Rukmiṇī, her heart full of devotion, addressed Krishna, the Lotus-eyed One, saying, “May I always have unwavering devotion to Your feet. You are self-satisfied and see no one as separate from Yourself. When, in old age, the force of passion arises in someone, and You cast Your glance upon me, that alone is Your supreme compassion.” She continued, “O Madhusudana, I do not doubt Your words. For a maiden’s love is generally for her mother, and only sometimes for another. Even a married woman of fickle character turns her mind again and again to something new. A wise man should not keep such a faithless woman; if he does, he loses both sides.” Hearing these words, the Blessed Lord spoke gently to her: “O chaste princess, I was only testing you with words, eager to see your heart’s desire to hear Me. Everything I have spoken is true. O beautiful one, whatever desires you may have, if you are devoted only to Me, they are always fulfilled, for you are My exclusive devotee. Your love and fidelity to your husband are proven, for even when I tested you with unsettling words, your mind remained steady and fixed on Me.” He continued, “Those who worship Me in married life, performing austerities and vows, but who are still attached to desires, are deluded by My māyā, thinking of Me as the lord of liberation. Those proud ones who, after attaining Me and the wealth of liberation, still desire material prosperity and a husband, are unfortunate. Even in hell, for such people, hell seems pleasant because of their attachment to their own kind.” “O mistress of the house,” Krishna said, “by good fortune you have always acted in accordance with My will—a rare thing, which liberates one from birth, even for women who are difficult to please, whose desires are hard to satisfy, and who may resort to deceit. O proud one, nowhere do I see a wife as devoted as you. At your own wedding, you ignored all the assembled kings and secretly sent the brahmin who had heard My glories to Me.” “When your brother was defeated and humiliated in battle and killed at the gambling arena during the wedding festival, you endured that unbearable sorrow in silence, out of fear of being separated from Me. In this way, you have conquered Me. When you sent a messenger with a secret message to win Me, and when you thought I might abandon this unworthy body, you remained steadfast in Me; and for that, I respond in kind.” Śuka then said, “In this way, the Lord of the universe delighted Rukmiṇī with His affectionate words, playfully imitating the ways of humans. In the same manner, Lord Hari, the all-pervading teacher of the world, resided in each of His wives’ homes, upholding the duties of a householder as if He were Himself a householder.” In due course, each of Krishna’s wives bore ten sons, each equal in strength and qualities to their father, and a ninth son as well. The royal princesses, seeing Acyuta always present in their homes, regarded Him as their dearest, though they did not truly know His divine nature. With faces like blooming lotuses, long arms and eyes, loving glances, and sweet words, the Lord enchanted the women, who could not control their minds by their own beauty or 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 tried to captivate Him with all their feminine arts, but could not disturb His senses, though they tried with Cupid’s arrows. Having attained the Lord of Lakshmi as their husband, these women—whose path even Brahmā and the other gods 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, arranging for His rest, fanning Him, offering fragrant garlands, arranging His hair, preparing His bed, bathing Him, and making other offerings. Among Krishna’s wives, the foremost among the ten sons of each were the eight principal queens. Their sons, beginning with Pradyumna, were: Charudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Charudeha the mighty, Suchāru, Charugupta, Bhadracāru, and another; Charucandra, Vichāru, and Charu were the tenth, all born to Rukmiṇī and not inferior to their father. Satyabhāmā’s sons were Bhānu, Subhānu, Svarbhānu, Prabhānu, Bhānumān, Chandra Bhānu, Bṛhadbhānu, Ratibhānu, Śrībhānu, and Pratibhānu. Jāmbavatī’s sons, headed by Sāmba, were Sāmba, Sumitra, Purujit, Shatajita, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasumān, Draviḍa, and Kratu. Nāgnajit’s sons were Vīra Chandra, Ashvasena, Citragu, Vegavān, Vṛṣa, Āma, Shaṅku, Vasu, Śrīmān, and Kuntir. Kālindī’s sons were Śruta, Kavi, Vṛṣa, Vīra, Subāhu, Bhadra, Ekala, Śānti, Darśa, and Pūrṇamāsa, with Somaka being the youngest. Mādrī’s sons were Praghoṣa, Gātravān, Siṃha, Bala, Prabala, Ūrdhvaga, Mahāśakti, Saha, Oja, and Aparājita. Mitravindā’s sons were Vṛka, Harṣa, Anila, Gṛdhra, Vardhana, Annāda, Mahāśa, Pāvana, Vahni, and Kṣudhi. Bhadrā’s sons were Saṅgrāmajit, Bṛhatsena, Śūra, Praharaṇa, Arijit, Jaya, Subhadra, Vāmāyu, and Satyaka. Rohiṇī’s sons included Dīptimān, Tāmra, Taptā, and others. From Pradyumna and Rukmavatī, the daughter of Rukmi in the city of Bhojakaṭa, was born Aniruddha, a mighty son. Krishna’s sons and grandsons numbered in the tens of millions, O King, for the mothers of Krishna’s children were sixteen thousand. At this, King Parīkṣit asked, “How did Rukmi, though insulted by Krishna and seeking to kill Him, give his daughter in marriage to Krishna’s son in battle? Tell me, O wise one, the story of the wedding between these rivals.” Śuka replied, “O King, yogis can perceive what is past, future, present, beyond the senses, distant, or hidden. In the svayamvara, Rukmavatī, Rukmi’s daughter, chose Pradyumna, who was like Cupid himself, endowed with many virtues. Defeating the assembled kings, Pradyumna carried her away alone in his chariot during the battle. Although Rukmi remembered his enmity towards Krishna, he still gave his daughter to the son of his sister, pleasing her heart.” “The powerful son of Kṛtavarmā married Rukmiṇī’s daughter, a maiden of wide eyes and renowned beauty. Rukmi gave his granddaughter, Rocanā, to Aniruddha, the grandson of Hari, despite their ongoing feud, wishing to please his sister. Though he knew the union was improper, he was bound by ties of affection.” “At that auspicious event, O King, Rukmiṇī, Balarāma (Rāma), Krishna, along with Sāmba, Pradyumna, and others, went to the city of Bhojakaṭa to attend the wedding, marking a remarkable union of two great families.