Arjuna, his heart heavy with sorrow, went to Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Rukmini, and the chief queens of Dvaraka and recounted to them all that had transpired. As his words spread, the citizens and women of Dvaravati, leaving their inner chambers, joined Vasudeva, Ugrasena, and all of Krishna’s beloveds, hurrying together to the place where Hari had departed. In the wake of these events, Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Akrura, and all the venerable elders of the Yadu dynasty, relinquished their mortal bodies and journeyed to the eternal realm of Vasudeva. Revati, overcome with grief, embraced the body of her husband Balabhadra and entered the funeral fire. By this act, she attained a divine aerial chariot and ascended to the celestial abode of Sankarshana, her beloved. In the same manner, Rukmaputri with Pradyumna, Usha with Aniruddha, and all the Yadava women, after paying their respects to their husbands’ bodies, entered the fire in devotion. For each of them, Arjuna performed the sacred last rites, honoring their passage. At that time, Daruka arrived, riding the celestial chariot Sugriva, yoked with heavenly horses and adorned with radiant jewels. Meanwhile, the wondrous Parijata tree and the divine Sudharma assembly hall, along with Indra’s own realm, ascended to the world of the gods. In that very moment, the city of Dvaravati was engulfed by the great ocean, vanishing beneath its waves. Arjuna, accompanied by the sixteen thousand wives of Krishna, set out toward Indraprastha. Yet, on their journey, they were set upon by robbers who carried the women away. These women, once goddesses and Gandharvi maidens, had in a former time laughed at the sage Ashtavakra, for which he had cursed them to become courtesans. Later, appeased and honored by them, Ashtavakra granted that they would become the wives of Vasudeva, the lord worshipped by all worlds. Yet, bound by the lingering force of his curse, they now fell into the hands of robbers. Arjuna, unable to protect them and defeated by the bandits, was overwhelmed by grief. He lamented, “My strength, my valor, and all my majesty have departed with Krishna; today, my fortune is exhausted.” Thus, like the sun at dusk bereft of its rays, Arjuna returned to his city, his former radiance utterly gone. In this way, for the welfare of the gods and the removal of the earth’s burden, Vasudeva descended in the Yadu line. He destroyed the great demons, liberated the earth from its heaviness, and freed all the residents—both moving and unmoving—of Nanda’s Vraja, Dvaraka, and Mathura 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 divine descents are but his manifestations. The great deeds of Krishna, the Lord of Lakshmi, were performed for the destruction of the earth’s burden. The story of Krishna is for the destruction of the wicked; Sri Krishna, the ocean of compassion, eternally delights in Vaikuntha. O Devi, this most wondrous and auspicious account of Krishna, briefly told to you, bestows all fruits. Whoever recites, remembers, or hears with devotion the deeds of Vasudeva in the presence of Hari attains the supreme state. Even those burdened by great or small sins, upon hearing the deeds of child Krishna, are freed from all sin. Whoever remembers Hari, seated in Dvaraka with Rukmini, will surely attain great lordship—there is no doubt. In battle, in distress, or besieged in a fortress, one who meditates on the leader of the gods will surely be victorious. Remembering Him playing with the cowherd maidens in the blessed cow-village brings all desires and good fortune. One afflicted by great calamities or diseases, who remembers the Eternal One and the fierce slayer Kritya residing in Kashi, is freed from suffering. Why speak at length? At all times, in all circumstances, the wise should simply recite the mantra: “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 refuge. Whoever recites this mantra daily with devotion, O goddess, becomes free from all sins and attains the world of Vishnu. Janardana is the Lord of all gods; for the protection of the worlds, He assumes many forms. Desiring to destroy Tripura, I worshipped Hari, who, taking the form of Buddha, deluded those enemies. Deprived of dharma by that teaching, those enemies of the gods were 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 various natures. What else do you wish to hear, O auspicious one? Tell me. Thus ends the two hundred and fifty-second chapter, entitled “The Account of Krishna’s Departure to His Own Abode,” in the dialogue of Uma and Maheshvara, in the Uttarakanda of the glorious Padma Mahapurana, comprising fifty-five thousand verses. Then, Jaimini approached Vyasa and said, “O Vyasa, great-minded one, tell me the true nature of Kriyayoga. I wish to know Kriyayoga from you.” Vyasa replied, “O Brahmin, the human body is rare and precious in this world. Having obtained such a body, the wise should practice yoga for the sake of liberation. Kriyayoga and Dhyana-yoga are both called yogas; among these, Kriyayoga is foremost and grants all desires to those who practice it. “O best of the twice-born, bathing in the Ganga, worship of Vishnu, acts of charity, devotion to Brahmins, and observance of Ekadashi—along with devotion to the amalaki and tulasi, and the honoring of guests—these are briefly said to be the limbs of Kriyayoga. “Except through the discipline of action, perfection is attained by the discipline of meditation; one devoted to the discipline of action reaches that supreme abode of Vishnu.” Jaimini then asked, “O Lord, whatever limbs of the discipline of action you have taught, please describe their greatness, if you are gracious to me. What are the virtues of the Ganga? What is the fruit of worshipping Vishnu? Which gifts are best, and what is the devotion of twice-born men? What is the fruit of observing the eleventh day, and what kind of devotion is there to the dhatri tree? What is the devotion to Tulasi, and what is the worship of guests?” So the dialogue continued, seeking the deeper understanding of Kriyayoga and the path to liberation.