Among the many wives of Krishna, eight queens stood foremost, each blessed with ten distinguished sons. Let me recount their names, beginning with Pradyumna. Born to Rukmini, Pradyumna was accompanied by Charudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Charudeha the mighty, Suchāru, Charugupta, Bhadracāru, Charucandra, Vichāru, and Charu—the tenth son of Hari. These princes, headed by Pradyumna, were not inferior to their illustrious father. Satyabhama’s sons numbered ten: Bhānu, Subhānu, Svarbhānu, Prabhānu, Bhānumān, Chandra Bhānu, Bṛhadbhānu, Ratibhānu, Śrībhānu, and Pratibhānu. Jāmbavatī’s sons, led by Sāmba and esteemed by Krishna, 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 as 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 included 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, O King, and the mothers of Krishna’s children were sixteen thousand. King Parikshit then asked, “How did Rukmi, though insulted by Krishna and seeking to kill him, give his daughter in marriage to Krishna’s son in battle? Please, O wise one, tell me 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 Rukmavatī. Defeating the assembled kings, Aniruddha carried her away alone in his chariot during the battle. Though Rukmi remembered his enmity and the insult from Krishna, he gave his daughter to the son of his sister, pleasing his sister Rukmini. The powerful son of Kritavarma also 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 (Balarama), Krishna, along with Samba, Pradyumna, and others, journeyed 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. Though Balarama was not skilled in dice, he was summoned, and Rukmi played with him. Rama staked a hundred, a thousand, and then ten thousand coins, but Rukmi defeated him. The king of Kalinga laughed at Balarama, showing his teeth loudly, which Halayudha could not tolerate. Then Rukmi staked a hundred thousand coins, and Balarama won that wager. Rukmi, relying on deceit, declared, ‘I have won.’ Filled with wrath, glorious Balarama, like the ocean at its full, his eyes reddened by birth and anger, staked ten million coins. Balarama again won by fair means, though Rukmi resorted to trickery, saying, ‘I have won; let the witnesses declare it.’ Then a voice from the sky declared, ‘The wager was won by Balarama alone; Rukmi speaks falsely, claiming victory by words, not by righteousness.’ Ignoring the heavenly voice, the Vidarbha king, prompted by wicked rulers and by fate, mocked Sankarshana and spoke derisively, ‘You are not skilled in dice, you cowherds who wander the forests; kings play dice and shoot arrows, not men like you.’ Thus insulted by the kings and mocked by Rukmi, Balarama, enraged, raised his club and struck him in the assembly of men. Seizing the king of Kalinga swiftly by his tenth step, Balarama, furious, knocked out his teeth—the same king who had laughed with exposed teeth. Other kings, their arms, thighs, and heads broken and covered in blood, fled in fear, battered by Balarama's club. When Rukmi, his brother-in-law, was slain, Krishna, fearing the breaking of affection between Rukmini and Balarama, neither praised nor condemned the act. Then, having placed Aniruddha and his bride on a splendid chariot, Rama and the Dasharhas departed from Bhojakat for Kushasthali, their purposes fulfilled under the shelter of Madhusudana. King Parikshit then asked, “The foremost of the Yadus married Bāṇa’s daughter Ūṣā. There was a terrible battle between Hari and Śaṅkara at that time. O great yogi, you are worthy to recount all of this in detail.” Śuka replied, “Bāṇa was the eldest among the hundred sons of the great soul Bali—he who gave the earth to Hari in the form of Vāmana. Bāṇa, always devoted to Śiva, was honored, generous, intelligent, steadfast in truth, and firm in his vows. In the beautiful city called Śoṇita, he once ruled as king. By the grace of Śambhu, his attendants were like the immortals. With his thousand arms, he pleased Rudra by playing music during the Tāṇḍava dance. The Lord, master of all beings, refuge and lover of devotees, offered him a boon of his choice, and Bāṇa chose Śiva as his city’s protector. Once, intoxicated with his own strength, he approached Giriśa, who was nearby, and touched his lotus feet with a crown shining like the sun.