f injury
to any creature,--that Hari the Supreme Lord becomes gratified. Some
persons adore Narayana as possessed of only one form, viz., that of
Aniruddha. Some adore Him as endued with two forms, viz., that of
Aniruddha and Pradyumna. Some adore Him as having three forms, viz.,
Aniruddha, Pradyumna, and Sankarshana. A fourth class adore him as
consisting of four forms, viz., Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Sankarshana, and
Vasudeva. Hari is Himself the Kshetrajna (Soul). He is without parts
(being ever full). He is the Jiva in all creatures, transcending the five
primal elements. He is the Mind, O monarch, that directs and controls the
five senses. Endued with the highest intelligence, He is the Ordainer of
the universe, and the Creator thereof. He is both active and inactive. He
is both Cause and the Effect. He is the one immutable Purusha, who sports
as He likes, O king. Thus have I recited to thee the religion of
desireless Devotees, O best of kings, incapable of being comprehended by
persons of uncleansed souls but this I acquired through the grace of my
preceptor. Persons are very rare, O king, that are devoted to Narayana
with whole souls. If, O son of Kuru's race the world had been full of
such persons, that are full of universal compassion, that are endued with
knowledge of the soul, and that are always employed in doing good to
others, then the Krita age would have set in. All men would have betaken
themselves to the accomplishment of acts without desire of fruit. It was
even in this way, O monarch, that, that foremost of regenerate persons,
(viz., the illustrious Vyasa), my preceptor, fully conversant with all
duties, discoursed unto king Yudhishthira the just on this religion of
Devotion, in the presence of many Rishis and in the hearing of Krishna
and Bhishma. He had obtained it from the celestial Rishi Narada endued
with wealth of penances. Those persons that are devoted to Narayana with
their whole souls and are desireless succeed in attaining to the region
of that highest of deities, identical with Brahma, pure in complexion,
possessed of the effulgence of the moon and endued with immutability."'

"Janamejaya said, 'I see that those regenerate persons whose souls have
been awakened practise diverse kinds of duties. Why is it that other
Brahmanas instead of practising those duties betake themselves to the
observance of other kinds of vows and rites?'

"Vaisampayana said, 'Three kinds of disposition, O monarch, hav