Text 1: Śaunaka said: The embryo killed by the intense heat of the brahmāstra thrown by Aśvatthāmā was revived by the Lord.

Text* 2-3: We desire to hear about the birth, activities, passing away and destination of this highly intelligent devotee, which Śukadeva narrated to you. Please tell us, full of faith, if you desire to tell this.

Text 4: Sūta said: Yudhiṣṭhira, like his father, freed from personal desires by engaging in service to the Lord, satisfied and protected the citizens.

Text 5-6: O brāhmaṇa! He had all wealth, sacrifices, planets, queens, brothers, the earth, lordship over Jambū-dvīpa, and fame in Svarga, desirable even for the devatās. Did these things give joy to the King, whose mind was only fixed on Mukunda without deviation and nothing else?

Text 7: O son of Bhṛgu! The courageous hero Parīkṣit in the womb of his mother, burned by the heat of the weapon, saw the form of the Lord.

Text 8: That pure, indestructible, beautiful form was the size of a thumb, dark in complexion, wearing cloth flashing like lightning, with a shining gold crown.

Text 9: He had four long arms, bright gold earrings. His eyes were red from anger and in his hands he was clutching a club. He wandered everywhere, swinging the club, which shone like a meteor.

Text 10: Seeing that form nearby annihilate the brahmāstra with his club, just as the sun dissipates frost, Parīkṣit considered in his mind, “Who is that?”

Text 11: The Lord, maintaining his reputation of being affectionate to his devotees, inconceivable in form, and also a thief, having destroyed the brahmāstra, disappeared at that spot from the sight of the child ten months in the womb.

Text 12: Then, with the ascendant filled with favorable planets, which would later manifest all good qualities, the maintainer of Pāṇḍu’s lineage, similar to Pāṇḍu in strength, was born.

Text 13: Yudhiṣṭhira had the brāhmaṇas such as Dhaumya and Kṛpācārya chant auspicious verses such as puṇyāham and perform the birth rites.

Text 14: On the auspicious occasion of the birth, the best of kings, knowing the proper time to give charity, gave the brāhmaṇas gold, cows, land, villages, elephants, horses, and the best food.

Text 15-17: The satisfied brāhmaṇas said to the humble king: O best of men! Though the pure dynasty of Puru was destroyed by unavoidable destiny, this son has been given as mercy to you by the powerful Viṣṇu. Therefore he will be known as Viṣṇu-rāta, “Gift of Viṣṇu”, and without doubt, in this world will be the best, the greatest devotee, O fortunate King!

Text 18: The King said: O great souls! Will this son follow our lineage of reputed saintly kings with fame and good praise?

Text 19: The brāhmaṇas said: O son of Pṛthā! He is the protector of the citizens. He is exactly like Ikṣvāku, the son of Manu and Rāma, the son of Daśaratha. He is charitable to the brāhmaṇas and true to his promise.

Text 20: He is a donor and protector of those who surrender to him like Śibi, from Uśīnara, and will spread the fame of sacrificers and family members like Bharata, the son of Duṣyanta.

Text 21: He is the best of archers like Arjuna and Kārtavīrya, is intolerable as fire and is insurmountable as the ocean.

Text 22: He is as courageous as a lion, honored like the Himālayas, tolerant like the earth and patient like a mother and father.

Text 23: He is impartial to all beings like Yudhiṣṭhira, easily satisfied like Śiva, and the shelter of all living beings like Nārāyaṇa.

Text 24: He is famous for all good qualities like Kṛṣṇa, generous like Rantideva, and a follower of dharma like Yayāti.

Text 25-26: He is as determined as Bali, is absorbed in the most excellent Kṛṣṇa, like Prahlāda. He will perform horse sacrifices and respect elders. He will have wise kings for descendents, will punish those who deviate from the law, and will punish Kali in order to produce dharma on the earth.

Text 27: Hearing that he will be killed by Takṣaka who was dispatched by a brāhmaṇa’s son, detached from all things, he will worship the feet of the Lord.

Text 28: O King! Having discerned the truth about the Lord from the son of Vyāsa, giving up his body on the bank of the Gaṅgā, he will certainly attain the Lord.

Text 29: Informing the king in this manner, all the brāhmaṇas, expert in astrology, after being worshipped, returned to their houses.

Text 30: Because he constantly remembered the Lord whom he had seen in the womb and searched for him among all men, he was famous as Parīkṣit in this world.

Text 31: Just as the waxing moon grows daily in phases to become the full moon, the prince quickly grew, nourished by his parents.

Text 32: Yudhiṣṭhira, desiring to rid himself of sin incurred by killing relatives by performing a horse sacrifice, began to consider whether there was an alternative to force or tax to attain wealth for the sacrifice.

Text 33: Understanding his intention, his brothers, inspired by Kṛṣṇa, brought abundant wealth cast off from the sacrifice of King Marutta in the northern direction.

Text 34: Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma, collecting the ingredients for sacrifice by that wealth, worshipped the Lord by three horse sacrifices since he feared the sin of killing relatives.

Text* 35-36: Kṛṣṇa, called there by Yudhiṣṭhira, had the King perform the sacrifice with brāhmaṇas, and stayed there for some months to satisfy his friends. Taking the permission of the king, Draupadī and other friends, he then departed for Dvārakā with Arjuna, surrounded by the Yadus.