After bowing respectfully to their elders and being warmly greeted by the younger ones, the gathered families exchanged words of welcome, inquiring after each other’s well-being. Their conversations naturally turned to Kṛṣṇa, and together they rejoiced in discussing his glories. Pṛthā—Kuntī—seeing her brothers, sisters, their children, her parents, the wives of her brothers, and Mukunda himself, found her sorrow melting away in the comfort of their company and conversation. Yet, with a heavy heart, Kuntī addressed her noble brothers, saying, “O best of men, I count myself unfortunate, for in times of distress, you do not remember my plight.” She reflected further, “Friends, relatives, sons, brothers, and even parents—when fate turns against someone, do not remember their own kin.” To this, Śrī Vasudeva gently replied, “O mother, bear no resentment toward these men, for we are all but toys in the hands of destiny. The world is under the Lord’s control; it is he who causes and compels all actions. All of us, tormented by Kaṃsa, were scattered in every direction. But now, O sister, by fate alone, we have once again found our proper place.” Śuka, the sage, continued: Honored by Vasudeva, Ugrasena, and the Yadus, the assembled kings were filled with supreme joy and contentment upon beholding Acyuta, Kṛṣṇa himself. Bhīṣma, Droṇa, the son of Ambikā (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), Gandhārī with her sons, the Pāṇḍavas with their wives, Kuntī, Sañjaya, Vidura, and Kṛpa were all present. So too were Kuntībhoja, Virāṭa, Bhīṣmaka, the great Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Śalya, Dhṛṣṭaketu, and the king of Kāśi. Damaghoṣa, Viśālākṣa, the king of Mithilā, the Madra and Kekaya kings, Yudhāmanyu, Suśarmā, the sons of Bāhlika, and many others—kings devoted to Yudhiṣṭhira—were all there. All these kings, O King, were astonished as they beheld the glorious form of Śauri, the abode of Śrī, standing with his wives. Duly honored by Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, they joyfully praised the Vṛṣṇis, followers of Kṛṣṇa. They exclaimed, “Ah, O king of the Bhojas, you are truly blessed among men, for you behold Kṛṣṇa again and again—he who is difficult even for yogis to see. His fame is praised by the Vedas; his pure glory sanctifies, and the water that washes his feet, his words, and his teachings purify all. Even this earth, though deprived of fortune by time, is showered with blessings by the power of his lotus feet. By seeing him, touching him, following in his footsteps, conversing, sharing beds, seats, meals, kinship, and family ties—even while dwelling in houses on the path to hell—Viṣṇu himself, the giver of heaven and liberation, has become your companion.” Śuka continued: Nanda, hearing that the Yadus had arrived, led by Kṛṣṇa, came there, surrounded by cowherds and bringing gifts fit for the occasion, eager to see them. Seeing Nanda, the Vṛṣṇis were overjoyed, as if their very lives had returned to their bodies. Their longing for reunion after so long was so intense that they embraced him tightly. Vasudeva, embracing Nanda with great affection, was overwhelmed with love and remembered the hardships caused by Kaṃsa and how he had entrusted his son to Gokula. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma embraced their foster parents and offered obeisance, but tears of love choked their voices, and they could not speak. Seating their beloved sons on their own seats, Yaśodā and her husband embraced them with both arms, letting go of all their sorrows. Rohiṇī and Devakī then embraced Yaśodā, the queen of Vraja. Remembering her friendship, their throats choked with tears as they spoke, “Who could ever forget your unwavering friendship, O Queen of Vraja? Even after attaining and relinquishing the sovereignty of Indra, there is no recompense for it in this world. Your parents, having delighted in you, prospered, nourished, and protected you, fulfilling their duty as eyelashes protect the eyes. The virtuous have nothing to fear, for heaven is not their ultimate goal.” Śuka described how the gopīs, having at last seen their beloved Kṛṣṇa, cursed their own eyelashes for even momentarily obstructing their vision. 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. The Blessed Lord, approaching the gopīs in solitude, embraced them, inquired after their well-being, and, smiling, spoke these words: “Do you remember our friendship? We, intent on fulfilling our own 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 among beings leads to immortality. By good fortune, your affection for me has arisen, dispelling all obstacles. I am indeed the beginning, the end, and the inner and outer essence of all beings, just as space, water, earth, air, and light are for material elements. Thus, these 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 said, “May the lotus-footed Lord, whose feet are contemplated in the heart by yogic masters endowed with profound wisdom, and who is the support for 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, entitled “The Meeting of the Vṛṣṇis and Gopas,” in the Tenth Book, second half, of the glorious Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the scripture of the supreme paramahaṃsa. The narrative continues: Having thus blessed the gopīs, the Lord, their teacher and refuge, inquired after Yudhiṣṭhira and all his steadfast friends. Those who were thus questioned by the Lord of the worlds, and honored by him, replied with joyful hearts, their sins destroyed by the sight of his feet. They said, “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. Having abandoned the threefold states of self, purified of all actions, we have attained uninterrupted bliss and unimpeded knowledge. Through yoga, established by the scriptures and time, we have bowed to your form, the supreme path of the paramahaṃsa, though fashioned by māyā.” The sage Śuka continued: Thus, the wives of the Andhaka and Kaurava clans, having gathered, praised the crown-jewel of those with noble fame among people. Meeting together, they sang Govinda’s stories to each other—stories celebrated throughout the three worlds. “Listen,” said Śuka, “I shall describe them to you.