As the great assembly gathered, kings from every corner of the land arrived to honor Yudhiṣṭhira. Among them were Kuntībhoja, Virāṭa, Bhīṣmaka, the illustrious Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Śalya, Dhṛṣṭaketu, and the king of Kāśi. Damaghoṣa, Viśālākṣa, the ruler of Mithilā, the kings of Madra and Kekaya, Yudhāmanyu, Suśarmā, the sons of Bāhlika, and many others joined them. All these monarchs, devoted to Yudhiṣṭhira, looked on in astonishment at the radiant form of Śauri—Kṛṣṇa himself—the very abode of Śrī, surrounded by his wives. Having been honored by Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, the kings praised the Vṛṣṇis, Kṛṣṇa’s kin and followers, with great joy. They exclaimed, “O king of the Bhojas, how truly blessed you are among men! You behold Kṛṣṇa again and again, he who is difficult for even the yogis to see. The Vedas praise his fame, his pure glory sanctifies all, and even the water from washing his feet, his words, and teachings purify the world. Though fortune has faded from the earth with time, the touch of his lotus feet showers blessings everywhere.” They marveled further, “By seeing him, touching him, following in his footsteps, conversing, sharing beds, seats, meals, kinship, and family ties—even while dwelling in houses destined for suffering—Vishnu himself, the giver of heaven and liberation, has become your companion.” Meanwhile, Nanda, hearing that the Yadus had arrived led by Kṛṣṇa, came eagerly, surrounded by cowherds and bearing gifts suitable for the occasion. The Vṛṣṇis, upon seeing Nanda, were overjoyed, as if their very life had returned to their bodies. Longing for reunion after so long, they embraced him tightly. Vasudeva, overwhelmed with love, embraced Nanda and remembered the hardships caused by Kaṃsa and the time when he entrusted his son to Gokula. Kṛṣṇa and Rāma embraced their parents and offered obeisance, but tears of love choked their words. Seating Nanda and Yaśodā on their own seat, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma 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, recalling her unwavering friendship, their throats choked with tears as they spoke: “Who could ever forget your steadfast friendship, O Queen of Vraja? Even after attaining and relinquishing the sovereignty of Indra, there is no recompense for it in this world.” They continued, “Your parents, having delighted, prospered, nourished, and protected you, have fulfilled their duty. Just as eyelashes protect the eyes, so too do the virtuous have no fear, for heaven is not their ultimate goal.” The gopīs, at last seeing their beloved Kṛṣṇa, cursed their own eyelashes for obstructing their vision. Embracing him with their eyes, they absorbed him into their hearts, attaining a devotion rarely achieved even by those always united with him. The Blessed Lord approached them in solitude, embraced them, inquired about 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.” He continued, “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.” Instructed thus 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 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 ended the chapter entitled ‘The Meeting of the Vṛṣṇis and Gopas’ in the glorious Bhāgavata Purāṇa. After blessing the gopīs, the Lord, their teacher and refuge, inquired after Yudhiṣṭhira and all his steadfast friends. Those who had been thus questioned and honored by the Lord of the worlds 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.” They continued, “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 then said: 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, which are celebrated throughout the three worlds. Śrī Draupadī addressed the wives of Kṛṣṇa: “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 replied, “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 spoke, “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 shared, “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 recounted, “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. He thus won me, given as the price of valor, along with my maidservants and army, by defeating the kings on the road—may I become His servant.” Thus, in this blessed assembly, the wives of Kṛṣṇa recounted the wondrous ways in which the Lord brought them to himself, each tale echoing the glory and divine play of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crown-jewel of the three worlds.