Rohiṇī’s son, Balarāma, surged forward with tremendous speed, wielding his mighty club. Like a lion felling lesser beasts, he struck down his foes with irresistible force. In that moment, celestial drums thundered across the sky, and the divine beings—led by Brahmā and Śiva—were filled with delight. They showered flowers upon Balarāma, praised his valor, and the women of the heavens danced in joy. But on earth, the scene was somber. The wives of the fallen warriors, overwhelmed with sorrow at the loss of their beloved husbands, approached the battlefield. Grief-stricken, they beat their heads and wept, their eyes brimming with tears. Embracing the bodies of their husbands as they lay upon the beds of heroes, the women lamented in sweet but sorrowful voices, pouring out their anguish again and again. “Alas, my lord, my beloved, knower of righteousness, compassionate protector of the helpless!” they cried. “With you slain, we, our children, and our households are all destroyed. Deprived of you, our husband, this city, O best of men, is bereft of beauty, just as we are, and all festivals and auspiciousness have come to an end. You have committed a grievous wrong against innocent beings; O slayer of creatures, who, having brought us to this state, can ever find peace?” They continued, “For all beings, this is truly the source of creation and dissolution. As the protector, one who disregards this duty never attains happiness anywhere.” Seeing their sorrow, Śuka narrates, the Lord—creator of all worlds—comforted the royal women and performed for the slain the proper funeral rites according to worldly custom. Then, having freed his mother and father from their bonds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma bowed low before them, touching their feet with their heads in reverence. Devakī and Vasudeva, recognizing their sons as the Lords of the universe, received this homage with joy and embraced them without fear. Śuka continued: The Supreme Person, knowing that his parents’ deepest wishes had been fulfilled, covered them with his own divine illusion, saying gently, “Do not grieve,” thus bewildering the minds of all people. Approaching his parents with his elder brother, Kṛṣṇa—the best of the Sātvatas—bowed respectfully and, wishing to please them, addressed them with affection as “Mother” and “Father.” He spoke, “O Father, though you and Mother always yearned for us, your sons, we were never able to spend our childhood, boyhood, or youth with you. Because fate prevented us, we could not dwell near you. The happiness that children, cherished in their father’s house, usually enjoy—we did not experience. Even if a mortal lives a hundred years, he cannot repay his parents, from whom his body, the source of all attainments, is born and nourished. If a son, able in body and wealth, does not provide for the livelihood of his parents, after death he is made to eat his own flesh. One who, while able, neglects his aged mother and father, his virtuous wife, young child, teacher, brāhmaṇa, or one who has sought refuge, is as good as dead though living. For us, whose minds were always anxious because of Kaṁsa, these days passed in vain, without worshipping your feet. Therefore, O Father and Mother, you should forgive us—who were dependent and much afflicted by a cruel-hearted man—for not serving you as we should have.” Śuka says that by these words of Hari, the Soul of the universe, who had taken on human form by his own divine power, the parents were deluded. Lifting Kṛṣṇa onto their laps and embracing him, they were filled with joy. Overwhelmed by streams of tears and bound by the ties of deep affection, they could say nothing—their throats choked with emotion, their minds bewildered. Having thus comforted his parents, Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī and Lord of all, installed his maternal grandfather, Ugrasena, as king over the Yadus. He said, “O great king, you should command us and all the people; because of Yayāti’s curse, the Yadus must not sit on the royal throne. When I, your servant, am present, even the gods and others bow down and offer tribute—what then of other human kings?” All the Yadus, Vrishnis, Andhakas, Madhus, Dasharhas, Kukuras, and other kin—who had been distressed in every direction by fear of Kaṁsa—were honored by Kṛṣṇa. He comforted those wearied by exile in foreign lands, settled them in their own homes, and generously gave them wealth. Protected by the strong arms of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, their cherished wishes fulfilled, they lived happily in their homes, all distress dispelled by the presence of Kṛṣṇa and Rāma. Day after day, delighted, they gazed upon Mukunda’s lotus-like face, always radiant and beautiful, beaming with a compassionate smile. Even the elders there appeared youthful and full of vigor, repeatedly drinking with their eyes the nectar of Mukunda’s gentle countenance. Then, O King, the Lord, son of Devakī, together with Balarāma, approached Nanda and warmly embraced him, speaking lovingly: “By you, our affectionate father, we were cherished and deeply cared for. Indeed, parents love their children even more than themselves. That father and mother who nurture children abandoned by relatives and unable to care for themselves, do so as if they were their own sons. Please, father, return to Vraja. We will come to see you and our dear relatives, who are pained by affection, after ensuring the happiness of our friends here.” Thus consoling Nanda and the people of Vraja, Kṛṣṇa honored them with clothing, ornaments, vessels, and other gifts. Overcome with love, Nanda embraced both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, his eyes filled with tears, and departed for Vraja with the cowherds. Afterward, Vasudeva arranged for the proper sacred thread ceremony for his two sons, performed by priests and brāhmaṇas according to tradition. He gave as gifts cows adorned with gold necklaces and fine cloth, with calves, honoring the priests who were similarly adorned. The very cows that wise Vasudeva had mentally dedicated at the birth of Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, but which Kamsa had unlawfully taken, he now gave, recalling his original vow. Having thus received their initiation and attained the status of twice-born, the two noble sons—Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma—undertook the vow of study under Garga and other family preceptors, ready to fulfill their duties as students.