The queens, radiant with joy, adorned in fine garments though without their usual necklaces, approached the consecration hall. Each was anointed and carried offerings in their hands, their faces alight with happiness. The air vibrated with the sound of drums, mridangas, kettledrums, conches, trumpets, and many other instruments. Dancers and performers moved in harmony, while bards and genealogists sang praises of the occasion. The sweet voices of Gandharva women, singing together with their husbands, added celestial music to the celebration. According to the prescribed rituals, the priests anointed the king—who had already bathed and been smeared with auspicious substances—alongside his eighteen wives. The scene shone with brilliance, as if the king of Soma himself were being consecrated by the stars. The queens adorned him with silk, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and earrings, so that he glowed, resplendent in his sacrificial garment. The priests, too, were arrayed in silk and decked with jewels, and the entire assembly sparkled like Indra’s court at a grand sacrifice. Rama and Krishna, accompanied by their relatives, shone with their sons and wives, each radiating their own unique splendor, as if they were lords of life themselves. The king then worshipped the Lord of sacrifice, knowledge, and action, performing all the prescribed rituals, including agnihotra and other sacrifices—both ordinary and special. At the proper time, he gave the priests the traditional gifts, bestowing upon the already adorned ones cows, land, daughters, and immense wealth. After performing the rituals for the wives and the concluding ablution, the great sages, priests, and the sacrificer himself all bathed together in the sacred Rama lake. Once their baths were complete, the king distributed his ornaments and garments to the bards and women, and then, having adorned himself anew, honored the priests and others with sumptuous food. He extended lavish honor to his relatives, their wives, and sons, as well as to the people of Vidarbha, Kosala, Kuru, Kashi, Kekaya, and Sṛñjaya. The assembly members, officiating priests, sages, kings, spirits, ancestors, and wandering mendicants were all respectfully honored. After taking leave of the Lord’s abode, they departed for their own sacrifices, offering blessings as they went. Among those present were Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his younger brother, the sons of Pṛthā, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Pṛthā herself, the two sons of Yamā, Nārada, the divine Vyāsa, and their friends and relatives. Embracing their kinsmen, the Yadus, their hearts softened with affection, some departed for their own lands, bearing the pain of separation. Nanda, together with the cowherds, was honored with great respect by Krishna, Rama, Ugrasena, and others. Fond of his relatives, Nanda remained there for some time. Vasudeva, his heart light after having crossed the vast ocean of his desires, surrounded by friends and filled with joy, approached Nanda and, taking his hand, spoke warmly. “Brother,” Vasudeva said, “the bond of affection among people, known as love, is difficult to abandon—even for heroes and yogis. This friendship, established by noble souls even toward those who have not returned their kindness, and whose fruit is offered in friendship, should never be forsaken. In earlier times, brothers, we did not always act for each other’s welfare; now, blinded by pride in our prosperity, we fail to see those standing before us. O bestower of honor, may the splendor of sovereignty never come to one who truly desires welfare, for in its glare, one becomes blind to his own people and relatives.” As Vasudeva spoke, his heart loosened by affection and memories of friendship, tears filled his eyes and he wept. Nanda, honored by the Yadus for the love he had shown to dear Govinda and Rama, stayed on for three months, always thinking, “Today, tomorrow,” reluctant to leave. At last, when the time came, Nanda and his kin, along with the people of Vraja, were honored with the finest ornaments, silks, and priceless gifts. Laden with abundant gifts from Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Krishna, Uddhava, Balarama, and others, Nanda and his companions set out on their journey. The cowherds and cowherd women, their minds absorbed in the lotus feet of Govinda, found it almost impossible to tear themselves away, but at last they departed for Mathura. When their relatives had left, the Vṛṣṇis, whose deity was Krishna, saw that the rainy season was approaching and returned again to Dvārakā. There, they recounted to the people the great festival of the Yadu gods, which had taken place during the pilgrimage, along with all the meetings with friends and other memorable events. Thus ends the eighty-fourth chapter, “The Description of Pilgrimage,” in the tenth book, second half, of the glorious Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for supreme renunciates. Later, King Parīkṣit inquired, “O Brahman, we wish to know about the sister of Rama and Krishna—how Arjuna married her, and how she became my grandmother.” Śuka replied: While traveling on pilgrimage, Arjuna, the great hero, wandered the earth and arrived at Prabhāsa, where he heard news of his maternal cousin. Some said that Rama intended to give her in marriage to Duryodhana, while others disagreed. Desiring her for himself, Arjuna adopted the garb of a renunciate with three staffs and made his way to Dvārakā. There, seeking his own purpose, he stayed for several months, honored again and again by the townspeople and by Rama himself, who did not recognize him in his ascetic guise. One day, Rama brought Arjuna home and, inviting him as a guest, offered him food with faith. Arjuna accepted what was brought to him as alms. In that house, Arjuna saw a maiden of great beauty, captivating to all heroes. His heart, stirred by affection and his eyes blossoming with admiration, was set upon her. She too, seeing Arjuna, chose him in her heart; as is natural for women, her heart and gaze were fixed upon him, her smile shy, her eyes glancing sidelong in bashfulness. Arjuna, constantly thinking of her and longing for her, found no peace—his mind confused and overpowered by passion. Then, during a great festival, as she rode in a chariot and left the fortress, Arjuna—with the approval of her parents and Krishna, the mighty charioteer—carried her away. Standing on the chariot, Arjuna took up his bow and drove off the brave warriors who tried to block his path, scattering his own people as a lion scatters a herd of deer. When Rama heard of this, he was agitated, like a great ocean swelling at the full moon. But Krishna, along with friends, held Rama’s feet and calmed him. In the end, Balarama, joyful at the wedding, sent abundant gifts—elephants, chariots, horses, men, and women, all of great wealth—to honor the union.