taḿ cāpi jitavān rāmo
dharmeṇa chalam āśritaḥ
rukmī jitaḿ mayātreme
vadantu prāśnikā iti
tam -- that; ca api -- also; jitavan -- won; ramah -- Lord Balarama; dharmena -- fairly; chalam -- deceit; asritah -- resorting to; rukmi -- Rukmi; jitam -- won; maya -- by me; atra -- in this regard; ime -- these; vadantu -- may speak; prasnikah -- witnesses; iti -- thus.
Lord Balarama fairly won this wager also, but Rukmi again resorted to cheating and declared, "I have won! Let these witnesses here say what they saw."
Rukmi undoubtedly had his friends in mind when he called for the witnesses to speak. But even as his witnesses prepared to aid their cheating friend, a wonderful event took place, as described in the next verse.
