The Blessed Lord Krishna, addressing Rukmini, spoke with gentle affection, “O chaste princess, I have tested you with words to discern your true desire to hear of Me. Know that all you have asked, and all I have spoken, is indeed true.” He continued, “O beautiful and auspicious lady, whatever desires you may hold, if your devotion is fixed solely upon Me, they are always fulfilled, for you are My exclusive devotee. Your sinless love for your husband and your unwavering fidelity have been proven; even when agitated by My challenging words, your mind never wavered from Me.” Krishna explained further, “Those who worship Me in married life, observing austerity and vows, but remain attached to worldly desires, are deluded by My maya, thinking of Me only as the lord of liberation. And those proud souls who, after attaining Me—the Lord and the wealth of liberation—still seek material prosperity or a husband, are unfortunate indeed. Even in hell, they find pleasure, attached as they are to their own kind.” He praised Rukmini, saying, “O mistress of the house, by good fortune you have repeatedly acted in accordance with My wishes, which is rare and liberates one from birth, even for women whose desires are difficult to fulfill and who may 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, disregarded the assembled kings and secretly sent the brahmin who had heard My glories to fetch Me. 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 said nothing; thus, you have conquered us.” Krishna recalled, “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, the sage, described how the Lord of the universe, through such affectionate conversation, delighted Rukmini with His words, playfully imitating human ways. In the same manner, Lord Hari, the all-pervading teacher of the world, resided in each of His wives’ homes, upholding the duties of householders as if He were a householder Himself. Then, Śuka said, each of Krishna’s wives bore ten sons, and a ninth son as well, all endowed with their father’s qualities and equal in strength. Seeing Acyuta—Krishna, who never left home—present in their houses, the royal princesses considered Him their dearest, though they did not fully understand His divine nature. With faces like blooming lotuses, long arms and eyes, and loving glances accompanied by 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 Lakshmi as their husband, these women—whose path even Brahma 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, resting, fanning Him, giving fragrant garlands, arranging His hair, preparing His bed, bathing Him, and other offerings. Of Krishna’s wives, those who were foremost among the ten sons were eight queens. Their sons, beginning with Pradyumna, were Charudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Charudeha the mighty, Suchāru, Charugupta, Bhadracāru, Charucandra, Vichāru, and Charu—the tenth. These, headed by Pradyumna, were born to Rukmini and were not inferior to their father. Satyabhama’s ten 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; Somaka was the youngest. Mādrī’s sons were Praghoṣa, Gātravān, Siṃha, Bala, Prabala, Ūrdhvaga, Mahāśakti, Saha, Oja, and Aparājita. Mitravinda’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 were Dīptimān, Tāmra, Taptā, and others. From Pradyumna came Aniruddha, born to Rukmavatī, the mighty daughter of Rukmi, in the city of Bhojakaṭa. The sons and grandsons of Krishna numbered in the tens of millions, and the mothers of Krishna’s children were sixteen thousand. King Parikshit then asked, “How did Rukmi, though insulted by Krishna and seeking an opportunity 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, “Yogis perceive clearly what is past, future, present, beyond the senses, distant, or hidden. In the svayamvara, Cupid himself, endowed with many limbs, was chosen by her; defeating the assembled kings, he carried her away alone in his chariot during the battle. Although Rukmi, remembering his enmity and having been insulted by Krishna, gave his daughter to the son of his sister, thus pleasing his sister.” The powerful son of Kritavarma married Rukmini’s daughter, a maiden of wide eyes and renowned beauty. Rukmi gave his granddaughter, Rocana, to Aniruddha, the grandson of Hari, despite their ongoing feud, wishing to please his sister; knowing the union was improper, he was bound by ties of affection. At that auspicious event, Rukmini, Rama, Krishna, Samba, Pradyumna, and others went to the city of Bhojakaṭa. When the wedding was completed, the kings led by the ruler of Kalinga, proud and arrogant, challenged Rukmi to defeat Balarama in dice. “This one does not know dice, O King, yet even so, the loss is great,” they said. Thus addressed, Balarama was summoned, and Rukmi played dice with him. There, Rama staked a hundred, a thousand, and then ten thousand coins; Rukmi defeated him, and the king of Kalinga laughed at Balarama, showing his teeth loudly—a gesture Halayudha could not tolerate.