VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 51
The Deliverance of Mucukunda
This chapter describes how Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa caused Mucukunda to kill Kālayavana with his harsh glance, and it also relates the conversation between Mucukunda and Lord Kṛṣṇa.
After placing His family members safely within the Dvārakā fortress, Śrī Kṛṣṇa went out of Mathurā. He appeared like the rising moon. Kālayavana saw that Kṛṣṇa's brilliantly effulgent body matched Nārada's description of the Lord, and thus the Yavana knew He was the Personality of Godhead. Seeing that the Lord carried no weapons, Kālayavana put his own weapons aside and ran toward Him from behind, wanting to fight with Him. Śrī Kṛṣṇa ran from the Yavana, staying just barely beyond Kālayavana's grasp at every step and eventually leading him a long distance toward a mountain cave. As Kālayavana ran, he hurled insults at the Lord, but he could not grasp Him, since his stock of impious karma was not yet depleted. Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the cave, whereupon Kālayavana followed after Him and saw a man lying on the ground. Taking him for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Kālayavana kicked him. The man had been sleeping for a very long time, and now, having been violently awakened, he looked around angrily in all directions and saw Kālayavana. The man stared harshly at him, igniting a fire in Kālayavana's body and in a moment burning him to ashes.
This extraordinary person was a son of Mandhātā's named Mucukunda. He was devoted to brahminical culture and always true to his vow. Previously, he had spent many long years helping to protect the demigods from the demons. When the demigods had eventually obtained Kārttikeya as their protector, they allowed Mucukunda to retire, offering him any boon other than liberation, which only Lord Viṣṇu can bestow. Mucukunda had chosen from the demigods the benediction of being covered by sleep, and thus since then he had been lying asleep within the cave.
Upon Kālayavana's immolation, Śrī Kṛṣṇa showed Himself to Mucukunda, who was struck with wonder at seeing Kṛṣṇa's incomparable beauty. Mucukunda asked Lord Kṛṣṇa who He was and also explained to the Lord his own identity. Mucukunda said, "After growing weary from remaining awake for a long time, I was enjoying my sleep here in this cave when some stranger disturbed me and, suffering the reaction of his sins, was burnt to ashes. O Lord, O vanquisher of all enemies, it is my great fortune that I now have the vision of Your beautiful form."
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then told Mucukunda who He was and offered him a boon. The wise Mucukunda, understanding the futility of material life, asked only that he might be allowed to take shelter of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet.
Pleased at this request, the Lord said to Mucukunda, "My devotees are never enticed by material benedictions offered to them; only nondevotees, namely yogīs and speculative philosophers, are interested in material benedictions, having mundane desires in their hearts. My dear Mucukunda, you will have perpetual devotion for Me. Now, always remaining surrendered to Me, go perform penances to eradicate the sinful reactions incurred from the killing you had to do in your role as a warrior. In your next life you will become a first-class brāhmaṇa and attain Me." Thus the Lord offered Mucukunda His blessings.
10.51.1-6
ujjihānam ivoḍupam
darśanīyatamaḿ śyāmaḿ
kaustubhāmukta-kandharam
nava-kañjāruṇekṣaṇam
mukhāravindaḿ bibhrāṇaḿ
catur-bhujo 'ravindākṣo
lakṣaṇair nārada-proktair
yotsye 'nena nirāyudhaḥ
anvadhāvaj jighṛkṣus taḿ
(1 - 6) S'rî S'uka said: 'Seeing Him coming out [see 50: 57] like the moon rising, most beautiful to behold, with a dark complexion, a yellow silk garment, the S'rîvatsa on His chest, the brilliant Kaustubha gem decorating His neck, His mighty, long four arms and eyes as pink as newly grown lotuses; His always effulgent, clean, joyful smile to His beautiful cheeks, His lotuslike face and the display of His shark-shaped earrings, thought he [Kâlayavana]: 'This person indeed must be Vâsudeva with the S'rîvatsa, the four arms, the lotus-eyes, the wearing of forest-flowers and with the great beauty. From the marks Nârada mentioned can He be no one else, going there without weapons on foot; I'll fight Him without weapons!' The Yavana thus decided, in pursuit wanted to catch Him who had turned His face away and fled, He, who is unattainable even to the mystic yogis.
Although Kālayavana was seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa with his own eyes, he could not adequately appreciate the beautiful Lord. Thus instead of worshiping Kṛṣṇa, he attacked Him. Similarly, it is not uncommon for modern men to attack Kṛṣṇa in the name of philosophy, "law and order" and even religion.
10.51.7
yavaneśo 'dri-kandaram
(7) With every step He made seemed He to be within the reach of his hands and after that way having covered a great distance placed He the lord of the Yavanas before a mountain cave.
10.51.8
iti kṣipann anugato
nainaḿ prāpāhatāśubhaḥ
(8) In his pursuit insulting Him with words like 'Fleeing is for You being born in the Yadu-dynasty improper!', could he, whose mischief had not found its end [yet], not get hold of Him.
10.51.9
so 'pi praviṣṭas tatrānyaḿ
(9) Even though He was insulted this way, entered the Supreme Lord the mountain cave, but when the Yavana followed Him saw he lying there another man.
The Lord exhibits here His opulence of renunciation. Determined to execute His plan and give His blessings to Mucukunda, the Lord ignored Kālayavana's insults and calmly proceeded with His program.
10.51.10
iti matvācyutaḿ mūḍhas
(10) 'And now, bringing me this long distance is He lying down here like a saint!' and thus erroneously thinking him to be Acyuta, struck he him full force with his foot.
10.51.11
tam adrākṣīd avasthitam
(11) The man, waking up after a long period of sleep, slowly opened his eyes and, looking about in every direction, saw him standing beside him.
10.51.12
deha-jenāgninā dagdho
(12) O descendant of Bharata he as such, was by the glance, the angered man cast on him, in a moment burnt to ashes by a fire that generated from within his own body [*].'
The man who incinerated Kālayavana with his glance was named Mucukunda. As he will explain to Lord Kṛṣṇa, he had fought for a long time on behalf of the demigods, finally taking as his benediction the right to sleep undisturbed. The Hari-vaḿśa explains that he secured the further benediction of being able to destroy anyone who disturbed his sleep. Ācārya Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes from the Śrī Hari-vaḿśa as follows:
prasuptaḿ bodhayed yo māḿ
"Again and again Mucukunda said, 'O demigods, with eyes blazing with anger, may I incinerate anyone who awakens me from sleep.' "
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that Mucukunda made this rather morbid request to scare Lord Indra, who, Mucukunda thought, might otherwise wake him repeatedly to request his help in fighting Indra's cosmic enemies. Indra's consent to Mucukunda's request is described in Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa as follows:
proktaś ca devaiḥ saḿsuptaḿ
yas tvām utthāpayiṣyati
"The demigods declared, 'Whoever awakens you from sleep will suddenly be burnt to ashes by a fire generated from his own body.' "10.51.13
śrī-rājovāca
(13) The honorable king [Parîkchit] said: 'Who precisely was that person, o brahmin, of which family was he and of what powers; why had he retreated into the cave to sleep and of whose seed was he born that destroyer of the Yavana?'
10.51.14
brahmaṇyaḥ satya-sańgaraḥ(14) S'rî S'uka said: 'He is known as Mucukunda. He was born in the Ikshvâku dynasty as a son of Mândhâtâ [see 9.6: 38 and 9.7]. He is a great personality devoted to the brahminical and someone true to his vow in battle.
10.51.15
asurebhyaḥ paritrastais
(15) He, on the request of the godly headed by Indra who were terrified because of the Asuras, was for a long time of service to assure them their protection.
then said to Mucukunda: 'O King, please desist from the trouble your good self has to protect us.
10.51.16
mucukundam athābruvan
rājan viramatāḿ kṛcchrād
(16) They, obtaining Guha ['from the cave'; Skanda or Kârttikeya] as their protector of heaven,
10.51.17
(17) You forgetting all your personal desires have, with abandoning a kingdom in the world of man, for our protection removed those [asura] thorns, o hero.
10.51.18
sutā mahiṣyo bhavato
jñātayo 'mātya-mantrinaḥ
(18) Your children, your queens and your other relatives, ministers, advisors and subjects are not alive now, are not of this time anymore; time swept them away.
10.51.19
(19) Time, more powerful than the powerful, is the Supreme Inexhaustible Lord in Control who, playing a game of herdsman and flock, sets the mortal beings in motion.
The universe is created to gradually rectify the contaminated souls trying to exploit material nature. The Lord moves the conditioned souls along, according to their karma, through the various stages of spiritual rectification. Thus the Lord is like a herdsman (the word paśu-pāla literally means "protector of animals"), who moves the creatures under his protection to various pastures and watering spots in order to protect them and sustain them. A further analogy is that of a doctor, who moves the patient under his care to various areas of a hospital for diverse kinds of examination and treatment. Similarly, the Lord brings us through the network of material existence in a gradual cleansing process so that we can enjoy our eternal life of bliss and knowledge as His enlightened associates. Thus all of Mucukunda's relatives, friends and co-workers had long ago been swept away by the force of time, which of course is Kṛṣṇa Himself.
10.51.20
(20) All good fortune to you, choose today any benediction from us except for the one of liberation, for only the Supreme Inexhaustible Lord S'rî Vishnu is capable of that.'
10.51.21
aśayiṣṭa guhā-viṣṭo
(21) He, for his great fame thus addressed by the demigods, respectfully saluted them and laid himself down in a cave to enjoy the sleep the gods had granted him [**].
These lines are to be inserted between the two halves of this verse:
nidrām eva tato vavre
bhańgaḿ kuryād surottamāḥ
bodhayet tvām acetanaḥ
"The King, exhausted by his labor, then chose sleep as his benediction. He further stated, 'O best of the demigods, may whoever disturbs my sleep be immediately burned to ashes.' The demigods replied, 'So be it,' and told him, 'That insensitive person who wakes you in the middle of your sleep will immediately turn to ashes simply by your seeing him.' "10.51.22
bhagavān sātvatarṣabhaḥ
mucukundāya dhīmate
(22) After the barbarian was turned into ashes revealed the Supreme Lord, the great hero of the Sâtvatas, Himself to the wise Mucukunda.
10.51.23-26
sānurāga-smitekṣaṇam
mṛgendrodāra-vikramam
paryapṛcchan mahā-buddhis
(23-26) Looking at Him, He who was as dark as a cloud, in a yellow, silken garment, the S'rîvatsa on His chest, the brilliant Kaustubha gem glowing, the four arms and the beautifying Vaijayantî garland; His attractive, calm face and glittering shark-shaped earrings, His affectionate smile appealing to all mankind, His glance, His youthful handsome form, His noble gait and His fire that was like that of a lion - was he, as highly intelligent as he was, overwhelmed by His effulgence, which was a splendor unassailable indeed, and posed he in doubt hesitantly a question.
It is significant that Text 24 states, catur-bhujaḿ rocamānam: "The Lord was seen in the beauty of His four-armed form." Throughout this great work, we find Lord Kṛṣṇa manifesting His various transcendental forms, most prominently the two-armed form of Kṛṣṇa and the four-armed form of Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu. Thus there is no doubt that Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu are nondifferent, or that Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Lord. These things are sometimes misunderstood, but the great ācāryas, experts in spiritual science, have clarified the matter for us. God in His original form is not merely the creator, maintainer and destroyer, or the punisher of conditioned souls, but rather the infinitely beautiful Godhead, enjoying in His own right, in His own abode. This is the form of Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa who expands Himself into Viṣṇu forms for the maintenance of our bumbling world.
"having some doubt," indicates that Mucukunda was thinking, "Is this indeed the Supreme Lord?" He expresses himself frankly in the following verses.
10.51.27
(27) Sr'î Mucukunda said: 'Who are You to join with me in the wilderness in a mountain cave, with Your feet like the petals of a lotus walking the thorny ground?
10.51.28
(28) Maybe You're the Supreme Lord, the origin of all empowered beings, or else the god of fire, the sun-god, the moon-god, the king of heaven or perhaps a ruler from another planet?
10.51.29
trayāṇāḿ puruṣarṣabham
(29) I think You're the God of the three personalities of the demigods, the Greatest, because You dispel the darkness of the cave [the 'heart'] like a lamp with its light.
that with His effulgence Lord Kṛṣṇa dispelled not only the darkness of the mountain cave but also the darkness in Mucukunda's heart. In Sanskrit the heart is sometimes metaphorically referred to as guha, "cavern," a deep and secret place.
10.51.30
(30) O Most Eminent Among Man, if You like, if You can, veraciously describe for us eager to hear, Your birth, activities and lineage.
When the Supreme Lord descends to this world, He certainly becomes nara-puńgava, the most eminent member of human society. Of course, the Lord is not actually a human being, and Mucukunda's questions will lead to a clarification of this point. Thus the term śuśrūṣatām, "to us, who are sincerely eager to hear," indicates that Mucukunda is inquiring in a noble way for his own and others' benefit.
10.51.31
yauvanāśvātmajaḥ prabho
(31) We from our side, o tiger among men, are descendants of Ikshvâku, a family of kshatriyas. And I, born from the son of Yuvanâs'va, am called Mucukunda o Lord.
It is common in Vedic culture that a kṣatriya will humbly introduce himself as kṣatra-bandhu, a mere relative in a kṣatriya family, or in other words a fallen kṣatriya. In ancient Vedic culture, to claim a particular status on the basis of one's family relations was itself indicative of a fallen position. Kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas should be given status according to their merit, by their qualities of work and character. When the caste system in India became degraded, people proudly claimed to be relatives of kṣatriyas or brāhmaṇas, though in the past such a claim, unaccompanied by tangible qualifications, indicated a fallen position.
10.51.32
nidrayāpahatendriyaḥ
kenāpy utthāpito 'dhunā
(32) Because I remained awake for a long time was I, fatigued in my senses and overwhelmed by sleep, to my comfort lying in this solitary place and have I now been awakened by someone.
10.51.33
ātmīyenaiva pāpmanā
(33) That person turned to ashes indeed out of his own sinful conduct only, and Your good Self so glorious, o Chastiser of Enemies, I saw following immediately thereafter.
Kālayavana had declared himself the enemy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Yadu dynasty. Through Mucukunda, Śrī Kṛṣṇa destroyed the opposition of that foolish barbarian.’
10.51.34
mānanīyo 'si dehinām
(34) Because of Your unbearable effulgence are we, diminished in our faculties, not able to behold You, o most Gracious One; You are to be honored by all embodied beings!'
10.51.35
(35) Thus addressed by the king replied the Supreme Lord and Origin of All Creation, smiling broadly, with words deep as the rumbling of clouds.
10.51.36
janma-karmābhidhānāni
santi me 'ńga sahasraśaḥ
anantatvān mayāpi hi
(36) The Supreme Lord said: 'My births, activities and names are there by the thousands, My dearest, limitless as they are they cannot even be enumerated by Me!
10.51.37
pārthivāny uru-janmabhiḥ
guṇa-karmābhidhānāni
(37) Some time, after many lives, one might count the particles of dust on earth, but never ever so My many qualities, activities, names and births.
10.51.38
kāla-trayopapannāni
anukramanto naivāntaḿ
gacchanti paramarṣayaḥ
(38) Not even the greatest sages counting My births and activities taking place to the three of time [past, present, future], o King, can reach the end of them [compare 8.5: 6 and 8.23: 29].
10.51.39-40
tathāpy adyatanāny ańga
vijñāpito viriñcena
bhūmer bhārāyamāṇānām
vadanti vāsudeveti
(39-40) Nonetheless, o friend, just hear from Me about the current one, this Speaker. In the past I was beseeched by Lord Brahmâ [see 3.9 and also 10.14] to secure the dharma and destroy the demons who are a burden to the earth, and so I descended into the Yadu dynasty in the home of Vasudeva and do the people as such call Me Vâsudeva, the son of Vasudeva.
10.51.41
(41) Kâlanemi I killed [see 10.8: 56], Kamsa [10.44], Pralamba [10.18] and others envious of the virtuous, and this Yavana, o King was burned by your scorching glance.
10.51.42
so 'haḿ tavānugrahārthaḿ
(42) I, that very same person caring for the devotees, approached this cave for the sake of favoring you, because you in the past have often prayed for it.
It is apparent from this verse that Mucukunda was a devotee of the Supreme Lord. He had prayed for the Lord's association, and now Śrī Kṛṣṇa granted his fervent request.
10.51.43
(43) Tell Me what you want Me to bless you with, o saintly King, I will give you all that you desire; any person who has satisfied Me, will never again need to lament.'
The ācāryas explain that we lament when we feel incomplete, when we have lost something or when we fail to achieve something desirable. One who has satisfied Kṛṣṇa and thus attained the Lord's mercy will never be troubled in these ways. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure, and He enjoys sharing His spiritual bliss with all living beings. We need only cooperate with the Supreme Lord.
10.51.44
ity uktas taḿ praṇamyāha
mucukundo mudānvitaḥ
(44) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being addressed bowing down to Him spoke Mucukunda remembering the words of Garga [***], being filled with joy knowing He was Nârâyana the [original] Godhead.
Although the Lord here appears as four-handed Nārāyaṇa, we may say that Mucukunda was addressing Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All of this is taking place within the context of kṛṣṇa-līlā, the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is well known to Vaiṣṇavas that the four-handed forms of Viṣṇu, or Nārāyaṇa, are expansions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus within the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa there may also appear viṣṇu-līlā, the activities of Viṣṇu. Such are the qualities and activities of the Supreme Godhead. Deeds that for us would be extraordinary and even impossible are commonplace, effortless pastimes for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
that Mucukunda was aware of the prediction of the ancient sage Garga that in the twenty-eighth millennium the Supreme Lord would descend. According to Ācārya Viśvanātha, Garga Muni further informed Mucukunda that he would personally see the Lord. Now it was all happening.
10.51.45
(45) S'rî Mucukunda said: 'This person, not of worship for You, can, bewildered by Your deluding potency mâyâ o Lord, not see his own benefit when he, wishing for happiness, gets cheated as a family man - or also as a woman - who being entangled goes for things that bring misery.
Mucukunda immediately makes it clear that he is not going to ask the Lord for material blessings. He has advanced, spiritually, far beyond those who try to exploit religion for all kinds of material benefits. Artha means "value," and the negation of this word, anartha, means "that which is valueless or useless." Thus the term anartha-dṛk indicates those whose vision is focused on valueless things, who have not understood what actual artha, or value, is. All that glitters is not gold, and Mucukunda here emphatically states that we should not ruin our spiritual chances by entangling ourselves in the fool's gold of bodily relationships. We are meant to love the Lord.
10.51.46
kathañcid avyańgam ayatnato 'nagha
(46) The person who somehow or other attaining to what is rarely obtained in this world - a human form and not the paws, but not being of worship doesn't try to go, o sinless one, for Your lotuslike feet, has, impure in his mentality, like an animal fallen in the blind well of his home.
Our real home is in the kingdom of God. Despite our tenacious determination to remain in our material home, death will rudely eject us from the theater of material affairs. To stay at home is not bad, nor is it bad to devote ourselves to our loved ones. But we must understand that our real home is eternal, in the spiritual kingdom.
The word ayatnataḥ indicates that human life has been automatically awarded to us. We have not constructed our human bodies, and therefore we should not foolishly claim, "This body is mine." The human form is a gift of God and should be used to achieve the perfection of God consciousness. One who does not understand this is asan-mati, possessed of dull, mundane understanding.
10.51.47
mamaiṣa kālo 'jita niṣphalo gato
(47) O Unconquerable One, wasting my time on this, I built a kingdom and opulence that now are all gone; intoxicated as an earthly ruler who mistakes the mortal frame for himself, suffered I endless anxieties getting attached to children, wives, riches and land.
Having in the previous verse condemned those who misuse the valuable human form of life for mundane purposes, Mucukunda now admits that he himself falls into this category. He intelligently wants to take advantage of the Lord's association and become a pure devotee once and for all.
10.51.48
vṛto rathebhāśva-padāty-anīkapair
(48) Minding this body, which is a confinement like a pot or a wall, I thus thought myself to be a god among man, surrounded as I was by chariots, elephants, horses, infantry and generals with whom I traveled around on this earth without seriously regarding You in my great pride.
10.51.49
tvam apramattaḥ sahasābhipadyase
kṣul-lelihāno 'hir ivākhum antakaḥ
(49) Forgetful about what needs to be done, hankering for sense objects endlessly ruminating with an ever growing greed, is one suddenly confronted with You, the one who does mind; You are like what death is to a mouse in front of a hungry snake that licks its fangs.
We may note here the contrast between the words pramattam and apramattaḥ. Those who are trying to exploit the material world are pramatta: "deluded, bewildered, maddened by desire." But the Lord is apramatta: "alert, sober, and unbewildered." In our madness we may deny God or His laws, but the Lord is sober and will not fail to reward or punish us according to the quality of our activities.
10.51.50
mataḿ-gajair vā nara-deva-saḿjñitaḥ
kalevaro viṭ-kṛmi-bhasma-saḿjñitaḥ
(50) Previously named 'the king' riding chariots furnished with gold or fierce elephants is that same one unavoidably with the Time of Your body called 'feces', 'worms' and 'ashes' [see also 16.4: 2-6].
In the United States and other materially developed countries, dead bodies are cosmetically disposed of in a tidy ceremonial way, but in many parts of the world old, sickly and injured people die in lonely or neglected places, where dogs and jackals consume their bodies and transform them into stool. And if one is so blessed as to be buried in a coffin, one's body may very well be consumed by worms and other minuscule creatures. Also, many earthly cadavers are burned and thus transformed into ashes. In any case, death is certain, and the ultimate fate of the body is never sublime. That is the real purport of Mucukunda's statement here — that the body, though now called "king," "prince," "beauty queen," "upper-middle class" and so on, will eventually be called "stool," "worms" and "ashes."
yoneḥ sahasrāṇi bahūni gatvā
"After passing through many thousands of species and undergoing great struggle, the conditioned living entities finally obtain the human form. Thus those human beings who still do not worship Lord Viṣṇu, who can bring them real happiness, have certainly become enemies of both themselves and humanity."
10.51.51
(51) Full circle having conquered the directions with no opposition to fear and being seated on a throne and praised by kings alike is the person in his home like a pet led about, sexually borrowing his happiness from women, o Lord.
10.51.52
pravṛddha-tarṣo na sukhāya kalpate
(52) In that enviously reaching for more, performs he with penance his duties in strictly avoiding pleasures, but thinking of himself as 'I the greater sovereign' can he, whose urges are so pronounced, not attain happiness.
10.51.53
bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej
janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samāgamaḥ
(53) When it happens that the wandering person reaches the end of his material existence will at that time o Infallible One, the association of the good and honest [the sat-sanga] be found after which next the devotion is born for Him who for the virtuous is the only goal as the Lord of the Higher [cause] and Lower [effects].
Although it is stated here that when material life ceases one attains the association of devotees, in fact it is the association of the Lord's devotees that enables one to transcend material existence. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains this apparent inversion of sequence by quoting the Kāvya-prakāśa (10.153) as follows: kārya-kāraṇayoś ca paurvāparya-viparyayo vijñeyātiśayoktiḥ syāt sa. "A statement in which the logical order of a cause and its effect is reversed should be understood as atiśayokti, emphasis by extreme assertion." Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī cites the following commentary on this statement: kāraṇasya śīghra-kārītāḿ vaktuḿ kāryasya pūrvam uktau. "To express the swift action of a cause, one may assert the result before the cause."
that the merciful association of the Lord's devotees makes possible our determination to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And the ācārya agrees with Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī that this verse is an instance of atiśayokti.
10.51.54
rājyānubandhāpagamo yadṛcchayā
yaḥ prārthyate sādhubhir eka-caryayā
(54) I think o Lord that, with the spontaneous removal of the attachment to my kingdom, You've been merciful with me: it is that for which the saintly rulers of endless stretches of land pray when, wishing the solitude, they enter the forest.
10.51.55
(55) I do not desire anything else but to be of service at Your feet that to those not desiring a material life are the object of desire, the boon sought, o Almighty one; what faithful man of worship for You, the Bestower of the Path of Emancipation, o Lord, would as a boon choose for that which causes his bondage?
The Lord offered Mucukunda anything he desired, but Mucukunda desired only the Lord. This is pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
10.51.56
tasmād visṛjyāśiṣa īśa sarvato
(56) Therefore o Lord, entirely putting aside the worldly blessings from which one is entangled in the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness, am I approaching You, the Original Person of Pure Knowledge free from mundane designations who is nondual and supreme above the modes.
The word nirguṇam here indicates that the Lord's existence is beyond the qualities of material nature. One might argue that Lord Kṛṣṇa's body is made of material nature, but here the word advayam refutes that argument. There is no duality in Lord Kṛṣṇa's existence. His eternal, spiritual body is Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is God.
10.51.57
(57) For long was I full of remorse distressed in the world being tormented by disturbances; with my six enemies [the senses and the mind] never satisfied there was no way to find peace o Bestower of the Shelter, please o Lord protect me who facing these dangers, o Supreme Soul, approached Your lotusfeet, the truth free from sorrow ridding of fear.'
10.51.58
matis te vimalorjitā
varaiḥ pralobhitasyāpi
(58) The Supreme Lord said: 'O great King, emperor of all, even though being tempted to ask for benedictions were you, capable of mind, impeccable in not being spoiled by desires.
10.51.59
(59) Please know that the fact that you were tempted with benedictions was to prove your freedom from bewilderment; never is the exclusive[-ly to Me devoted] intelligence of the bhaktas diverted by material blessings.
10.51.60
prāṇāyāmādibhir manaḥ
(60) With those who in not being devoted to Me are occupying themselves with breathing exercises and such, is, since they did not eliminate the traces of material desire [the vâsanâs], o King, observed that again their minds awaken [to sense-gratification].
10.51.61
bhaktir mayy anapāyinī
(61) Wander this earth as you like and may, with your mind fixed on Me, there for you thus always be the devotion for Me that does not fail.
10.51.62
nyavadhīr mṛgayādibhiḥ
jahy aghaḿ mad-upāśritaḥ
(62) Following the dharma of the ruling class you've killed living beings when you were hunting and with other actions; that sin you should uproot completely in fully being focussed in penances in which you seek My shelter.
10.51.63
(63) In your birth immediately hereafter o King, will you, becoming a supreme well-wisher to all living beings, be a fine brahmin going for Me only [see also B.G. 5: 29].'
Śrī Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), suhṛdaḿ sarva-bhūtānāḿ jñātvā māḿ śāntim ṛcchati: "A person attains peace by understanding Me to be the well-wishing friend of all living beings." Lord Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees work together to rescue the fallen souls from the ocean of illusion. This is the real purport of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Fifty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Deliverance of Mucukunda."
Canto 10
Chapter 52
The Lords Leap from a Mountain and Rukminî's Message to Lord Krishna
This chapter describes how Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, running as if in fear, went to Dvārakā. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa heard the message of Rukmiṇī from the mouth of a brāhmaṇa and chose her as His wife.
King Mucukunda, shown mercy by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, offered obeisances and circumambulated Him. The King then left the cave and saw that humans, animals, trees and plants were all smaller than when he had fallen asleep. From this he could understand that the age of Kali was at hand. Thus, in a mood of detachment from all material association, the King began worshiping the Supreme Lord, Śrī Hari.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa returned to Mathurā, which was still under siege by the barbarian army. He destroyed this army, collected all the valuables the soldiers had been carrying, and set off for Dvārakā. Just then Jarāsandha arrived on the scene with a force of twenty-three akṣauhiṇīs. Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, acting as if fearful, left Their riches aside and ran far away. Because Jarāsandha could not appreciate Their true power, he ran after Them. After running a long way, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa came to a mountain named Pravarṣaṇa and proceeded to climb it. Jarāsandha thought They had hidden inside a cave and looked all over for Them. Unable to find Them, he built fires on all sides of the mountain. As the vegetation on the mountain slopes burst into flame, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma jumped off the peak. After reaching the ground unseen by Jarāsandha and his followers, They returned to the Dvārakā fort, which floated within the sea. Jarāsandha decided that Rāma and Kṛṣṇa had burned to death in the fire, and he took his army back to his kingdom.
At this point Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked a question, and Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī responded to it by beginning to narrate the history of the marriage of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī. Rukmiṇī, the young daughter of Bhīṣmaka, King of Vidarbha, had heard of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's beauty, strength and other fine qualities, and she therefore made up her mind that He would be the perfect husband for her. Lord Kṛṣṇa also wanted to marry her. But although Rukmiṇī's other relatives approved of her marriage to Kṛṣṇa, her brother Rukmī was envious of the Lord and thus forbade her to marry Him. Rukmī wanted her to marry Śiśupāla instead. Rukmiṇī unhappily took up her duties in preparation for the marriage, but she also sent a trustworthy brāhmaṇa to Kṛṣṇa with a letter.
When the brāhmaṇa arrived in Dvārakā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa properly honored him with ritual worship and other tokens of reverence. The Lord then asked the brāhmaṇa why he had come. The brāhmaṇa opened Rukmiṇī's letter and showed it to Lord Kṛṣṇa, who had the messenger read it to Him. Rukmiṇī-devī wrote, "Ever since I have heard about You, my Lord, I have become completely attracted to You. Without fail please come before my marriage to Śiśupāla and take me away. In accordance with family custom, on the day before my marriage I will visit the temple of goddess Ambikā. That would be the best opportunity for You to appear and easily kidnap me. If You do not show me this favor, I will give up my life by fasting and observing severe vows. Then perhaps in my next life I will be able to obtain You."
After reading Rukmiṇī's letter to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the brāhmaṇa took his leave so he might carry out his daily religious duties.
10.52.1
itthaḿ so 'nagrahīto 'nga
kṛṣṇenekṣvāku nandanaḥ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'In this manner, my dear, being graced by Krishna circumambulated the descendant of Ikshvâku Him bowing down and left he through the mouth of the cave
10.52.2
paśūn vīrud-vanaspatīn
(2) Noticing that the human beings, the animals, plants and trees were all in a poor condition concluded he that Kali-yuga had arrived and went he in the northern direction [compare 1.15: 44].
There are several significant words in this verse. A standard Sanskrit dictionary gives the following English meanings for the word kṣullaka: "little, small, low, vile, poor, indigent, wicked, malicious, abandoned, hard, pained, distressed." These are the symptoms of the age of Kali, and all these qualities are said here to apply to men, animals, plants and trees in this age. We who are enamored of ourselves and our environment can perhaps imagine the superior beauty and living conditions available to people in former ages.
The last line of this text, jagāma diśam uttarām — "He went toward the north" — can be understood as follows. By traveling north in India, one comes to the world's highest mountains, the Himalayan range. There one can still find many beautiful peaks and valleys, where there are quiet hermitages suitable for austerity and meditation. Thus in Vedic culture "going to the north" indicates renouncing the comforts of ordinary society and going to the Himālayan Mountains to practice serious austerities for spiritual advancement.
10.52.3
niḥsańgo mukta-saḿśayaḥ
prāviśad gandhamādanam
(3) With faith in the process of penance was he, seriously detached from a materially motivated association with people, freed from doubts and thus having fixed his mind upon Krishna he reached the mountain Gandhamâdana ['the nice smell'].
The name Gandhamādana indicates a place of delightful fragrances. Undoubtedly Gandhamādana was filled with the aroma of wild flowers and forest honey, and with other natural scents.
10.52.4
nara-nārāyaṇālayam
tapasārādhayad dharim
(4) Reaching Badarikâs'rama [see e.g. 3.4: 4; 4.12: 16; 5.4: 5; 7.11: 6], the residence of Nara-Nârâyana, worshiped he, with respecting all duality, the Lord from the peace he had found with his austerity.
10.52.5
(5) The Supreme Lord turned back to His city Mathurâ that was surrounded by the Yavanas and brought, after killing the barbarian army, their riches to Dvârakâ.
It is clear from this verse that Kālayavana alone pursued Lord Kṛṣṇa into the mountain cave. When Kṛṣṇa returned to the besieged city of Mathurā, He eliminated the vast barbarian army.
10.52.6
nṛbhiś cācyuta-coditaiḥ
ājagāma jarāsandhas
(6) As Acyuta by oxen and men was engaged in taking the wealth, arrived there Jarâsandha leading twenty-three armies.
10.52.7
(7) Seeing the powerful waves of soldiers of the enemy armies ran the two Mâdhavas, adopting a human course, o King, quickly away.
10.52.8
(8) Abandoning the load of goods acting like cowards who are afraid, covered They, actually not afraid at all, with Their lotuspetal feet many yojanas.
10.52.9
anvadhāvad rathānīkair
(9) Seeing the Two fleeing laughed the mighty ruler of Mâghada loudly and pursued he with charioteers and soldiers the Lords, not being quite aware of Their special nature.
10.52.10
pravarṣaṇākhyaḿ bhagavān
(10) Having put Their powers to a test full speed having run a long distance, climbed They a very high mountain known as Pravarshana ['the rainy one'] where the mighty one [Indra] is always showering rains.
10.52.11
(11) Knowing that They were hiding on the mountain, but not exactly where o King, set he, with firewood igniting fires on all sides, the mountain ablaze.
Clearly we are observing one of the Supreme Lord's transcendental pastimes. Although the Bhāgavatam states that the two Lords, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, were "exhausted," even in Their so-called exhausted state They were able to quickly climb a high mountain and shortly thereafter jump off it to the ground. It would be unwise and illogical to ignore the whole picture the sages are giving us here and instead try to pick apart isolated descriptions. Clearly we are watching the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the midst of His spiritual pastimes; we are not observing an ordinary human being. Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma were still quite young men when this pastime took place, and one can easily see in these descriptions how They must have been enjoying Themselves, eagerly fleeing from the somewhat ridiculous King Jarāsandha, racing up a mountain, jumping off and totally befuddling the constantly failing demon, who somehow or other never lost confidence in himself. Seen without envy or quarrelsomeness, the Lord's pastimes are immensely entertaining.
10.52.12
daśaika-yojanāt tuńgān
(12) Quickly leaping down from it being eleven yojanas high and burning on all sides, fell They to the ground.
10.52.13
sānugena yadūttamau
(13) Not being seen by Their opponent or his helpers returned the two finest Yadus to Their city which had the ocean as its moat, o King.
10.52.14
(14) The king of the Magadhas on his part mistakenly thought that Balarâma and Kes'ava had burned in the fire and went to Magadha pulling back his huge force.
10.52.15
ānartādhipatiḥ śrīmān
balāyeti puroditam
(15) As previously stated gave the opulent sovereign of Ânarta, named Raivata, on the order of Brahmâ Balarâma his daughter Raivatî in marriage [9.3: 33-36].
The topic of Lord Kṛṣṇa's marriage to Rukmiṇī will now be discussed. By way of introduction, a brief mention is made of His brother Baladeva's marriage. This marriage was alluded to in the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam, Third Chapter, texts 33-36.
10.52.16-17
(16-17) Govinda the Supreme Lord Himself, married, o hero among the Kurus, Vaidarbhî [Rukminî] the daughter of Bhîshmaka, to her own choice. She was a plenary portion of the goddess of fortune. By force overruling S'âlva and other kings in support of S'is'upâla, accomplished He this [by stealing her away] before the eyes of all the people, just like the son of Târkshya [Garuda, stole] the nectar of heaven.'
The words śriyo mātrām indicate that beautiful Rukmiṇī is a direct expansion of the eternal goddess of fortune. Therefore she is worthy to be the bride of the Personality of Godhead. As stated in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.56), śriyaḥ kāntā kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ: "In the spiritual world, all the female lovers are goddesses of fortune and the male lover is the Supreme Personality." Thus, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains, Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī is a plenary portion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa states, kaiśore gopa-kanyās tā yauvane rāja-kanyakāḥ: "In childhood, Śrī Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with the daughters of cowherd men, and in His adolescence He enjoyed with the daughters of kings." Similarly, in the Skanda Purāṇa we find this statement: rukmiṇī dvāravatyāḿ tu rādhā vṛndāvane vane. "Rukmiṇī is in Dvārakā what Rādhā is in the forest of Vṛndāvana."
The term svayaḿ-vare here means "by one's own choice." Although the word often refers to a formal Vedic ceremony in which an aristocratic girl may select her own husband, here it indicates the informal and indeed unprecedented events surrounding Kṛṣṇa's marriage to Rukmiṇī. In fact, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī chose each other because of their eternal, transcendental love.
10.52.18
śrī-rājovāca
rukmiṇīḿ rucirānanām
(18) The honorable king said: 'In the manner of a Râkshasa [by kidnapping thus], so I heard, married the Supreme Lord thus Rukminî, the daughter of Bhîshmaka with the charming face.
rākṣaso yuddha-haraṇāt. "A Rākṣasa marriage takes place when the bride is stolen from one's rival suitors by force." Similarly, Śukadeva Gosvāmī himself has already said, rājñaḥ pramathya: Kṛṣṇa had to beat down opposing kings to take Rukmiṇī.
10.52.19
kṛṣṇasyāmita-tejasaḥ
(19) O lord, I'd like to hear about how Krishna stole away the bride, with His immeasurable potency defeating such kings as Jarasândha and S'âlva.
We should not think that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was actually afraid of Jarāsandha. In the very next chapter we will find that Śrī Kṛṣṇa easily defeats Jarāsandha and his soldiers. Thus we should never doubt the supreme prowess of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
10.52.20
mādhvīr loka-malāpahāḥ
(20) O brahmin! Who can ever all understand what is said and get enough of hearing about the always new [see 10.45: 48] propitious, delightful topics of Krishna which remove the contamination of the world?'
10.52.21
rājāsīd bhīṣmako nāma
vidarbhādhipatir mahān
kanyaikā ca varānanā
(21) The son of Vyâsa said: 'There was a king named Bhîshmaka, the great ruler of Vidarbha, of whom there were five sons and one daughter with an exceptionally pretty face.
10.52.22
rukmy agrajo rukmaratho
rukmabāhur anantaraḥ
rukmakeśo rukmamālī
(22) Rukmî was the first born son, followed by Rukmaratha, Rukmabâhu, Rukmakes'a and Rukmamâlî; Rukminî their sister was of a saintly character [rukma means: 'what is bright or radiant'].
10.52.23
sopaśrutya mukundasya
gṛhāgatair gīyamānās
(23) She, from hearing Mukunda's beauty, prowess, character and opulences being sung by those who came to her family home, deemed Him a suitable husband.
The word sadṛśam indicates that Rukmiṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa had similar qualities and thus were naturally attracted to each other King Bhīṣmaka was a pious man, and therefore many spiritually advanced persons must have visited his palace. These saintly persons undoubtedly preached openly about the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
10.52.24
(24) Krishna, finding her as a repository of intelligence, auspicious marks, magnanimity, beauty, good behavior and other qualities a suitable wife, then took the decision to marry her.
Just as Lord Kṛṣṇa was described as sadṛśaḿ patim, an ideal husband for Rukmiṇī, being just like her, Rukmiṇī is described as sadṛśīḿ bhāryām, an ideal wife for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being just like Him. That is natural, since Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī is Lord Kṛṣṇa's internal potency.
10.52.25
(25) Even though the family wanted to give the sister to Krishna o King, was this by Rukmî, who hated Krishna, prevented; he thought more of S'is'upâla.
10.52.26
tad avetyāsitāpāńgī
kṛṣṇāya prāhiṇod drutam
(26) The princess of Vidarbha with her dark eyes unhappy with that knowledge, pained her mind and quickly sent a certain dependable brahmin to Krishna.
10.52.27
āsīnaḿ kāñcanāsane
(27) He, arriving at Dvârakâ, brought inside by the gatekeepers saw the Original Person seated on a golden throne.
10.52.28
dṛṣṭvā brahmaṇya-devas tam
avaruhya nijāsanāt
upaveśyārhayāḿ cakre
yathātmānaḿ divaukasaḥ
(28) The Lord Good to the Brahmins seeing him got down from His throne, seated him and performed worship the way the residents of heaven worship Him.
10.52.29
pāṇinābhimṛśan pādāv
avyagras tam apṛcchata
(29) With him having eaten and rested approached the Goal of the Saintly Devotees him in order to personally give him a massage for his feet and asked He him patiently:
10.52.30
(30) 'My best, are the religious practices sanctioned by your first-class, twiceborn seniors, proceeding without too much difficulty and are you always happy within?
Here we have translated the word dharma as "religious practice," although this does not fully convey the Sanskrit sense of the word. Kṛṣṇa did not appear within a secular society. The people in Vedic times could hardly imagine a society that did not understand the need to obey God's law. Thus to them the word dharma conveyed a sense of duty in general, higher principles, prescribed duty and so on. It was automatically understood that such duties were within a religious context. But religion in those days was not a specific aspect or department of life, but rather a guiding light for all activities. Irreligious life was considered demoniac, and God's hand was seen in everything.
10.52.31
ahīyamānaḥ svad dharmāt
(31) When a brahmin satisfied carries on with whatever [comes his way], not falling short in his religious duty, will those [practices] for him every way be the cow of plenty.
10.52.32
asantuṣṭo 'sakṛl lokān
āpnoty api sureśvaraḥ
akiñcano 'pi santuṣṭaḥ
(32) Dissatisfied will he, even though he is the master of the godly, again and again end up in various worlds; but satisfied will he, even though destitute, rest with all his limbs free from pain and fever.
Those who are unsatisfied feel distress throughout their body, becoming subject to many diseases. A satisfied brāhmaṇa, however, though he may possess nothing, is peaceful and calm, and there is no distress within his body or mind.
10.52.33
namasye śirasāsakṛt
(33) To the learned who are satisfied with their progress [in self-realization] I bow My head again and again because they, void of false ego, are of the saintly and of all living beings, peaceful as they are the best well-wishers [see also B.G. 2: 71, 12: 13-14].
10.52.34
pālyamānāḥ sa me priyaḥ
(34) Are you faring well with what the king all does, o brahmin? For the king whose subjects are happy to live protected in his state is very dear to Me.
10.52.35
(35) From where, crossing the [ocean of] troubles, did you arrive here and for what purpose; please tell Us everything, if its not a secret; what is it We may do for you?'
10.52.36
evaḿ sampṛṣṭa-sampraśno
(36) With the Supreme Being, who for the sake of His pastimes assumes His bodies, thus asking these questions, related the brahmin everything to Him:
The word gṛhīta may be translated as "grasped or caught," and thus, exactly as in English, may also mean "to perceive or understand something." Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental body is perceived, understood, or in other words, grasped by the devotees when the Lord comes to exhibit His transcendental pastimes. These pastimes are not whimsical, but are a part of the complex program, structured and executed by the Lord Himself, for awakening the conditioned souls to their natural love and devotion for Him and bringing them back to Godhead.
10.52.37
tvayy acyutāviśati cittam apatrapaḿ me
(37) 'S'rî Rukminî has said: 'O Most Beautiful One of all the Worlds, hearing that for all those who hear about Your qualities You, entering through the openings of their ears, remove the distress of their bodies and that they who have eyes to see the beauty of You, obtain the complete fulfillment of all desires, have I without shame installed You in my mind!
Rukmiṇī was a king's daughter, courageous and bold, and furthermore she would rather die than lose Kṛṣṇa. Considering all this, she wrote a frank, explicit letter, begging Kṛṣṇa to come and take her away.
10.52.38
(38) Who, o Mukunda, is Your equal in aristocratic background, character, beauty, knowledge, youth, property and influence? What sober and marriageable girl of a good family would, coming of age, not choose for her husband You, o lion among men, who are so delightful to the minds of all mankind?
10.52.39
mā vīra-bhāgam abhimarśatu caidya ārād
(39) Therefore have I chosen Your good Self, dear Lord, for my husband and offer I myself as a wife to You, o Omnipotent One, please accept me; may the king of Cedi [S'is'upâla] never, like a jackal away with what belongs to the king of the animals, touch what is allotted to the hero.
10.52.40
gṛhṇātu me na damaghoṣa-sutādayo 'nye
(40) Let with the Supreme Lord, the Highest Controller sufficiently worshiped by means of pious works, sacrifices, charity, observances, vows, honoring the gods, the gurus and the learned and other activities, the elder brother of Gada [9.24: 46] come and take my hand and not the son of Damaghosha or others like him.
The ācāryas comment as follows on this verse: "Rukmiṇī felt that no one could obtain Lord Kṛṣṇa by the efforts of a single lifetime. Therefore she earnestly pointed out the pious activities she had performed in that life and previous lives, hoping to convince Śrī Kṛṣṇa to come."
10.52.41
māḿ rākṣasena vidhinodvaha vīrya-śulkām
(41) The day before the marriage takes place You must come to Vidarbha, o Invincible One, in secret surrounded by Your officers to crush fighting the armed resistance of the kings of Caidya and Magadha and take me in marriage in the râkshasa style as the reward for Your valor.
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Rukmiṇī, being born of royal blood, certainly had a brilliant grasp of political affairs. She advised Śrī Kṛṣṇa to enter the city alone and unnoticed and then surround Himself with His military commanders so He could do what was needed. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares the coming fight to the Lord's churning of the ocean to extract the goddess Lakṣmī. Gorgeous Rukmiṇī, the goddess of fortune, would be gained in the coming turbulence.
10.52.42
(42) How to carry me, moving within my quarters, away without killing my relatives, You might say; let me tell You how to: on the day before is there for the presiding deity of the family a large ceremonial procession outside in which the new bride approaches the goddess Girijâ [Ambikâ in her temple].
Clever Rukmiṇī anticipated a possible objection on the part of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He certainly would not object to subduing rascals like Śiśupāla and Jarāsandha, but He might be reluctant to injure or kill Rukmiṇī's relatives, some of whom might block His way to the palace's inner sanctum, where the women were protected. The procession to or from the temple of Girijā (Durgā) would provide the perfect opportunity for Kṛṣṇa to kidnap Rukmiṇī without harming her relatives.
10.52.43
vāñchanty umā-patir ivātma-tamo-'pahatyai
(43) Great souls, like the husband of Ûma [S'iva], in order to overcome their own ignorance hanker to bathe in the dust of Your lotusfeet; when I, o Lotus-eyed One, cannot obtain Your mercy I ought to give up my life in being weakened by vows, so that I [finally] obtain You after a hundred births more.
The divine Rukmiṇī's extraordinary dedication to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is possible only on the spiritual platform, not in the fragile world of mundane affection.
10.52.44
' (44) [The brahmin ended with:] This is the confidential message brought by me, o Lord of the Yadus, so please consider what immediately following up on this matter needs to be done.'
PURPORT
When the brāhmaṇa arrived, he broke the seal of a confidential letter written in the privacy of Rukmiṇī's quarters and meant only for Lord Kṛṣṇa. By using the term guhya-sandeśāḥ, the trustworthy brāhmaṇa, personally selected by Rukmiṇī, here affirms that he has not violated the confidentiality of this message. Only Lord Kṛṣṇa has heard it. Since the marriage of Rukmiṇī was fast approaching, Śrī Kṛṣṇa would have to act immediately. The term yadu-deva indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa, as the Lord of the powerful Yadu dynasty, should make His decision and then mobilize His followers if necessary.Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Fifty-second Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled 'Rukmiṇī's Message to Lord Kṛṣṇa."
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