As soon as he saw her distress, the four-armed Lord Krishna swiftly descended from his couch. With gentle compassion, he raised Rukmiṇī up, carefully gathering her disheveled hair and lovingly wiping her tear-stained face with his lotus hand. He dried the tears from her eyes and soothed her sorrowful heart, even as her chest was damp with grief. Embracing his devoted wife with his strong arm, Krishna comforted her, for she was devoted to none but him. Krishna, the knower of hearts and master of consolation, spoke to Rukmiṇī with deep compassion. Though she was bewildered by pride and wounded by his playful teasing, she was undeserving of such sorrow. As the refuge of the virtuous, Krishna sought to soothe her pain. He spoke gently, “Do not be angry, O princess of Vidarbha. I know your devotion to me is unwavering. I only wished to hear your words and so I acted playfully, O fair one. I longed to see your face, your lips trembling in loving excitement, your sidelong glances reddened, and the beautiful curve of your frowning brows. For householders, O timid and lovely one, the greatest joy in family life is to spend time in playful conversation with their beloved.” Thus consoled by the Lord’s words, Rukmiṇī understood that Krishna had spoken only in jest. Her fear of abandonment melted away. Looking up at Krishna’s radiant face, she spoke to him with a gentle, affectionate glance and a smile full of modesty. She said, “Indeed, O lotus-eyed one, what you have said is true. How could I, with such insignificant qualities and little knowledge, ever be a fitting match for you—the Lord, master of all opulence, who delights in your own greatness? Truly, O mighty-armed, you dwell within all virtues, yet remain untouched by them, just as the ocean lies beneath the waves. Ever free from the senses, you assume forms for your devotees, dispelling the dense darkness of ignorance from the hearts of kings. The path to your lotus feet, cherished by sages, is difficult for ordinary men and beasts to comprehend, O Lord, for your actions are beyond worldly understanding; only those who follow you can grasp your ways. You are truly without possessions, for nothing exists apart from you; even the powerful offer tribute to you. Those blinded by insatiable desire and wealth do not know you, my beloved, yet even the mighty are dear to you, and you are dear to them. You are the embodiment of all human goals and their fruits. Wise men, desiring only you, renounce everything else. O Lord, your association is fitting for them, not for those absorbed in the pleasures and pains of men and women. Your greatness is praised by sages who have set aside anger; you are the soul and giver of souls to the worlds—so I have heard. When your eyebrow signals the force of time, even Brahmā and Śiva lose their blessings; what then of others? O elder brother of Gadā, your words may seem dull, but with the twang of your bow you drove away kings and took me, just as a lion seizes his share among animals. Out of fear of them, I sought refuge in the ocean. Desiring you, O lotus-eyed one, the foremost of kings—such as Ambarīṣa, Nahuṣa, and Gaya—abandoned their kingdoms and entered the forest; yet those who remain here, why do they not follow your path? Who, after smelling the fragrance of your lotus feet, spoken of by the virtuous and granting liberation, would seek any other shelter? Mortal men, blinded by material pursuits, disregard the abode of Lakṣmī, the treasury of virtues. I have worshipped you, Lord of all worlds, as is proper; you are the fulfiller of desires in this life and the next. May your feet be my sole refuge as I wander through the cycles of birth, for you surely come to those who worship you, granting freedom from falsehood. O Acyuta, in the homes of women, the men instructed by you are like donkeys, cows, horses, cats, and servants; if your stories, sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā, do not reach their ears, what is the use of their lives? A foolish woman, who has not tasted the nectar of your lotus feet, cherishes her beloved—whose body is covered with skin, hair, and nails, filled with flesh, bones, blood, worms, excrement, phlegm, bile, and wind—a living corpse. O Lotus-eyed One, may I have devotion to your feet, for you are self-satisfied and see no one as separate from yourself. When, due to the influence of old age, the mode of passion increases in someone, and you look upon me, that alone is your supreme compassion for us. O Madhusudana, I do not think your words are false. For a maiden’s love is generally for her mother, and only sometimes for another. Even for a married woman of loose character, her mind turns again and again to something new. A wise man should not keep such a faithless woman; if he does, he loses both sides.” Krishna, the Blessed Lord, replied, “O chaste one, princess, you have been tested by me with words meant to see your longing to hear. Everything you have asked about, as I have spoken, is indeed true. O beautiful one, whatever desires you may have, if you are devoted only to me, O auspicious lady, they are always fulfilled for you, who are my exclusive devotee. O sinless one, your love for your husband and your fidelity have been proven. Even when you were agitated by my words, your mind did not waver from me. Those who worship me in married life, with austerity and vows, but are attached to desires, are deluded by my maya, thinking of me as the lord of liberation. Those proud ones who, after attaining me—the Lord and the wealth of liberation—still desire material prosperity and a husband, are unfortunate. Even in hell, for such people, hell is pleasant because of their attachment to their own kind. O mistress of the house, by good fortune you have repeatedly acted in accordance with me, which is rare and liberates one from birth, even for women who are difficult to please, whose desires are hard to fulfill, and who indulge in deceit. O proud one, I do not see in any household a wife as devoted as you, who, at the time of your own wedding, did not consider the kings who had come, but sent the brahmin who had heard my glories to me in secret. When your brother was disfigured in battle and killed at the gambling arena during the wedding festival, you endured that unbearable sorrow out of fear of separation from me, and did not say anything; thus, you have conquered us. When you sent a messenger with a secret message to obtain me, and when you thought I might abandon this unworthy body, you remained steadfast in me; for that, we respond in kind.” Thus, Śuka said, the Lord of the universe, by affectionate conversation, delighted Rukmiṇī with his own words, playfully imitating human ways. In the same manner, the all-pervading Lord Hari, as the teacher of the world, resided in each of his wives’ homes, upholding the duties of householders as if he were a householder himself. Then, each of Krishna’s wives bore ten sons, each equal in strength, and a ninth son as well, all endowed with their father’s qualities. Though Krishna, Acyuta, never left home and was present in each of their houses, the royal princesses considered him their dearest beloved, though they did not truly know his divine nature. With faces like blooming lotuses, long arms and eyes, Krishna enchanted the women with loving glances and sweet words. Their own charms could not captivate him, for his majesty was beyond compare. With smiling glances, gestures revealing his inner feelings, and skillful, love-filled words sent with the movement of his brows, the sixteen thousand wives tried with all their feminine arts, but could not disturb his senses, even with Cupid’s arrows. Having attained the Lord of Lakṣmī as their husband, those women—whose path even Brahmā and the others do not know—joyfully served him with unceasing affection, eager for his smile, glance, touch, and embrace. Hundreds of maidservants attended the Lord, performing duties such as welcoming him, offering seats, washing his feet, providing betel, resting, fanning, fragrant garlands, arranging his hair, preparing his bed, bathing, and various other offerings, ensuring that the Lord of all was lovingly served in every way.