Scene 1
The people of Ekachakrapura find dead a man with multiple injuries on the main street. This was the man who had identified the people living in the house of the Brahmin Upaya as the Pandavas who were supposed to have perished in the fire at Varanavata.
Pandavas are going through forests, and Kunti wants to rest. Sahadeva is wise: he notices flocks of birds flying towards north and he concludes that in the southern direction, there must be water bodies likely to attract wild animals. So he concludes the pace was too dangerous to rest. They then move on.
Scene 2
Rukmini writes a letter to Krishna. She then sends it with a priest to be delivered to Krishna.
Krishna hears Rukmini's voice in his dream. Rukmini is Lakshmi's incarnation. Just then, Balarama announces the arrival of a priest with a special message for him. Krishna asks Balarama to let the priest in. He reads Rukmini's message and sets out immediately for Kundinapura, the capital of Vidarbha.
Scene 3
Dushshasana arrives at Varanavata with Vanjikodi's husband and gets furious with the villagers for giving false information about the Pandava's death. He asks them to explain what transpired the day the Lac House in which the Pandavas stayed. The villagers tell him that Vanjikodi and her five sons left the palace the previous day because Kunti had ordered them to leave and there were many villagers who had seen them leave. Dushshasana raises the doubt that they could have come in from the rear entrance. The village chief then shows them the ornaments that were found the burnt bodies. Nilava who had accompanied Dushshasana recognizes Kunti's and Yudhishtra's ornaments. Dushshasana concludes that it was Kunti and her sons who had perished in the fire.
Scene 4
Draupadi dreams that she is garlanded by a Brahmin in a marriage hall where many kings have assembled. She is agitated and rushes to her parents bedroom. She wakes them and tells them of her dream that set her mind in a turmoil. Drupada assure her that he will consult the astrologers and other pundits who could explain the significance of the dream.
The astrologers affirm that a dream witnessed in the Brahma muhurta was certain to take place. Drupada is worried that it would mean that Draupadi cannot marry Arjuna which is the sole objective of her birth. The astrologers say that they predicted to the best of their knowledge, but the final word might as well as rest with their Guru who was an expert in the field.
The Guru arrives and clarifies Draupada's doubt and sets his mind at rest. He too affirms that Draupadi's marriage would be held very soon and the dream would come true. He narrates the story of Indra who was once driven out of his kingdom by the asuras and was living in the lotus stem, though the Devas had given up hopes of finding him. Similarly, Arjuna could be hiding in a place not known to them. Moreover, he said, one's future was determined and fixed right at birth, and this included the marriage. The best recourse was to trust in God and proceed. He also advised King Drupada that he should fix the marriage swayamvaram to be held in the month of Thai under the Rohini star. He should send the invitations far and wide, without ignoring anyone. Also, he should arrange for a contest in which only Arjuna could win. Drupada is relieved at least for the time being.
Scene 5
Rukmini goes to the temple along with the queen. She is nervous and distracted and the queen tells her to pray to the goddess so that her dreams may get fulfilled. After the worship, she comes out. Instead of ascending her chariot, she looks around for Krishna. Not finding him around, she is just about to get into the chariot in disappointment, when thunder and lightning fill the sky and Krishna appears in an aerial chariot. He then pulls Rukmini in and the chariot soars up into the sky.
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