Rukmiṇī, pure of heart and beyond reproach, gazed upon her son with tear-filled eyes and deep affection. Overcome with emotion, she spoke tenderly: “This son of mine, so blessed, now stands in the fullness of youth. If my beloved Pradyumna, thriving at this age, lives on, then I am truly fortunate, my life made beautiful by your presence, O noble youth. Yet, as profound as my love is for him, and seeing how your form mirrors my own, it is clear to me, dear one, that you are the very child of Hari.” At that very moment, the sage Nārada arrived, accompanied by Krishna. With joy, Nārada addressed Rukmiṇī, who was moving about the inner chambers of her home. He declared, “O beautiful-browed one, this is your son—he has returned after slaying the demon Śambara. Long ago, he was stolen from your birthing chamber as a child. And this Māyāvatī, whom you see here, is the virtuous wife of your son; she is not the wife of Śambara. Listen to the reason for this: When Manmatha was destroyed, Māyāvatī, whose purpose was the rebirth of Kāma, bewildered Śambara by taking on a magical form. In all pleasures and enjoyments, she revealed her enchanting form to the demon. This woman with captivating eyes is Māyāvatī herself. Your son is none other than the incarnation of Kāma, and this beloved Rati is his consort. Have no doubt—this radiant woman is your daughter-in-law.” Hearing these words, Rukmiṇī was filled with joy, as was Keśava, and the entire city resounded with cries of “Excellent! Excellent!” The people of Dvārakā, witnessing Rukmiṇī’s reunion with her long-lost son, were struck with wonder and amazement. Rukmiṇī bore many noble sons: Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, the mighty Cārudeva, Suṣeṇa, Cārugupta, and Bhadracāru. She also had sons named Caruvinda, Sucaru, Caru, and the powerful Caruvarya, as well as a daughter named Carumati. Krishna, too, was blessed with other illustrious wives: Kalindi, Mitravinda, Satyā the daughter of Nagnajit, the goddess Jambavati, Rohini of changing form, the princess of Madra, Sushila, and Shilabhandana. Among them were also Satyabhama, daughter of Satrajit, Lakshmana with her lovely smile, and sixteen thousand other wives, all devoted to the wielder of the discus. Pradyumna, renowned for his valor, took as his wife the auspicious daughter of Rukmi at her own svayamvara, and she bore him a son, a scion of Hari. To her was born Aniruddha, mighty in strength and prowess, a subduer of foes, an ocean of heroism. For Aniruddha, Keśava sought the hand of Rukmi’s granddaughter. Despite rivalry with Sauri, Rukmi gave his granddaughter to his own daughter’s son. At the time of this wedding, Rama and the other Yadavas, together with Hari, journeyed to Rukmi’s city of Bhojakata. When the wedding of the great-souled Pradyumna was completed, the kings, led by the ruler of Kalinga, approached Rukmi and said, “Halayudha is unskilled at dice and has a great fondness for the game; why should we not defeat him at this grand contest?” Rukmi, confident in his strength, agreed and informed the kings. Together with Rama, he arranged the dice game in the royal assembly. In the first round, Bala (Rama) was defeated by Rukmi for a thousand gold coins; in the second round, Rukmi once again triumphed for another thousand. But then, staking ten thousand gold coins, Balabhadra won, even though Rukmi was famed as the foremost among dice players. At this, the foolish king of Kalinga laughed loudly, baring his teeth, while Rukmi, intoxicated with pride, boasted, “This Baladeva, though skilled at dice, has been bested by me; blinded by his conceit, he thought himself a master.” Seeing the king of Kalinga’s open-mouthed laughter and hearing Rukmi’s harsh words, Halayudha (Bala) grew angry. Rukmi seized the dice and cast them down, determined to claim victory. Baladeva defeated him and proclaimed loudly, “I have won!” but Rukmi insisted, “No, I have won!” thus contradicting Bala. Rukmi argued, “This contest was declared by you, and it is true, but I did not consent to it; if you have won in this way, then how is it that I have not won?” Suddenly, a voice resounded from the sky with a deep sound, further stoking Baladeva’s anger: “Victory was achieved by Bala through righteousness; Rukmi’s words are false. Even without speaking, an action is accomplished.” Enraged, Bala, his eyes red with fury, rose and, with his immense strength, struck down Rukmi with the chessboard itself. He then seized the trembling king of Kalinga and, in his wrath, broke the king’s teeth—those very teeth that had mocked him. Still furious, Bala seized a great golden pillar and struck down the other kings present on that side. Terrified by Bala’s wrath, the entire royal assembly cried out in distress and fled. When news spread that Rukmi had been slain by Bala, Madhusudana (Krishna), out of concern for Rukmiṇī and Bala, remained silent and said nothing, O Maitreya. While Krishna was residing in Dvārakā, Indra, lord of the three worlds, arrived, seated upon the majestic, intoxicated Airavata. Entering Dvārakā and meeting with Hari, Indra spoke of the misdeeds committed by the demon Naraka.