Guided by the wisdom of Nārada, Māyāvatī lovingly raised the child Pradyumna, who from his earliest days enchanted her with his remarkable beauty. As he grew and reached the prime of youth, Māyāvatī—herself graceful, with the gait of an elephant—became overwhelmed with longing for him. Consumed by intense passion, she bestowed upon Pradyumna all her magical arts, her gaze fixed solely on him, her affection no longer that of a mother. Noticing her changed demeanor, Pradyumna, the lotus-eyed son of Krishna, gently questioned her: “Why do you behave differently, abandoning the attitude of a mother?” Māyāvatī replied, revealing the truth: “You are not my son; you are the son of Vishnu. This Kālaśambara is your enemy. Thrown into the ocean, you were swallowed by a fish and found by me. Yet your true mother, ever loving, still weeps for you.” Hearing these words, Pradyumna’s heart burned with righteous anger. He challenged Śambara to battle and fought fiercely, displaying great strength. He destroyed the demon’s entire army, overcame seven magical illusions, and employed the eighth, with which he slew Kālaśambara. Victorious, Pradyumna departed with Māyāvatī for his father’s house. When they arrived, Māyāvatī entered the inner chambers, and the women of Krishna’s household, seeing Pradyumna, were filled with Krishna’s own resolve. Rukmiṇī, pure and blameless, spoke with loving emotion and tearful eyes: “This son of mine, blessed, stands in the prime of youth. If my son Pradyumna lives at this age, then his mother is indeed fortunate, adorned by you, O youth. Or, as deep as my affection is, and as your form resembles mine, it is clear, dear one, that you are the child of Hari.” At that moment, Nārada arrived with Krishna and joyfully addressed Rukmiṇī, who was moving about the inner chambers: “O beautiful-browed one, this is your son, who has returned after slaying Śambara; he was taken from your birthing chamber as a child. This Māyāvatī is the virtuous wife of your son; she is not Śambara’s wife. Listen to the reason for this. When Manmatha was destroyed, she, whose purpose was his rebirth, bewildered Śambara by taking on a magical form. In pleasures and enjoyments, she revealed her beautiful magical form to the demon; this woman with intoxicating eyes is she. Your son is the incarnation of Kāma, and this beloved Rati is his consort. Have no doubt; this splendid woman is your daughter-in-law.” Hearing this, Rukmiṇī and Keśava, along with the entire city, were filled with joy and exclaimed, “Excellent! Excellent!” The people of Dvārakā, witnessing Rukmiṇī’s reunion with her long-lost son, were struck with wonder. Rukmiṇī bore many sons: Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Cārudeva the mighty, Suṣeṇa, Cārugupta, and Bhadracāru. She also bore Caruvinda, Sucaru, Caru, the mighty Caruvarya, and a daughter named Carumati. Krishna had other illustrious wives: Kalindi, Mitravinda, Satyā the daughter of Nagnajit, and others; the goddess Jambavati, Rohini of changing form, the princess of Madra, Sushila, and Shilabhandana; Satyabhama, daughter of Satrajit, Lakshmana with the lovely smile, and sixteen thousand other wives belonged to the wielder of the discus. Pradyumna, of great valor, took as his wife the auspicious daughter of Rukmi, who was at her own svayamvara; she bore him a son of Hari, Aniruddha, of immense strength and prowess, a subduer of enemies and an ocean of heroism. For Aniruddha, Kesava sought the granddaughter of Rukmi; though Rukmi competed with Sauri, he gave her to his daughter’s son. At that wedding, Rama and the other Yadavas, together with Hari, went to Rukmi’s city, Bhojakata. When the wedding of the great-souled Pradyumna was completed, the kings led by the ruler of Kalinga spoke to Rukmi: “Halayudha is unskilled at dice, and he has a great weakness for it; why should we not defeat him at this great game of dice?” Rukmi, endowed with strength, agreed and said so to the kings; then, together with Rama, he set up the dice game in the assembly. In the first wager, Bala was defeated by Rukmi for a thousand gold coins; in the second wager, Rukmi again won another thousand. Then, staking ten thousand gold coins, Balabhadra won them, though Rukmi was the foremost among dice players. Then, O Brahmin, the foolish king of Kalinga laughed loudly, showing his teeth, and Rukmi, intoxicated with pride, spoke: “This Baladeva, though skilled at dice, has been defeated by me; blinded by his vain pride in the dice, he thought himself a master.” Seeing the king of Kalinga with his mouth wide open, displaying his teeth, and hearing Rukmi’s harsh words, Halayudha grew angry. Rukmi seized the dice and, for that purpose, cast them down. Baladeva defeated him and proclaimed loudly, “I have won!” Rukmi, in turn, shouted, “No, I have won!” thus contradicting Bala. Thus unfolds the tale of Pradyumna’s return, his reunion with his family, the lineage of Krishna, and the spirited events in the halls of Bhojakata.