s departure for the higher realms. Together with the sages, they showered him with flowers and sang his praises. Krishna, now relinquishing his human body—a body that had upheld and dissolved the worlds, the indwelling knower of all beings, the object of yogic meditation, free from all affliction, the very essence of Vāsudeva—mounted Garuḍa. Surrounded by the praises of the great sages, he departed for his divine abode. Arjuna recounted all these wondrous events to Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Rukmini, and the other chief queens. Upon hearing his words, all the citizens and women of Dvāravatī left their inner chambers. Together with Vasudeva, Ugrasena, and all of Krishna’s beloveds, they hurried to the presence of Hari. There, Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Akrura, and all the elders of the Yadus relinquished their mortal bodies and approached the eternal Vāsudeva. Revati, embracing the body of Balabhadra, entered the fire; thus, united with him, she ascended a celestial aerial chariot and reached the divine realm of her husband, Sankarshana. In the same manner, Rukmaputri with Pradyumna, Usha with Aniruddha, and all the Yadava women, having honored the bodies of their respective husbands, entered the fire as well. Arjuna performed the last rites for them all. At that time, Dāruka also arrived, riding upon the divine chariot Sugriva, yoked with celestial horses and adorned with every jewel. The Parijata tree, the divine assembly hall Sudharma, and even Indra’s own realm ascended to the world of the gods. In that very moment, the city of Dvāravatī was swallowed by the great ocean. Thereafter, as Arjuna was leading Krishna’s sixteen thousand wives toward Indraprastha, they were set upon by robbers and seized. In a former time, these women had been goddesses and Gandharvi maidens, but upon seeing the sage Ashtavakra, they had laughed, and so he cursed them to become courtesans. Later, appeased and honored by their devotion, the sage granted them the blessing to become the wives of Vasudeva, worshipped by all the worlds. Yet, by the lingering effect of the curse, they now fell into the hands of robbers. Arjuna, too, was defeated by the robbers and overwhelmed by grief. He thought, “My strength, my valor, and all my majesty have departed along with Krishna; today, my fortune is exhausted.” Thus, like the evening sun bereft of its rays, Arjuna returned to his own city, his radiance utterly gone. In this way, for the welfare of the gods and to relieve the earth of its great burden, Vasudeva descended into the Yadu line. He destroyed all the mighty demons, removed the weight of the world, and liberated all the residents—moving and unmoving—of Nanda’s Vraja, Dvārakā, and Mathurā from the bonds of time and death. He established them in the supreme, eternal, yogic, golden, and pure realm, where, ever attended by his divine queens, Vasudeva resides. All other descents are but his, and Krishna’s great deeds are solely for the destruction of the earth’s burden—the Lord of Lakshmi appeared for this purpose. This sacred account of Krishna is for the destruction of the wicked; Sri Krishna, ocean of compassion, ever rejoices in Vaikuntha. O Devi, this most wondrous and auspicious story of Krishna I have briefly recounted to you; it bestows all blessings. Whoever recites, remembers, or hears with devotion the deeds of Vasudeva in the presence of Hari attains the supreme state. Even one burdened with the gravest of sins is freed by hearing of Krishna’s childhood deeds. Whoever remembers Hari, seated in Dvārakā with Rukmini, surely attains great lordship—this is certain. In battle, in distress, or besieged by enemies, one who meditates upon the leader of all the gods is sure to be victorious. Whoever remembers him sporting with the cowherd maidens in the blessed cow-village attains all desires and good fortune. One afflicted by great calamities or diseases, remembering the Eternal One and the fierce slayer, the terrible Kritya who dwells in Kashi, is set free. Why say more? At all times, in all places, the wise should simply recite: “Salutations to Krishna.” Salutations to Krishna, son of Vasudeva; to Hari, the Supreme Self. Again and again I bow to Govinda, who destroys all suffering for those who seek his refuge. Whoever recites this mantra daily with devotion, O goddess, becomes free from all sin and attains the world of Vishnu. Janardana is the Lord of all the gods; for the protection of the worlds, he assumes many forms. When I, desiring to destroy Tripura, worshipped Hari, he took the form of Buddha and deluded those enemies. Deprived of all dharma by that teaching, those foes of the gods were then slain by me with the weapon of Narayana. At the end of the age, Janardana will descend into the house of a Brahmin and destroy the fierce mlecchas. All these forms of the Lord of the world I have described to you according to their natures. What more would you hear, O auspicious one? Tell me your wish.