Citraketu Receives the Mantra and the Lord's Darshan
Having awakened Citraketu's detachment, Narada bestowed a sacred mantra to worship Lord Sankarshana. Citraketu undertook disciplined practice—purity, focused chanting, and meditative absorption—culminating in a direct vision of the Lord. The darshan flooded his heart with joy and dissolved his grief, replacing loss with intimate connection to the Divine.
The Lord blessed Citraketu with spiritual insight and a celestial aerial chariot, granting freedom to travel while remaining absorbed in devotion. Elevated to the status of Vidyadhara, Citraketu retained humility, recognizing the mantra's power as grace rather than personal accomplishment. His newfound realization transformed him from a grieving monarch into a joyous devotee eager to share wisdom.
The Lord instructed him on the temporality of material relations and the permanence of the soul's bond with the Supreme. Citraketu understood that genuine shelter lies not in fragile worldly arrangements but in steady remembrance of the Lord's lotus feet. This realization marked a decisive pivot in his journey—from lamentation to luminous devotion.