Just as the wind gathers together and scatters clouds, grass, cotton, and dust, so too does the Creator unite all living beings and, in time, disperse them again. In this cosmic play, devotion to Me among living beings leads to immortality. By great fortune, your deep affection for Me has arisen—this love dispels all obstacles that might stand in your way. Know that I am the beginning and the end, the inner and outer essence of all beings, just as space, water, earth, air, and light pervade and support all material 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 have the vision to perceive the imperishable. Śuka continued: In this way, Kṛṣṇa instructed the gopīs in spiritual knowledge. As they listened, their vital energies dissolved in the intensity of their remembrance of Him, and they transcended all sense of separate self. The gopīs prayed, "May the Lord, whose lotus feet are ever contemplated in the hearts of yogic masters endowed with profound wisdom, and who is the support for deliverance from the well of worldly existence—may that Lord always arise within our minds, even as we dwell in our homes." Thus concludes 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. Śuka then continued: Having thus blessed the gopīs, the Lord, who was 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 His presence, replied with joyful hearts, their sins washed away by the sight of His feet. They said, "How could anything inauspicious arise from the nectar of Your lotus feet, O great one, from which sometimes flows the ambrosia of Your words? 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 said: Thus, the wives of the Andhaka and Kaurava clans, having gathered together, praised the crown-jewel of those with noble fame among people. Meeting together, they sang Govinda's stories to one another—stories celebrated throughout the three worlds. Listen, I shall describe them to you. Śrī Draupadī addressed the assembled queens: "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 first: "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 precious jewel, frightened my father and others, and even though I was given to another, He took me for Himself." Śrī Jāmbavatī recounted: "Recognizing Him as the maker of bodies and my destined Lord, the husband of Sītā fought with my father for twenty-one days. Understanding 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 shared: "He came to my svayaṃvara, defeated the assembled 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 told her story: "My father, to test the strength and valor of the suitors, 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 who 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." Śrī Bhadrā said: "My father, inviting my maternal uncle, gave me to Kṛṣṇa, the dark one, whose mind was set on Him, along with an army and companions. May I have the touch of His feet in every birth, for by that, one who is wandering in the cycle of karma attains the highest good for the soul." Śrī Lakṣmaṇā then spoke: "Hearing again and again from Nārada the stories of the king’s birth and deeds, my mind was firmly drawn to Mukunda, the lotus-handed one, abandoning even the guardians of the world. Knowing my mind, my father, the affectionate Bṛhatsena, devised a means for my marriage. As in the svayaṃvara of the princess, a fish was set up for the sake of the Pāṇḍava’s desire; so here, one was concealed outside but could be seen in the water below. Hearing this, kings from all sides, skilled in the use of all weapons and missiles, came by the thousands with their teachers to my father’s city. All were honored by my father according to their strength and age; those who desired me took up bows with arrows to shoot in the assembly. Some, taking up the bow, tried to string it but were unable; some, drawing the bowstring to their chest, fell, struck by it. Other heroes, like the kings of Magadha, Ambashṭha, and Cedi, as well as Bhīma, Duryodhana, and Karṇa, managed to string the bow but did not understand the true challenge. Seeing the image of a fish in the water and understanding its position, Arjuna carefully released his arrow; it did not cut, but merely touched the target. When the kings had withdrawn, their pride broken, the Lord, taking up the bow, strung it effortlessly. Aiming the arrow at that target, seeing the fish just once in the water, He cut it down with His arrow and made it fall, while the sun stood in the Abhijit constellation. Then I entered the arena, my anklets tinkling softly, holding a radiant golden garland of gems in my hands, dressed in a new silk garment, with a bashful smile on my face, my hair adorned with a floral wreath. Lifting my face, with large earrings shining and cheeks glowing, casting gentle, smiling glances, I slowly looked around at the kings, and with a heart devoted to Murāri, I placed my garland on His shoulder. At that moment, drums, kettledrums, conches, trumpets, and other instruments resounded; dancers danced and singers sang. When the Lord, the master of Māyā, was thus chosen by me, the chiefs of men, burning with desire, could not tolerate the choice of Draupadī and competed with each other. He placed me on His chariot, yoked with four excellent horses, took up the Śārṅga bow, donned His armor, and stood in the battle with four arms. Dāruka drove the chariot, adorned with golden fittings, as the kings looked on, just as the king of beasts carries off his prey before the other animals. Some of the kings pursued on the road to block Him, armed and with drawn bows, like village lions chasing Hari.