King Parīkṣit, deeply devoted to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, served the Pāṇḍavas with unwavering affection. He took up many roles for them—acting as their charioteer, companion, attendant, friend, and envoy. He shared their seat of valor, followed their lead, praised them, and bowed before them. Through his humble service, he brought the world itself to bow before Viṣṇu. While Parīkṣit was thus engaged, faithfully following the noble conduct of his ancestors day by day, a marvelous event unfolded nearby. Listen as I recount this wonder. Dharma, the very embodiment of righteousness, was moving along, yet only on one foot. He came upon the Earth, whose shadow was diminished, and saw her weeping like a cow separated from her calf. Dharma, troubled by her sorrow, approached and gently questioned her. “O gentle one,” Dharma said, “is all well with you? Why do you appear so pale and withered? I sense a deep anguish within you—are you grieving for a distant relative, O mother? Is it for your missing limb, for yourself about to be consumed by the wicked, or for the gods whose shares in sacrifice have been stolen? Or perhaps for the people, since Indra no longer sends rain? Are you mourning for women and children left unprotected on earth, suffering at the hands of cruel men? Or for the sacred speech of the goddess, now corrupted in the brahmin class? Or for noble families degraded by unrighteous kings? Is your grief for the kṣatriya clans afflicted by Kali, or for the kingdoms they have ruined? Or for the people who wander, seeking food, drink, shelter, and baths, their livelihoods disrupted? Or, O mother, do you recall the deeds performed by Hari, who incarnated to relieve your heavy burden, but has now departed, delaying your deliverance? Tell me, O Earth, what is the root of your distress—has your good fortune, once worshipped by the gods, been snatched away by Time, the strongest of all?” The Earth replied, “O Dharma, you indeed know all that you ask me about, for you uphold the four legs that bring happiness to the world. Truth, purity, compassion, forgiveness, renunciation, contentment, straightforwardness, tranquility, self-control, austerity, equanimity, forbearance, withdrawal, and learning—knowledge, detachment, lordliness, heroism, brilliance, strength, memory, independence, skill, beauty, courage, gentleness—boldness, humility, good conduct, endurance, vigor, strength, prosperity, depth, steadiness, faith, fame, honor, and absence of pride. All these and other great qualities, O blessed one, ever reside in you; those who desire greatness seek them, for they never diminish in you. Therefore, I grieve for the world, bereft of Śrīnivāsa, the worthy vessel of all virtues, and afflicted by the sinful gaze of Kali. I lament for myself, for you—the best among rulers—for the gods, ancestors, sages, all the virtuous, and for all the social orders and stages of life. Even Brahmā and the others, longing for a mere sidelong glance, performed severe austerities, surrendering to the Lord; yet that very goddess Śrī, abandoning her own abode in the lotus forest, lovingly worships the dust of His feet, which bear auspicious marks. I was adorned by the glorious footprints of the Lord—marked with the lotus, thunderbolt, goad, banner, and other symbols. Yet, having attained such splendor, I did not find favor with Him; in the end, He cast me aside, and the worlds, too, rejected me with disdain. He, by His own power, removed my unbearable burden—the hundred armies of demonic kings—established you, though your position was unstable and diminished, in your own strength, and delighted the Yadu dynasty by bearing their charming forms. Who could endure separation from the Supreme Person, whose loving glances, radiant smiles, and sweet words steal away the steadfastness even of honey-bees—when the very dust of His feet, marked with auspicious signs, brings a thrill to my being?” As the Earth and Dharma thus conversed, at that moment, King Parīkṣit, the royal sage, arrived at the eastern bank of the Sarasvatī river. He offered obeisance to the Lord, the Supreme Person, the great soul, the abode of all beings, the source of all, the transcendent, the Supreme Self. Parīkṣit saluted Him as the treasure-house of knowledge and wisdom, the Absolute, of infinite power, beyond qualities, unchanging, and not of this world. He offered salutations to Time, the source of time, the witness of the divisions of time, the universe itself, the overseer of all, the creator and cause of the universe. He bowed to the Self of elements, senses, life-breath, mind, intellect, and inner disposition, who is experienced inwardly, yet concealed by identification with the three qualities. Salutations to the infinite, the subtle, the immutable, the all-knowing, who accommodates all doctrines, and is the power behind both spoken and unspoken words. Salutations to the root of all valid knowledge, the sage, the source of the scriptures, the path of action and renunciation, the Veda itself—again and again, salutations. He offered salutations to Kṛṣṇa, to Rāma, to the son of Vasudeva, to Pradyumna, to Aniruddha, and to the Lord of the Sātvatas. Salutations to the lamp of qualities, to the one who veils Himself with qualities, who is perceived through the functions of qualities, the seer of qualities, and the inner consciousness. To Him who sports in the unmanifest, who perfects all that is manifest, Hṛṣīkeśa—salutations to You, the sage, the silent ascetic. Salutations to You, who knows the course of higher and lower, who is the overseer of all, who is both the unmanifest and the manifest, the seer of all this and its cause. You, O Lord, though unattached to the qualities, preside over the birth, existence, and dissolution of this world, upholding the power of time, awakening the various natures in beings, and, by Your unfailing glance, engage in Your wondrous play. These very bodies of yours in the three worlds—some peaceful, some restless, some born of delusion—are dear to you, O Indra's lineage; the peaceful ones are especially beloved, for now, out of desire to uphold dharma, you strive to protect and preserve the virtuous. A single offense committed by one's own subject should be endured by the ruler; you ought to forgive, with a tranquil mind, one who acted in ignorance toward you. Grant us your mercy, O Lord, for the serpent is abandoning his life; let the husband, who is the very life of us women—wretched and deserving of compassion—be restored to us. Command what your maidservants must do, so we may carry out your order; for one who performs it with faith is freed from all fear. Śuka continued: Thus, praised by the wives of the serpent, the Lord released the unconscious one, whose head was broken, from the crushing of His feet. Regaining his senses and breath, Kaliya slowly looked upon Hari; struggling to breathe, weak and distressed, he spoke to Krishna with folded hands. Kaliya said, “We are wicked by birth, enveloped in darkness and long-standing anger; O Lord, this nature is hard to abandon, for it is the false grasping found among all beings. By you, O Creator, this universe has been fashioned, with the distribution of qualities; its various natures, powers, energies, forms, seeds, and inclinations arise from you.