Here the esoteric conclusion is presented to pacify Saunaka and the sages who were in grief on hearing about the final condition of the Yadus. By that body consisting of the Yadus in the form of the devatas, he removed the burden of the earth (bhuvah) which arises from the Lord, like removing a thorn with the tip of another thorn, and then gave up that body. It is like saying “Devadatta gave up his cloth.” He let that body fall away from his presence. The verse does not say he gave up that body of the Yadavas by which he performs eternal pastimes. The meaning is this. The devatas, at the time of appearing with the Lord in their amsa forms, entered into the eternal forms belonging to the Yadavas. Separating from those eternal forms by the power of yoga when they went to Prabhasa, they were made to attain Svarga with the forms of devatas after drinking the liquor by the Lord who showed to the world that they had given up bodies by the power of maya. This is according to the explanation in the Eleventh Canto. The Yadavas who were eternal associates of the Lord disappeared from the sight of the world but remained in pastimes with Krsna in the same Dvaraka as before. This is understood from Bhagavatamrta’s conclusions. The two burdens —the burden to the earth in the form of the demons and the burden in the form of devatas who entered the forms of Yadavas — were regarded as the same by the Lord (isituh samam). However in the example though two thorns are equal, the tip of the thorn as the instrument, is the internal portion (under the Lord’s influence) acting as assistant to the Lord’s pastimes. The other thorn, the object of action, though also acting as an assistant to the Lord’s pastimes, is the external portion (under the influence of maya). Amara-kosa says sucy-agre ksudra-satrau ca lomaharse ca kantakah: kantaka means the tip of a needle, an insignificant enemy, hair standing on end.