Once, Narada found himself pondering the mysterious instruction delivered by a celestial voice: “Where will the virtuous be found, how will they give the means? What must I do here, as spoken by the voice from the sky?” Seeking clarity, he left two companions settled and journeyed from one sacred place to another, asking the great sages along his way for guidance. The tale of Narada’s quest became widely known, yet, after much deliberation, none among the sages could provide an answer. Some declared the task impossible; others found it too difficult to comprehend. Many simply fell silent, and a few even fled from the challenge. This uncertainty stirred a great commotion throughout the three worlds, causing wonder and unrest—proclamations from the Vedas, Vedanta, and recitations of the Gita awakened hope, but the triad of devotion, knowledge, and detachment did not arise. People whispered among themselves, “There is no other means.” Even Narada, the accomplished yogi, could not grasp the solution. If he could not understand, how could others among men hope to speak of it? Thus, the assembly of sages, when questioned, determined and declared the means to be inaccessible. Troubled and concerned, Narada resolved to undertake austerity for this purpose. He journeyed to the Badarī forest, seeking answers through penance. There, before him, appeared the great sages Sanaka and his brothers, radiant like millions of suns. The foremost among them spoke. Narada, overjoyed at this fortunate meeting, addressed the Kumāras: “Now, by great fortune, I have met you. O Kumāras, please speak quickly, showing compassion to me. You are yogis, wise and learned, endowed with fivefold restraint, ancestors even of the earliest ones. Always dwelling in Vaikuntha, you are devoted to singing the praises of Hari, intoxicated by the nectar of his pastimes, living solely for the sake of his stories. For those whose mouths constantly utter the name of Hari as their sole refuge, old age decreed by time does not trouble them. By merely a frown from you, the two gatekeepers of Hari once instantly fell at your feet; by your compassion, those gatekeepers returned to the city. Ah, by the fortune of yoga, I have gained your sight here; you, full of compassion, ought to show grace to me, who am destitute. That which was spoken by the bodiless voice—what is the means for it? Please explain in detail how it is to be practiced. How does happiness arise for those endowed with devotion, knowledge, and detachment? How can it be established among all classes, with love and effort?” The Kumāras replied, “Do not be anxious, O divine sage; bring joy into your heart. The means, easily accomplished, already exists here. Narada, you are blessed, the crest-jewel among the detached, always the foremost among the servants of Sri Krishna, the sun among yogis. It is not surprising in you, who always follow the path of devotion, that the establishment of devotion is ever accomplished for Krishna’s servant. Many sages in the world have revealed various paths, all difficult and achieved by effort, and for the most part, they yield the fruit of heaven. But the path that leads to Vaikuntha is indeed kept secret; its teacher is rarely found, attained mostly by good fortune. The noble act formerly prescribed to you by the voice in the sky—now it will be explained; listen today with steady mind and clear intellect. Some perform sacrifices with offerings, some with austerity, others with yoga, and some with study and knowledge; these are all known as actions. Among these, the sacrifice of knowledge is certainly regarded by the wise as the mark of noble action; the discourse on the Srimad Bhagavata is sung by Suka and others. By the proclamation of that, great strength arises for devotion, knowledge, and detachment; suffering will depart, and happiness will come to the devotee. Indeed, at the sound of the Srimad Bhagavata’s path, all these faults of Kali will perish, like wolves at the roar of a lion. Devotion, joined with knowledge and detachment, bringing the flavor of love, will play from house to house, from person to person.” Narada then asked, “When, despite the proclamations of the Vedas and Vedanta, and the recitation of the Gita, the triad of devotion, knowledge, and detachment does not arise—how can it be established?” The Kumāras answered, “From the recitation of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata, understanding of that subject will arise; in its narrations, the meaning of the Vedas is present in every verse, in every word. O you whose vision is unfailing, please cut away this doubt; there should be no delay here, for you are compassionate to those who have taken refuge. From the essence of the Vedas and Upaniṣads, the Bhāgavata narrative has arisen; therefore, being distinct, it shines as supremely excellent, taking the form of its own unique fruit. Just as the taste present from root to tip does not exist or is not enjoyed until it is separated out, so too, when fully distinct, the fruit is universally delightful. Just as ghee exists within milk but is not tasted until extracted, and when separated, that product of the cow increases the pleasure of the gods, even among sugarcanes, sugar pervades from the middle to the end; but when separated, it is sweet—so too is the Bhāgavata narrative. This Purāṇa called Bhāgavata, esteemed by the wise, was revealed to establish devotion, knowledge, and detachment. Even one who has bathed in the Vedas and Vedānta, who is the author of the Gītā, when afflicted with sorrow, Vyāsa himself became bewildered in the ocean of ignorance. Then, by you, it was formerly spoken in four verses; by hearing those, Bādarāyaṇa was immediately freed from distress. Therefore, what is the cause of your wonder, that you ask this question? The Śrīmad Bhāgavata is to be heard, for it destroys grief and sorrow.” Narada then declared, “That vision which at once destroys inauspiciousness and bestows supreme good upon those afflicted by the pain of existence—absorbed solely in the nectar of stories sung by the pure, for the sake of manifesting love—I have taken refuge in it.