Hear now of the noble descendants of Vasudeva, as the ancient tradition recounts them. Among his sons were Pradyumna, Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Śarabha, Cāru, Cārubhadra, and another called Bhadracāru. Born of Rukmiṇī were Cāruvindhya and a daughter named Cārumatī, as well as Sānu, Bhānu, Akṣa, Rohita, and Mantraya. From Garudadhvaja came four sisters: Jarandhaka, Tamravaksha, Bhaumari, and Jarandhama. Satyabhama was blessed with sons named Bhanur, Bhaumarika, Tamraparni, and Jarandhama. The children of Jambavati were Bhadra, Bhadragupta, Bhadravindra, the celebrated Saptabahu, the maiden Bhadravati, and the illustrious Sambodhani. Sudevi and Vishvaksena had three sons: Sangramajit, Shatajit, and Sahasrajit. Nagnajiti’s offspring were Vrka, Vrikashva, Vrikajit, the celestial lady Vrajini, Mitrabahu, and Sunitha. Thus, the sons and daughters of Vasudeva are many, and their names have been declared for your understanding. Indeed, there were eight myriads of valiant sons, all skilled in battle, for such was the grandeur of Janardana’s lineage. Among other noble families, Brihati, Nartakonneya, Sunaya, and Sangata were daughters of Brihaduccha, the great-souled son of Shaunaka. Her sons, famed for their prowess in battle, were Angada, Kumuda, and Shveta, along with a daughter also named Shveta. Avagaha, Chitra, Shura, and Citravara were born to others, with Citraseṇa as another son and a daughter named Citravati. Tumba and Tumbabana, as well as Janastamba, were remembered as sons of Upanga, along with Vajrara and Kshipra. Bhurindra and Bhuri were the sons of Gavesha, and Yudhishthira’s daughter was the renowned Sutanur. From Sutanur was born the illustrious Vajra, son of Ashvasuta; Vajra’s son was Pratibahu, and his son was Sucaru. Kashma bore Supārśva, the mighty son of Samba. Among the great-souled Yadavas, there were three crores of sons, and among them, sixty thousand were mighty, all possessing portions of the divine and endowed with great energy. Many of the gods and mighty asuras who had been slain in previous ages were reborn among men, taking birth in the Yadava lineage so that, through their destruction, the burden of the earth might be lightened. The Yadava race was divided into eleven great clans, and all the Akas and others belonged to the Vaishnava line. Vishnu himself was established among them as their measure and lord, and all men were bound by his command. Thus has the origin and grandeur of the Vrishni clan been recounted in both brief and detailed form, that fame may be attained by its telling. Now, let us listen to the praise of humans and gods, and the nature of the great heroes: Sankarshana, Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Samba, and Aniruddha—these five are renowned in the lineage. Alongside them are the seven sages, Kubera the Lord of Wealth, the Yaksha, and Manivara. There are also Shalaki, Badara, the learned Dhanvantari, Nandina who is Mahadeva, Shalankayana, Adideva, and Jishnu—together with these divine beings. The sages inquire: For what purpose was Vishnu born? How many births are remembered, and how many future manifestations of the great soul will there be? Why is he born in the field of Brahma at the end of the ages, and why does he appear again and again among humans? They express their wish to hear in detail all the deeds of Krishna, the wise one and destroyer of enemies, performed in his various forms. They ask Suta to recount the sequence of his deeds, his manifestations, and his true nature. They wonder: How did blessed Vishnu, destroyer of the gods’ enemies, become Vasudeva in the house of Vasudeva? What merit did the immortals perform, that he, adorned with virtue, left the celestial realms to be born among mortals? Why did Hari, the leader of gods and men, the origin of earth and heaven, enter into a human form? They ask how he, who alone turns the wheel of human destiny, created wisdom in mankind; how the universal tending of cows came about through Vishnu, who became a cowherd among men. They question how he, the soul of all beings, the creator of the great elements, was held in the womb of a woman on earth. They recall how he, who conquered the worlds with three strides, established the paths of the universe and the three supreme aims of life. They remember how, at the end of time, he took a form made of water and drank up the world, making the world into a single ocean by visible and invisible means. In ancient times, he became the boar and conquered the earth, giving it to the gods. He took the form of a lion and slew the mighty demon Hiranyakashipu. He became the fire called Aurva, the all-pervading Samvartaka, entered the ocean, and drank the sacrificial offering of water. This god, whom the wise call in every age the thousand-footed, thousand-rayed, thousand-headed deity, is the eternal one whose glories and incarnations are sung in all the worlds.