O Lord, the path that leads to Your lotus feet, cherished by the wise and realized by the sages, is truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary men and beasts. Your actions are inscrutable, transcending worldly understanding, and only those who sincerely follow You, O Great One, can hope to grasp Your ways. You are, in truth, without possessions, for nothing exists outside of You. Even the mighty and powerful offer tribute at Your feet. Yet, those blinded by endless desires and the intoxication of wealth fail to recognize You, O beloved Lord. Still, even the greatest are dear to You, and You are dear to them. You are the very embodiment of all human aspirations and their fulfillment. The wise, seeking only You, renounce everything else, for Your association is fitting for those detached from worldly pleasure and pain—not for those entangled in the joys and sorrows of men and women. Your greatness, O Soul of the worlds, is praised by sages who have abandoned anger. You are the giver of souls, as I have heard. When Your mere eyebrow signals the force of time, even Brahmā and Śiva lose all their blessings—what, then, of others? O elder brother of Gadā, though Your words may seem simple, the twang of Your bow drove away the assembled kings, and You claimed me as a lion claims his share among animals. Out of fear of those kings, I sought refuge in the ocean. Desiring only You, O lotus-eyed Lord, the foremost of kings—such as Ambarīṣa, Nahuṣa, and Gaya—abandoned their kingdoms and entered the forest. Why, then, do those who remain not follow Your path? Who, having once smelled the fragrance of Your lotus feet—glorified by the virtuous and granting liberation—would seek any other shelter? Yet mortal men, their vision blinded by material pursuits, disregard the abode of Lakṣmī, the treasury of all virtues. I have worshipped You, Lord of all worlds, as is proper. You fulfill all 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 them freedom from all untruth. O Acyuta, in the homes of women, men who are not 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 merely covered with skin, hair, nails, and filled with flesh, bones, blood, worms, excrement, phlegm, bile, and wind—a living corpse. O Lotus-eyed One, may I have unwavering devotion to Your feet, for You are self-satisfied and see no one as separate from Yourself. When, due to old age, the mode of passion arises in someone, if You look upon me, that alone is Your supreme compassion. O Madhusudana, I do not doubt Your words, 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 new objects. A wise man should not keep such a faithless woman; if he does, he loses both sides. Then, the Blessed Lord spoke: “O chaste princess, I have tested you with words to discern your desire to hear. Everything you have asked, 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, My exclusive devotee. O sinless one, your love for your husband and your fidelity have been proven. Even when 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 māyā, 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. At your own wedding, you 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.” Śuka continued: In this way, the Lord of the universe delighted Rukmiṇī with affectionate conversation, playfully imitating the ways of humans and pleasing her with His own words. 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 a householder as if He were a householder Himself. Thereafter, 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. Seeing Acyuta, who never left home, present in their houses, the royal princesses considered Him their dearest, though they did not fully comprehend His true nature. With faces like blooming lotuses, long arms and eyes, with loving glances and sweet words, the Lord enchanted the women, who could not control their minds by their own charms before His majesty. With smiling glances, gestures revealing His inner feelings, and skillful, love-filled words sent with the movement of His brows, the sixteen thousand wives could not disturb His senses with their feminine arts, though they tried with Cupid’s arrows. Thus, 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, helping Him rest, fanning Him, preparing fragrant garlands, arranging His hair, preparing His bed, bathing Him, and making other offerings. Of Krishna’s wives, those who were foremost among the ten sons are eight queens; I will name their sons, beginning with Pradyumna. They are Charudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Charudeha the mighty, Suchāru, Charugupta, Bhadracāru, and another. Charucandra, Vichāru, and Charu are the tenth of Hari; these, headed by Pradyumna, were born to Rukmiṇī, not inferior to their father. Bhānu, Subhānu, Svarbhānu, Prabhānu, Bhānumān, Chandra Bhānu, Bṛhadbhānu, and Ratibhānu are the eight. Śrībhānu and Pratibhānu are the ten sons of Satyabhāmā; Sāmba, Sumitra, Purujit, Shatajita, and Sahasrajit. Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasumān, Draviḍa, and Kratu—these are the sons of Jāmbavatī, headed by Sāmba, esteemed by their father. Vīra Chandra, Ashvasena, Citragu, Vegavān, Vṛṣa, Āma, Shaṅku, Vasu, Śrīmān, and Kuntir—these are the sons of Nāgnajit. Śruta, Kavi, Vṛṣa, Vīra, Subāhu, Bhadra, Ekala, Śānti, Darśa, and Pūrṇamāsa are the sons of Kālindī; Somaka is the youngest. Praghoṣa, Gātravān, Siṃha, Bala, Prabala, Ūrdhvaga, Mahāśakti, Saha, Oja, and Aparājita are the sons of Mādrī. Vṛka, Harṣa, Anila, Gṛdhra, Vardhana, Annāda, Mahāśa, Pāvana, and Vahni are the sons of Mitravinda, along with Kṣudhi. Thus, the Lord, surrounded by His devoted queens and noble sons, displayed His divine household pastimes, ever the source of wonder and delight for all beings.