In the assembly of noble souls, a gathering of illustrious kings and revered elders had come together. Bhīṣma, Droṇa, the son of Ambikā, Gandhārī with her sons, the Pāṇḍavas with their wives, Kuntī, Sañjaya, Vidura, and Kṛpa were all present, their hearts united in reverence. Alongside them stood Kuntībhoja, Virāṭa, Bhīṣmaka, the great Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Śalya, Dhṛṣṭaketu, and the king of Kāśi, each bearing the dignity of their own realms. Damaghoṣa, Viśālākṣa, the king of Mithilā, the Madra and Kekaya kings, Yudhāmanyu, Suśarmā, and the sons of Bāhlika, among many others, had also assembled. All these kings, devoted to Yudhiṣṭhira, were struck with wonder as they beheld the radiant form of Śauri—Kṛṣṇa, the abode of Śrī—surrounded by His wives. Honored by Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, the guests joyfully praised the Vṛṣṇis, Kṛṣṇa's kin and followers. They exclaimed, “O king of the Bhojas, how blessed you are among men, for you behold Kṛṣṇa again and again, He whom even the yogis, with their arduous practices, find difficult to see. His fame is celebrated by the Vedas; His pure glory sanctifies all. The water that washes His feet, His words, and His teachings purify. Though time has deprived the earth of fortune, it is showered with blessings from the touch of His lotus feet. By seeing Him, touching Him, following in His footsteps, conversing, sharing beds and seats, meals, kinship, and family ties—even while living in houses destined for decay—Vishnu Himself, the giver of heaven and liberation, has become your companion.” Meanwhile, Nanda, hearing that the Yadus had arrived led by Kṛṣṇa, came forth, surrounded by cowherds, eager to see his beloved ones, bringing gifts suitable for the occasion. The Vṛṣṇis, upon seeing Nanda, were overjoyed—as if their very lives had returned after a long separation. They embraced him tightly, hearts brimming with longing and affection. Vasudeva, overwhelmed with love, embraced Nanda and recalled the hardships caused by Kaṃsa and the time when he had entrusted his son to Gokula. Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, seeing their parents, embraced them and offered their obeisance, but their voices were choked with tears of love and could not utter a word. Seating their parents on their own seats and embracing them with both arms, the blessed Yaśodā and her husband released all their sorrows for their sons. Rohiṇī and Devakī then embraced the queen of Vraja, Yaśodā, recalling her friendship with tears streaming down their faces. They said, “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, prospered, nourished, and protected you, have fulfilled their duty. Just as eyelashes protect the eyes, so too do the virtuous live without fear, for heaven is not their ultimate goal.” The gopīs, at last seeing their beloved Kṛṣṇa, cursed their own eyelashes for obstructing their vision. They embraced Him with their eyes, absorbed Him into their hearts, and attained a state of devotion rarely achieved even by those always united with Him. The Blessed Lord, approaching them in solitude, embraced them, inquired after their well-being, and smiling, spoke: “Do you remember our friendship, and how 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, 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 through 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 is the support for deliverance from the well of worldly existence, always arise in our minds, even as we dwell in our homes.” So ends the eighty-second chapter, “The Meeting of the Vṛṣṇis and Gopas,” in the tenth book, second half, of the glorious Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the scripture of the supreme paramahaṃsa. After blessing the gopīs, the Lord, the teacher and refuge of all, turned His attention to Yudhiṣṭhira and his steadfast friends, inquiring after their welfare. Those who had been thus questioned by the Lord of the worlds, and honored, 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 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, celebrated throughout the three worlds. Śrī Draupadī, addressing the wives of Kṛṣṇa, said: “O Vaidarbhī, O Bhadrā, O Jāmbavatī, O Kauśalā, O Satyabhāmā, O Kālindī, O Śaibyā, O Rohiṇī, O Lakṣmaṇā—O wives of Kṛṣṇa, please tell us: how did the Lord Himself marry you, imitating worldly ways by His own divine power?” Śrī Rukmiṇī spoke: “When warriors with drawn bows tried to offer me to the king of Cedi, the dust of whose feet crowned the heads of the king’s soldiers, He carried me away like a lion seizing his share from a herd of goats. May the feet of that Lord, the abode of Śrī, be worshipped by me.” Śrī Satyabhāmā said: “He, who, to wipe away the curse smeared upon me by my co-wife, defeated the king of the earth and brought the jewel, frightened my father and others, and even though I was given to another, He took me for Himself.” Śrī Jāmbavatī said: “Recognizing Him as the maker of bodies and my destined Lord, the husband of Sītā fought with my father for twenty-one days. Knowing Him to be tested, my father offered me to Him, and grasping His feet with the jewel, I became His servant.” Śrī Kālindī said: “Knowing I was performing austerities with the desire to touch His feet, He approached me as a friend, took my hand, and I became the sweeper of His house.” Śrī Mitravindā said: “He came to my svayaṃvara, defeated the kings, and carried me away like an elephant seizing his own mate from a herd. He drove away my brothers and brought me to His own city, the abode of fortune. May I have the privilege of serving His feet.” Śrī Satyā said: “My father, to test the strength and valor of the kings, had seven fierce, sharp-horned bulls. He, the destroyer of the pride of heroes, subdued them with ease and bound them as a child binds young calves.” Thus, in the company of noble souls, the stories of the Lord’s divine marriages were recounted, each tale bearing witness to His power, compassion, and the unwavering devotion of those who loved Him.