Sankarshana and Akrura, renowned for their boundless generosity, arrived bearing magnificent gifts for the fortunate Subhadra. Their offerings were abundant: gleaming coral, exquisite necklaces, and countless ornaments, together with heaps of the finest cloth and prized tiger skins, all brought as the foremost tokens of honor. The residence of Yudhishthira was transformed, filled to overflowing with radiant jewels, luxurious couches, and seats of every kind. Within this splendid setting, a most delightful wedding festival was celebrated for the youthful Subhadra, lasting seven joyous nights. Hrishikesha, famed for his liberality, bestowed wedding gifts upon Subhadra as was proper for a beloved relative. He gave a thousand chariots, each adorned with gold and hung with jangling bells, drawn by four noble horses and driven by skilled charioteers. Krishna, the illustrious Janardana, also gifted ten thousand cows from the Mathura region, renowned for their auspiciousness and rich milk. Out of deep affection, he presented a thousand pure-blooded mares, radiant as moonbeams and adorned with gold, as well as twenty-five swift white mules with black manes, trained and disciplined, as swift as the wind. At the festive bathing and drinking ceremony, Krishna gave a thousand young, fair-complexioned women, all beautifully adorned and of excellent character. He bestowed upon them women adorned with golden necklaces, flawless and well-ornamented, skilled in service—these were the gifts of the lotus-eyed one. As a bridal gift, Janardana also presented a hundred thousand excellent Bahlika horses, famed for their strength and beauty. He gave ten loads of the finest gold, both wrought and unwrought, shining like fire and fit for kings. Mighty elephants, exuding ichor in three streams, towering like mountain peaks and unyielding in battle, were also among his gifts—a thousand elephants adorned with golden garlands, equipped with sharp bells, and mounted by daring riders. Rāma, the wielder of the plough, pleased and honoring the alliance, personally gave the marriage gift to Partha. The wealth that flowed forth was like a flood—treasures and gems, garments and blankets as white as foam, mighty elephants resembling great crocodiles, all adorned with banners like clusters of waterweeds. This immense wealth, undiminished, entered the ocean of the Pandavas, filling it to the brim and causing sorrow to their enemies. Dharmarāja Yudhishthira graciously accepted all these treasures and honored the great chariot-warriors of the Vrishnis and Andhakas. Together, the great souls among the Kurus, Vrishnis, and Andhakas rejoiced as the blessed do in the abode of the gods. Everywhere, there was the sound of celebration—clapping of hands, laughter, and merriment—as the Kurus and Vrishnis enjoyed themselves according to their pleasure and affection. Thus, those of supreme valor spent many days in enjoyment. When the time came, honored by the Kurus, they departed once more for Dvāravatī. Led by Rāma, the great chariot-warriors of the Vrishnis and Andhakas left, taking with them the splendid jewels gifted by the best of the Kurus. Before departing, Rāma embraced his sister Subhadra with affection, instructed Draupadī to remain, and then took his leave. He respectfully bowed at the feet of his paternal aunt, and Kunti, pleased, honored him in return. Thus honored by the Pandavas and the citizens, Rāma, the hero of the Vrishnis, journeyed with his kin back to Dvāravatī. Vāsudeva, however, remained at Indraprastha with Partha for thirty-four days, delighting in the beautiful city with the great-souled one. Along the banks of the Yamunā, the illustrious Krishna wandered with Arjuna, hunting and delighting in the chase of deer and boars. In time, Subhadra, beloved sister of Keshava, gave birth to a son, famed like Jayanta, the son of Paulomī. This child, Abhimanyu, was long-armed, broad-chested, bull-eyed, and a destroyer of foes—a foremost among men. Because of his fearlessness and wrath, this slayer of enemies, son of Arjuna, was given the name Abhimanyu. He was born to Dhananjaya from Sātvati, just as the sacred fire emerges from the arani wood during a ritual. When the mighty Yudhishthira, son of Kunti, was born, he had gifted ten thousand cows and gold to the twice-born; likewise, Abhimanyu’s birth was celebrated with joy. From his earliest days, Abhimanyu was dear to Vasudeva and to all his fathers, as the moon is dear to all living beings. Krishna performed all the auspicious rites for him at birth, and the boy grew steadily, like the waxing moon in the bright fortnight. Arjuna, the subduer of foes, taught his son the fourfold and tenfold divisions of archery, instructing him in all celestial and human weapons as learned from the knower of the Vedas. In the science of weapons, in skill, and in every practice, Abhimanyu received special instruction in all aspects. In both theory and application, he made himself equal to the best, and Dhananjaya was pleased as he watched his son Saubhadra. Abhimanyu was endowed with all auspicious bodily marks—broad shoulders like a bull, a face like an open-mouthed serpent, the pride of a lion, a great archer, the stride of a maddened elephant, a voice like thunderclouds and drums, and a face shining like the full moon. Thus was born and raised the illustrious Abhimanyu, jewel among the Kuru and Vrishni lines.