O King, at that time, hundreds of others—friends and rivals alike—joined the gathering, including Nanda, the cowherds, and the gopīs, who had long yearned for this reunion. The joy of seeing one another after so long filled their hearts; their faces bloomed like lotuses in the sun. They embraced tightly, tears streaming from their eyes, their bodies thrilled with delight, voices choked with emotion, and in that moment, they found true happiness. The women, too, met with deep affection. Smiling with pure glances, they embraced one another, their breasts—adorned with kumkum—pressed together, arms entwined, eyes brimming with tears of love. After paying respects to their elders and being greeted by the younger ones, everyone exchanged warm welcomes and inquired after each other's well-being. Soon, their conversations turned naturally to Kṛṣṇa, the center of their lives. Pṛthā (Kuntī), seeing her brothers, sisters, their children, her parents, the wives of her brothers, and Mukunda himself, felt her sorrow melt away through their loving words. Yet she spoke, “My noble brothers, I do not count myself among the truly blessed, for, O best of men, in times of distress you do not remember the hardship I endure. Friends, relatives, sons, brothers, and even parents, when fate turns against them, forget their own kin.” Vasudeva replied gently, “O mother, do not bear resentment toward these men, for all are but playthings in the hands of destiny. The world moves under the Lord’s control—He causes and compels all actions. We were scattered in every direction, tormented by Kaṃsa, but now, O sister, by fate alone, we have found our proper place once more.” All the assembled kings—honored by Vasudeva, Ugrasena, and the Yadus—were filled with supreme joy and contentment upon beholding Acyuta. Among them were Bhīṣma, Droṇa, the son of Ambikā, Gandhārī with her sons, the Pāṇḍavas with their wives, Kuntī, Sañjaya, Vidura, and Kṛpa; also Kuntībhoja, Virāṭa, Bhīṣmaka, the great Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Śalya, Dhṛṣṭaketu, the king of Kāśi, Damaghoṣa, Viśālākṣa, the king of Mithilā, the Madra and Kekaya kings, Yudhāmanyu, Suśarmā, the sons of Bāhlika, and many others devoted to Yudhiṣṭhira. All were astonished as they gazed upon the glorious form of Śauri, the abode of Śrī, together with his wives. Having been honored by Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, they joyfully praised the Vṛṣṇis, Kṛṣṇa’s own kin. “Ah, O king of the Bhojas,” they said, “you are truly blessed among men, for you behold Kṛṣṇa again and again, whom even great yogis struggle to see. His fame is praised by the Vedas, his pure glory sanctifies, and his foot-washing water, words, and teachings purify all. Even this earth, though deprived of fortune by time, is showered with blessings by the touch of his lotus feet. To see him, touch him, follow in his footsteps, converse, share beds, seats, meals, kinship, and family ties—even while living in houses that are on the path to hell—Vishnu himself, the giver of heaven and liberation, has become your companion.” Meanwhile, Nanda, learning that the Yadus had arrived, led by Kṛṣṇa, came with the cowherds, eager for reunion and bringing gifts suitable for the occasion. Seeing him, the Vṛṣṇis were overjoyed, as if their very lives had returned to them. After so long, they embraced him tightly. Vasudeva, overwhelmed with love, remembered the hardships caused by Kaṃsa and the entrusting of his son to Gokula. Kṛṣṇa and Rāma embraced their parents, offering obeisance, but their voices failed, choked with tears of love. Seating Nanda and Yaśodā on their own seats, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma embraced them with both arms, and the blessed Yaśodā and her husband let go of all their sorrows for their sons. Rohiṇī and Devakī then embraced the queen of Vraja, Yaśodā; remembering her unwavering friendship, their throats choked with tears as they spoke, “Who could ever forget your steadfast love, O Queen of Vraja? Even after attaining and relinquishing the sovereignty of Indra, there is no way to repay such devotion in this world. Your parents delighted in you, prospered, nourished, and protected you—they fulfilled their duty as eyelashes protect the eyes. Truly, the virtuous have no fear, for heaven is not their goal.” The gopīs, having at last seen their beloved Kṛṣṇa, cursed their own eyelashes for obstructing their vision, even for a moment. Embracing him with their eyes, they absorbed him into their hearts, attaining a state of devotion rarely achieved, even by those always united with him. Kṛṣṇa, approaching them in solitude, embraced them, inquired after their well-being, and smiling, spoke gently: “Do you remember our friendship? We, intent on fulfilling our purposes, departed for so long, our minds absorbed in destroying the enemy’s faction. Did you perhaps resent us, suspecting us of ingratitude? Surely, the Lord unites and separates all beings. Just as the wind gathers and scatters clouds, grass, cotton, and dust, so too does the Creator unite and disperse all beings. Devotion to me leads to immortality, and by good fortune, your affection for me has arisen, dispelling all obstacles. I am the beginning, end, and inner and outer essence of all beings, just as space, water, earth, air, and light are for the elements. Thus, beings exist within beings, through the Self and the Supreme Self—both are seen in me and in the transcendent, by those who perceive the imperishable.” Thus instructed by Kṛṣṇa in spiritual knowledge, the gopīs, their vital energies dissolved in remembrance of him, transcended their individual selves. They prayed, “May the lotus-footed Lord, whose feet are contemplated in the heart by yogic masters endowed with wisdom, and who supports deliverance from the well of worldly existence, always arise in our minds, even as we dwell in our homes.” Thus ends the eighty-second chapter, “The Meeting of the Vṛṣṇis and Gopas,” in the tenth book, second half, of the glorious Bhāgavata Purāṇa, scripture of the supreme paramahaṃsa. Thereafter, Śuka said, having thus blessed the gopīs, the Lord, their teacher and refuge, inquired after Yudhiṣṭhira and all his steadfast friends. Those whom the Lord of the worlds so questioned and honored replied with joyful hearts, their sins destroyed by the sight of his feet. “How could anything inauspicious arise from the nectar of your lotus feet, O great one, which sometimes flows from your mouth? Those who drink it with the cups of their ears, O Lord, find it sufficient to sever the bondage of embodied existence and the forgetfulness caused by the body.