VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 58
Krishna also Weds Kâlindî, Mitravindâ, Satyâ, Lakshmanâ and Bhadrâ [*]
(Kṛṣṇa Marries Five Princesses)
This chapter describes how Lord Kṛṣṇa married five brides, beginning with Kālindī, and went to Indraprastha to visit the Pāṇḍavas.
After the Pāṇḍavas had completed their incognito exile, Lord Kṛṣṇa went with Sātyaki and other Yadus to see them in Indraprastha. The Pāṇḍavas greeted the Lord and embraced Him in great ecstasy. Their new bride, Draupadī, shyly approached Kṛṣṇa and bowed down to Him. Then the Pāṇḍavas properly worshiped and welcomed Sātyaki and the Lord's other companions, offering them sitting places.
Lord Kṛṣṇa paid a visit to Queen Kuntī, and after He had offered her His respects, they inquired from each other about their family members. As Kuntī-devi recalled the various miseries Duryodhana had inflicted upon her and her sons, she remarked that Kṛṣṇa was their only protector. "You are the well-wisher of the entire universe," she said, "yet even though You are free from all delusion of 'mine' and 'another's,' You nonetheless reside within the hearts of those who meditate on You constantly, and from within their hearts You destroy all their miseries." Then Yudhiṣṭhira told Kṛṣṇa, "Only because we executed many pious acts are we able to see Your lotus feet, which even great yogīs find it impossible to attain." Honored by King Yudhiṣṭhira, Śrī Kṛṣṇa happily remained as a guest in Indraprastha for several months.
One day, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna went hunting in the forest. While bathing in the Yamunā River, they saw a charming young maiden. On Kṛṣṇa's request Arjuna went up to the girl and asked who she was. The beautiful maiden replied, "I am Kālindī, the daughter of the sun-god. Hoping to attain Lord Viṣṇu as my husband, I have been performing severe austerities. I will accept no one else as my husband, and until He marries me I will remain in the Yamunā, living in a house my father built for me here." After Arjuna reported all this to Kṛṣṇa, the omniscient Lord took Kālindī onto His chariot, and then the three of them returned to Yudhiṣṭhira's residence.
Later the Pāṇḍavas requested Kṛṣṇa to build them a city, and He did so by having Viśvakarmā, the architect of the demigods, construct one that was extremely attractive. The Lord satisfied His beloved devotees by remaining with them there for some time. Then, to please Agni, the fire-god, Kṛṣṇa arranged to offer him the Khāṇḍava forest. The Lord asked Arjuna to burn down the forest and accompanied him as his charioteer. Agni was so satisfied with the offering that he presented Arjuna with the Gāṇḍīva bow, a team of horses, a chariot, two inexhaustible quivers, and armor. While the Khāṇḍava forest burned, Arjuna saved a demon named Maya from the blaze. Maya Dānava reciprocated by building Arjuna a splendid palace. In this building Duryodhana would later get a good drenching after mistaking the surface of a pond for a solid floor, thus embarrassing himself.
Next Lord Kṛṣṇa took permission from Arjuna and His other relatives and went back to Dvārakā with His entourage. There He married Kālindī. Some time later He went to Avantīpura, where, in the presence of manv kings, He abducted the King of Avantī's sister, Mitravindā, who was very much attracted to Him.
In the kingdom of Ayodhyā lived a devout king named Nagnajit. He had an extraordinarily beautiful, marriageable daughter named Satyā, or Nāgnajitī. The girl's relatives had laid down the stipulation that any man who could subdue a certain group of seven ferocious bulls would win her hand. When Kṛṣṇa heard about this princess, He went to Ayodhyā with a large contingent of soldiers. King Nagnajit greeted Him hospitably and joyfully worshiped Him with various offerings. When Satyā saw Kṛṣṇa, she immediately desired Him as her husband, and King Nagnajit, understanding his daughter's intentions, informed Lord Kṛṣṇa of his own wish that the Lord and his daughter be married. The King affectionately told the Lord, "You alone would be a suitable husband for my daughter, and if You subdue the seven bulls You may certainly marry her."
Lord Kṛṣṇa then manifested Himself in seven separate forms and subdued the seven bulls. King Nagnajit duly presented his daughter to the Lord, together with a dowry of abundant gifts, and the Lord took Satyā onto His chariot for the journey back to Dvārakā. Just then the rival kings who had been defeated by the bulls tried to attack Lord Kṛṣṇa. But Arjuna easily beat them back, and Kṛṣṇa proceeded with Nāgnajitī to Dvārakā.
Subsequently Śrī Kṛṣṇa married Bhadrā after abducting her from her svayaḿ-vara ceremony, and He also married Lakṣmaṇā, the royal daughter of the King of Madra.
10.58.1
pratītān puruṣottamaḥ
yuyudhānādibhir vṛtaḥ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Once, to see the sons of Pându, went the Supreme Personality Visible to the Eye, the Possessor of all Opulence, to Indraprastha accompanied by Yuyudhâna [Sâtyaki, His charioteer] and others.
Almost everyone except Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma had thought the Pāṇḍavas perished in the fire set by Duryodhana in the house of lac. Now the Pāṇḍavas had appeared again in public, and Kṛṣṇa was paying them a visit.
10.58.2
mukundam akhileśvaram
uttasthur yugapad vīrāḥ
(2) Seeing Him, Mukunda, the Controller of All having arrived, stood the heroes all up at once, as if the chief of their senses, their life air, had returned.
The metaphor used here is quite poetic. When a person is unconscious, the senses do not function. But when consciousness returns to the body, all the senses spring to life at once and begin functioning. Similarly, the Pāṇḍavas all stood up at once, enlivened to receive their Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
10.58.3
pariṣvajyācyutaḿ vīrā
(3) The heroes embracing Acyuta by the contact with His body found all their sins destroyed and experienced the joy of beholding His face smiling affectionately.
since the Pāṇḍavas were never sinful, the term enasaḥ here refers to the suffering caused by separation from Kṛṣṇa. That unhappiness was now vanquished by the Lord's return.
10.58.4
kṛtvā pādābhivandanam
phālgunaḿ parirabhyātha
yamābhyāḿ cābhivanditaḥ
(4) After offering His obeisances at the feet of Yudhishthhira and Bhîma [since they were older] and firmly embracing Phâlguna [or Arjuna, being only eight days older] He next greeted respectfully the twin brothers [Nakula and Sahadeva, who were younger].
Externally Kṛṣṇa was the Pāṇḍavas' cousin, and their relationship was just like that between cousin-brothers. Because Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma were externally senior to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord bowed down at their feet, whereas He embraced His peer Arjuna and accepted obeisances from the younger brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva. Sometimes inexperienced devotees think it is sinful to honor or bow down to an elder brother in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But from Lord Kṛṣṇa's example here we may conclude that offering all respects to a senior brother in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not sinful.
10.58.5
paramāsana āsīnaḿ
navoḍhā vrīḍitā kiñcic
chanair etyābhyavandata
(5) Sitting on an elevated seat was Krishna, slowly approached by the newly [to the Pândavas] wed, impeccable [Draupadî] to offer her obeisances.
Śrīmatī Draupadī was so devoted to Kṛṣṇa that she herself was called Kṛṣṇā, which is the feminine form of the name, and Arjuna was also called Kṛṣṇa because of his devotion to the Lord. Similarly, the devotees of the modern Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are often called "the Kṛṣṇas." So it appears that the custom of addressing Kṛṣṇa's devotees by His name has a long history.
10.58.6
pūjitaś cābhivanditaḥ
(6) Similarly was Sâtyaki welcomed, honored and seated by the sons of Prithâ and were also the others honored and seated around.
10.58.7
tayāti-hārdārdra-dṛśābhirambhitaḥ
(7) Going to Kuntî offering His obeisances was He embraced by her with her eyes wet of her extreme affection [see also 1.8: 18-43]; inquiring after the welfare of her and her daughter-in-law [Draupadî], inquired she on her turn as the sister of His father [Vasudeva] in detail about His relatives.
that as Lord Kṛṣṇa was sitting on His seat, He saw His aunt Kuntī approaching in great eagerness to see Him. He then rose at once, quickly went up to her and offered His obeisances. Her eyes moistened with extreme love, she embraced Him and smelled His head.
10.58.8
kleśāpāyātma-darśanam
(8) With tears in her eyes and with a throat choked up in her love for Him who shows Himself to dispel the distress, said she, remembering the many trials and tribulations:
10.58.9
(9) 'Only then were we faring better when by You as a protector remembering us, Your relatives, o Krishna, my brother [Akrûra] was sent [see 10.49].
10.58.10
(10) For You, the Well-wisher and Soul of the Universe, there is never the delusion of 'ours' and 'theirs'; nonetheless do You, situated in the heart put an end to the sufferings of those who remember [You] continuously [see also B.G. 9: 29].'
The intelligent Queen Kuntī here points out that even though Lord Kṛṣṇa is dealing with her affectionately as a relative, He is not compromising His position as the well-wishing Soul of the universe. In other words, the Lord doesn't play favorites. As He says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.29), samo 'haḿ sarva-bhūteṣu: "I am equal to everyone." So while the Lord reciprocates with all souls, it is natural that those who love Him intensely receive His special attention, for they want Him and nothing else.
10.58.11
yogeśvarāṇāḿ durdarśo
yan no dṛṣṭaḥ ku-medhasām
(11) Yudhishthhira said: 'I don't know what good deeds we, of doubtful intellect, all have performed to [be allowed to] see You, o Supreme Controller whom the Controllers of Yoga rarely [get to] see.'
10.58.12
janayan nayanānandam
indraprasthaukasāḿ vibhuḥ
(12) Thus by the king invited stayed He, the Almighty, happily during the months of the rainy season [see also: 10.20] for the eyes of the residents of Indraprastha generating bliss.
If possible, the readers of the Bhāgavatam should try to correctly chant the Sanskrit verses, which are exquisitely poetic.
10.58.13-14
sākaḿ kṛṣṇena sannaddho
(13-14) Some day [**] in armor mounting his chariot with the monkey [or Hanumân] flag and taking up his Gândîva [his bow] and two inexhaustible quivers of arrows, entered Arjuna, the slayer of enemy heroes, in order to sport together with Krishna a large forest filled with many beasts of prey [see also B.G. chapter 1].
This incident must have taken place after the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest, since Arjuna was now using the Gāṇḍīva bow and other weapons he had acquired during that incident.
10.58.15
tatrāvidhyac charair vyāghrān
(15) There he shot with his arrows tigers, boars, wild buffalo, rurus [sort of antelopes], s'arabhas [sort of deer], gavayas [sort of oxen], rhinoceroses, black deer, rabbits and porcupines [see also 4.28: 26 and 5.26: 13].
10.58.16
(16) Servants to the king carried them to be sacrificed at a special occasion [otherwise the hunt would have been forbidden, see 9.6: 7-8] and overcome by thirst went Bibhatsa ['the frightening one', Arjuna] fatigued to the Yamunâ.
the kṣatriyas, or warriors, would hunt in the forest for several purposes: to practice their fighting skills, to control the population of ferocious beasts, who were a threat to human beings, and to provide animals for Vedic sacrifices. The killed animals would be given new bodies by the power of the sacrifices. Since priests no longer have that power, the sacrifices would now constitute mere killing and are thus forbidden.
In the Fourth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we find that the great sage Nārada severely chastised King Prācīnabarhiṣat for abusing this principle of authorized hunting. In fact, the King had become like modern sportsmen, who cruelly kill animals as a so-called hobby.
10.58.17
tatropaspṛśya viśadaḿ
(17) When the two great chariot fighters took a bath there and drank from the clear water, saw the two Krishnas [see B.G. 10: 37] a maiden walking charming to behold.
10.58.18
phālgunaḥ pramadottamām
(18) Sent by his Friend, approached Phâlguna the exquisite woman who had fine hips and teeth and an attractive face, and inquired:
Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to see the deep devotion of this girl, and thus He urged him to make the initial inquiries.
10.58.19
kuto vā kiḿ cikīrṣasi
(19) 'Who are you, to whom do you belong, o slender-waisted girl, from where are you or what are your plans; I think you're looking for a husband, tell me all about it, o beauty!'
10.58.20
(20) S'rî Kâlindî said: 'I am the daughter of the demigod Savitâ [the sun-god], engaged in severe austerities in my desire for Vishnu, the most excellent granter of boons, as my husband [see also Gâyatrî].
Śrīmatī Kālindī correctly understood that Lord Viṣṇu, being the source of all benedictions, is the supreme husband and can thus fulfill all the desires of His wife.
10.58.21
tuṣyatāḿ me sa bhagavān
mukundo 'nātha-saḿśrayaḥ
(21) I want no other husband but Him, o hero, may the Abode of S'rî [the goddess], He the Supreme Lord Mukunda, the shelter of the helpless, be satisfied with me.
The beautiful Kālindī here reveals some apprehension. She insists that she will not accept any husband except Lord Kṛṣṇa, and she states that He is the shelter for those who have no other master. Since she will accept no other shelter, Kṛṣṇa must give her shelter. Also, she says, tuṣyatāḿ me sa bhagavān: "May that Supreme Lord be pleased with me." This is her prayer.
although Kālindī is a young, helpless girl staying in a secluded place, she is not afraid. This staunch faith in and devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa is ideal Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and Śrīmatī Kālindī's desire will soon be fulfilled.
10.58.22
kālindīti samākhyātā
(22) Until I meet Acyuta, am I living in a mansion built by my father in the Yamunâ-waters and am I thus named Kâlindî [see also bhajan verse 2 and 10.15: 47-52].'
Since Kālindī was a beloved child of the sun-god himself, who would dare disturb her? From this incident we can appreciate the beautiful spiritual processes executed in previous ages by great souls. Unlike the so-called love in worldly "love affairs," beautiful Kālindī's love for Lord Kṛṣṇa was pure and perfect. Even though Kālindī was a tender young girl, her determination to marry Kṛṣṇa was so strong that she arranged for her father to build her a house in the Yamunā where she could perform severe austerities until the day her beloved came.
10.58.23
tathāvadad guḍākeśo
vāsudevāya so 'pi tām
(23) So Gudâkes'a put this before Vâsudeva who fully aware of it all lifted her up in His chariot and drove off to king Dharma [Yudhishthhira].
10.58.24
yadaiva kṛṣṇaḥ sandiṣṭaḥ
pārthānāḿ paramādbutam
(24) For the sons of Prithâ had Krishna [in the past], the moment He was asked, by Vis'vakarmâ constructed a most amazing colorful city [Indraprastha].
that this city was constructed before the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest and hence before the Lord found His bride Kālindī.
10.58.25
arjunasyāsa sārathiḥ
(25) The Supreme Lord residing there for the pleasure of His devotees desired to give to Agni the Khândava ['sugar-candy'] forest [at Kurukshetra] and became he for that purpose [burning down the forest] Arjuna's charioteer.
the sequence of events that occurred during Lord Kṛṣṇa's stay with the Pāṇḍavas. He states that first the Khāṇḍava forest was burned, then Kālindī was found, then the city was constructed, and then the assembly hall was presented to the Pāṇḍavas.
10.58.26
so 'gnis tuṣṭo dhanur adād
arjunāyākṣayau tūṇau
varma cābhedyam astribhiḥ
(26) Pleased with that gave Agni to Arjuna a bow and a chariot with white horses, o King, two inexhaustible quivers of arrows and an armor impenetrable to whatever armed opposition.
10.58.27
yasmin duryodhanasyāsīj
(27) Maya [the demon] delivered from the fire presented [in gratitude] an assembly hall to his friend [Arjuna] in which Duryodhana took the water he saw therein for a solid floor [so that he fell in, see 10.75].
10.58.28
suhṛdbhiś cānumoditaḥ
(28) He [Krishna] by him [Arjuna] and His well-wishers permitted to leave went back to Dvârakâ accompanied by Sâtyaki and the rest of His entourage [see also 1: 10].
10.58.29
athopayeme kālindīḿ
vitanvan paramānandaḿ
(29) But now married He, supremely auspicious, Kâlindî at a day the seasons, the stars and the other luminaries were most favorable for spreading the greatest happiness among His people.
10.58.30
vindyānuvindyāv āvantyau
duryodhana-vaśānugau
(30) Vindya and Anuvindya, two kings from Avantî [Ujjain] subservient to Duryodhana, obstructed their sister [Mitravindâ] who was attracted to Krishna, in her svayamvara [choice for a husband].
The feelings of enmity between the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas were so strong that Mitravindā's brothers, out of friendship for Duryodhana, forbade the young maiden to accept Kṛṣṇa as her husband.
10.58.31
rājādhidevyās tanayāḿ
(31) Mitravindâ, the daughter of Râjâdhidevî, His father's sister [9.24: 28-31], was with force, as the kings were watching, taken away by Krishna, o King [compare 10.53].10.58.32
āsīd rājāti-dhārmikaḥ
(32) Of the most religious ruler of Kaus'alya [Ayodhyâ, see 9.10: 32] named Nagnajit there was a divine daughter Satyâ who was also called Nâgnajitî, o King.
10.58.33
(33) None of the kings could marry her without defeating seven uncontrollable bulls with the sharpest horns who vicious as they were had no tolerance for the smell of warriors.
10.58.34
(34) Hearing of her being attainable for the one who had defeated the bulls, went the Supreme Lord, the Master of the Sâtvatas, to the Kaus'alya capital surrounded by a large army.
10.58.35
pratyutthānāsanādibhiḥ
arhaṇenāpi guruṇā
(35) The lord of Kos'ala standing up [upon His arrival], and worshipful seating Him with substantial offerings and so on, was in return also greeted.
10.58.36
varaḿ vilokyābhimataḿ samāgataḿ
(36) The daughter of the king seeing that the suitor of her desire had arrived prayed: 'May, provided that I keep to the vows, the fire [of sacrifice] make my hopes come true; let Him, the Husband of Ramâ become my husband!
10.58.37
(37) He of whose lotus-like feet the one from the lotus [Brahmâ] and the master of the mountain [S'iva] together with the various rulers of the world hold the dust on their heads, He who for His pastime with the desire to protect the codes of religion that He Himself instigated each time [that He's around] assumes a body, with what can He, that Supreme Lord, by me be pleased?'
10.58.38
ātmānandena pūrṇasya
(38) He [Nagnajit] said to the One worshiped further the following: 'O Nârâyana, o Lord of the Universe, what may I who am so insignificant do for You Filled with the Happiness of the Soul?'
10.58.39
kṛtāsana-parigrahaḥ
(39) S'rî S'uka said: 'O child of the Kurus, the Supreme Lord pleased to accept a seat, with a smile spoke to him with a voice deep as a [rumbling] cloud.
10.58.40
(40) The Supreme Lord said: 'O ruler of man, for a member of the royal order following his own dharma is to beg for something condemned by the learned; nevertheless do I beg for your friendship with an eye at your daughter for whom We, though, offer nothing in return.'
10.58.41
śrī-rājovāca
guṇaika-dhāmno yasyāńge
śrīr vasaty anapāyinī
(41) The King said: 'Who else but You, o Superior Lordship, would in this world be a groom desirable for my daughter; You, on Whose body the Goddess resides and never leaves, are the only One harboring the qualities!
10.58.42
samayaḥ sātvatarṣabha
(42) But, by us has before a condition been set, o best of the Sâtvatas, for the purpose of testing the prowess of the suitors of my daughter who is looking for a husband.
the King's actual purpose in setting up the test was to obtain Śrī Kṛṣṇa as his son-in-law, since only He could subdue the bulls. Without such a test it would have been difficult for Nagnajit to refuse the many apparently qualified princes and kings who came to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.
10.58.43
durdāntā duravagrahāḥ
(43) These seven wild bulls, o hero, are untamable; a great number of princes have broken their limbs being defeated by them.
10.58.44
yad ime nigṛhītāḥ syus
varo bhavān abhimato
(44) If they are subdued by You o descendant of Yadu, have You my approval as the groom for my daughter, o Husband of S'rî.'
10.58.45
nyagṛhṇāl līlayaiva tān
(45) Thus hearing of the condition set, tightened the Master His clothes and did He, turning Himself into seven, subdue them as if it concerned a simple game.
Lord Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into seven forms not only to playfully defeat the seven bulls but also to show Princess Satya that she would not have to compete with His other queens, since He could enjoy with all of them simultaneously.
10.58.46
(46) Tying them up with ropes dragged S'auri them broken in their pride and strength behind Him like He was a boy playing with a wooden toy.
10.58.47
(47) The astonished king pleased then gave Krishna his suitable daughter who by the Supreme Lord, the Master, was accepted according the vedic injunctions.
The word sadṛśīm indicates that the lovely princess was a fitting bride for the Lord because she possessed wonderful transcendental qualities that complemented His. As Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out, the word vismitaḥ indicates that King Nagnajit was certainly astonished at the many extraordinary events suddenly taking place in his life.
10.58.48
lebhire paramānandaḿ
jātaś ca paramotsavaḥ
(48) The queens, with attaining Krishna as the dear husband of the princess, felt the highest ecstasy upon which great jubilation took hold of them.
10.58.49
suvāsaḥ-srag-alańkṛtāḥ
(49) conch shells, horns and drums resounded together with songs and instrumental music; the twice-born pronounced blessings and joyful men and women finely dressed adorned themselves with garlands.
10.58.50-51
pāribarham adād vibhuḥ
(50-51) As a wedding gift gave the mighty king ten thousand cows, three thousand excellently dressed maidens with golden ornaments around their necks, nine thousand elephants, a hundred times as many chariots with a hundred times as many horses and to that a hundred times as many men as there were horses.
10.58.52
(52) He, the king of Kos'ala, with his heart melting of affection had the couple seated on their chariot and then sent them off surrounded by a large army.
10.58.53
śrutvaitad rurudhur bhūpā
(53) Hearing of this blocked the [rival] kings, in their strength just as broken by the Yadus as the bulls were before, incapable of accepting the frustration the road along which He was taking His bride.
10.58.54
(54) They, releasing volleys of arrows, were by Arjuna, the wielder of Gândîva who acted like a lion in his desire to please his Friend, driven back like they were vermin.
10.58.55
(55) The son of Devakî, the Supreme Lord and Chief of the Yadus, taking the dowry with Him then arrived in Dvârakâ where He lived happily with Satyâ.
10.58.56
kṛṣṇaḥ santardanādibhiḥ
(56) Bhadrâ a princess of Kaikeya and daughter of S'rutakîrti, His father's sister, was by her brothers headed by Santardana [see 9.24: 38] given in marriage to Krishna.
10.58.57
lakṣmaṇāḿ lakṣaṇair yatām
(57) The Lord also married Lakshmanâ, the daughter of the King of Madra who was endowed with all good qualities; she was by Krishna at her svayamvara ceremony by Him single-handedly taken away, just like Garuda once stole the nectar away from the demigods [see also 10.83: 17].
10.58.58
kṛṣṇasyāsan sahasraśaḥ
(58) After killing Bhaumâsura [***] became thousands of other just as beautiful women who by him were taken captive, Krishna's wives.'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Fifty-eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Kṛṣṇa Marries Five Princesses."
Footnotes:
* In sum Krishna wed 16008 wives: 1: Rukminî, 2 Jâmbavatî, 3 Satyabhâmâ, 4 Kâlindî, 5 Mitravindâ, 6 Satyâ (Nâgnajitî), 7 Bhadrâ, 8 Lakshmanâ, as discussed in 10.83: 17 and the 1600o wives held captive by Bhaumâsura.
** A date after the burning of the Khândava forest that is referred to later in verse 25.
*** A demon according the Vishnu-purâna born as a consequence of Lord Varâha touching mother earth when He lifted her up from the ocean [see 3.13: 31].
Canto 10
Chapter 59
Mura and Bhauma Killed and the Prayers of Bhûmi
(The Killing of the Demon Naraka)
This chapter tells how Lord Kṛṣṇa killed Narakāsura, the son of the earth-goddess, and married the thousands of maidens the demon had kidnapped. It also describes how the Lord stole the pārijāta tree from heaven and how He behaved like an ordinary householder in each of His palaces.
After Narakāsura stole Lord Varuṇa's umbrella, mother Aditi's earrings, and the playground of the demigods known as Maṇi-parvata, Indra went to Dvārakā and described the demons transgressions to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Together with Queen Satyabhāmā, the Lord mounted His carrier Garuḍa and traveled to the capital of Narakāsura's kingdom. On a field outside the city He decapitated the demon Mura with His disc. Then He fought Mura's seven sons and sent them all to the abode of death, after which Narakāsura himself entered the battlefield on the back of an elephant. Naraka threw his śakti lance at Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but the weapon proved ineffective, and the Lord cut the demon's entire army to pieces. Finally, with His sharp-edged disc Kṛṣṇa cut off Narakāsura's head.
The earth-goddess, Pṛthivī, then approached Lord Kṛṣṇa and gave Him the various items Narakāsura had stolen. She offered prayers to the Lord and presented Naraka's frightened son at Lord Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. After pacifying the demon's son, Kṛṣṇa entered Narakāsura's palace, where He found sixteen thousand one hundred young women. As soon as they caught sight of the Lord, they all decided to accept Him as their husband. The Lord sent them to Dvārakā along with a great quantity of treasure and then went with Queen Satyabhāmā to the abode of Indra. There He returned Aditi's earrings, and Indra and his wife, Śacī-devī, worshiped Him. On Satyabhāmā's request, Lord Kṛṣṇa uprooted the heavenly pārijāta tree and put it on the back of Garuḍa. After defeating Indra and the other demigods who opposed His taking of the tree, Kṛṣṇa returned with Queen Satyabhāmā to Dvārakā, where He planted it in a garden adjacent to Satyabhāmā's palace.
Indra had originally come to Lord Kṛṣṇa offering obeisances and begging Him to kill Narakāsura, but afterwards, when his business had been accomplished, he quarreled with the Lord. The demigods are prone to anger because they become intoxicated with pride in their opulences.
The infallible Supreme Lord manifested Himself in sixteen thousand one hundred separate forms and married each of the sixteen thousand one hundred brides in a different temple. He took up the required activities of household life just like an ordinary person, accepting various kinds of service from each of His many wiv
10.59.1
(1) The honorable king said: 'Please tell me of this adventure of the wielder of S'ârnga [Krishna]. How was Bhauma, who captured these women, killed by the Supreme Lord?'
10.59.2-3
hṛtāmarādri-sthānena
jñāpito bhauma-ceṣṭitam
sa-bhāryo garuḍārūḍhaḥ
mura-pāśāyutair ghorair
dṛḍhaiḥ sarvata āvṛtam
(2-3) S'rî S'uka said: 'Informed by Indra, whose parasol of Varuna [his sign of royalty] as well as a place [called Mani-parvata] on the mountain of the gods [Mandara hill, see 8.6: 22-23] had been stolen and whose relative [mother Aditi, see 8.17] had been robbed of her earrings, went He [Lord Krishna answering] to what Bhaumâsura all had done together with His wife [Satyabhâmâ see *] seated on Garuda to the city of Prâgjyotisha [Bhauma's capital now Tejpur of Assam], which lay protected surrounded by mountains and weapons, fire, water and wind and was fortified by a [mura-pâs'a] fence consisting of tens of thousands of tough and dreadful wires on all sides.
The ācāryas have explained in various plausible ways why Lord Kṛṣṇa took His wife Satyabhāmā with Him. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī begins by saying that the Lord wanted to give His adventurous wife a novel experience and thus took her to the scene of this extraordinary battle. Also, Lord Kṛṣṇa had once granted the blessing to Bhūmi, the earth-goddess, that He would not kill her demoniac son without her permission. Since Bhūmi is an expansion of Satyabhāmā, the latter could authorize Kṛṣṇa to do the needful with the unusually nasty Bhaumāsura.
Finally, Satyabhāmā had been miffed when Nārada Muni brought a celestial pārijāta flower to Queen Rukmiṇī. To pacify Satyabhāmā, Lord Kṛṣṇa had promised her, "I'll give you a whole tree of these flowers," and thus the Lord scheduled this procurement of a heavenly tree within His itinerary.
Even nowadays devoted husbands take their wives shopping, and thus Lord Kṛṣṇa took Satyabhāmā to the heavenly planets to get a heavenly tree, as well as to retrieve the goods Bhaumāsura had stolen and return them to their rightful owners.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī notes that in the heat of battle Queen Satyabhāmā would naturally become anxious for Lord Kṛṣṇa's safety and pray for the battle to end. Thus she would readily give permission to Kṛṣṇa to kill the son of her expansion, Bhūmi.
10.59.4
gadayā nirbibhedādrīn
mura-pāśāḿs tathāsinā
(4) With His club broke He through the rock fortifications, with His arrows defeated He the weapon systems, with His disc He broke through the fire, water and wind defense and with His sword found He likewise His way through the fence.
10.59.5
(5) With the resounding of His conch shell breaking the seals [of the fortress] and the hearts of the brave warriors, broke Gadâdhara with His heavy mace through the ramparts.
10.59.6
yugāntaśani-bhīṣaṇam
(6) Hearing the vibration of the Lord His Pâñcajanya, that sounded like the thunder when the universe ends, rose up the five-headed demon Mura who lay asleep in the water [of the moat].
10.59.7
yugānta-sūryānala-rocir ulbaṇaḥ
abhyadravat tārkṣya-sutaḿ yathoragaḥ
(7) Raising his trident, most difficult to behold with an effulgence as terrible as the fire of the sun, launched he, as if he with his five mouths would swallow the three worlds, his attack the way the son of Târkshya [Garuda] would attack a snake.
10.59.8
nirasya vaktrair vyanadat sa pañcabhiḥ
(8) Whirling about his trident threw he it with all his strength at Garuda with such a tumultuous roar of his five mouths that the earth, the sky, outer space in all directions and that the egglike shell of the universe reverberated.
10.59.9
tasmai gadāḿ so 'pi ruṣā vyamuñcata
(9) Lord Krishna then with two arrows broke the trident flying at Garuda in three pieces and next hit with great force his faces with more arrows. Thereupon hurled the demon in anger his club at Him.
10.59.10
gadāgrajo nirbibhide sahasradhā
(10) That club flying at Him was by the Elder Brother of Gada [Gadâgraja, Krishna] on the battlefield broken into thousands of pieces. With him next with his arms raised rushing at Him, sliced the unconquerable One with ease the heads off with His disc.
10.59.11
tasyātmajāḥ sapta pitur vadhāturāḥ
pratikriyāmarṣa-juṣaḥ samudyatāḥ
(11) As he lifeless fell into the water with his heads severed as if Indra with his force had split off a mountain peak, moved his seven sons, feeling greatly distressed upon their father's death, angered into action to retaliate.
10.59.12
tāmro 'ntarikṣaḥ śravaṇo vibhāvasur
(12) Engaged by Bhaumâsura came Tâmra, Antariksha, S'ravana, Vibhâvasu, Vasu, Nabhasvân and Aruna the seventh with Pîthha leading as their general out to the battlefield carrying their weapons.
10.59.13
(13) In their attack they angrily used swords, clubs, spears, lances and tridents against the Invincible One, but at no time was He in His prowess frustrated by their mountain of weapons; the Supreme Lord cut them with His arrows all into tiny pieces.
10.59.14
nikṛtta-śīrṣoru-bhujāńghri-varmaṇaḥ
nirīkṣya durmarṣaṇa āsravan-madair
gajaiḥ payodhi-prabhavair nirākramāt
(14) Cutting off their heads, thighs, arms, legs and armor sent He them all who were headed by Pîthha to the abode of Yamarâja. Bhauma, the son of mother earth, seeing how his army and leaders succumbed to the arrows and disc of Krishna, unable to bear that stepped forward with mada exuding elephants that were born from the milk ocean.
10.59.15
kṛṣṇaḿ sa tasmai vyasṛjac chata-ghnīḿ
yodhāś ca sarve yugapac ca vivyadhuḥ
(15) Seeing Lord Krishna with His wife sitting upon Garuda like a cloud with lightning sits above the sun, released he his S'ataghnî [spiked missile] at Him and attacked at the same time all his soldiers.
10.59.16
vicitra-vājair niśitaiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ
(16) The Supreme Lord, the Elder Brother of Gada, turned their bodies - and at the same time the bodies of the horses and elephants - with diversely feathered sharp arrows into a collection of severed arms, thighs and necks.
10.59.17-19
śastrāstrāṇi kurūdvaha
haris tāny acchinat tīkṣṇaiḥ
śarair ekaikaśas trībhiḥ
uhyamānaḥ suparṇena
gurutmatā hanyamānās
narako yudhy ayudhyata
(17-19) Each of the sharp and shafted weapons that the warriors employed, o hero of the Kurus, were by Krishna with three arrows at a time cut to pieces. Carried by the great winged one, were with strokes from both his wings by Garuda the elephants beaten. The elephants because of his wings, beak and talons moved in distress back into the city while Naraka ['hell' or Bhauma] continued the battle.
10.59.20
garuḍenārditaḿ svakaḿ
nākampata tayā viddho
(20) Bhauma, annoyed to see how because of Garuda his army was forced in retreat, struck him with the spear that [once] withstood the thunderbolt [of Indra], but he wasn't shaken more by it than an elephant is upon being hit with a flower.
10.59.21
ādade vitathodyamaḥ
(21) Next took Bhauma, frustrated in his endeavors, up his trident to kill Krishna, but before he could even release it, cut the Lord with the razor-sharp edge of His cakra off the head of Bhaumâsura as he was sitting on his elephant.
as Bhauma raised his invincible trident, Satyabhāmā, sitting on Garuḍa with the Lord, said to Kṛṣṇa, "Kill him right away," and Kṛṣṇa did just that.
10.59.22
(22) Complete with its brilliant, shining decorations of earrings and a nice helmet fell it to the ground. Worshiping Him with [exclamations of] 'Alas, alas' and 'Bravo bravo!' showered the sages and ruling gods Lord Krishna with flowers.
10.59.23
sa-vaijayantyā vana-mālayārpayat
(23) Thereupon approaching Krishna presented mother earth golden earrings glowing with shining jewels, a Vaijayantî garland of forest flowers and gave she Him the parasol of Varuna and the Great Gem [the peak of Mandara].
10.59.24
(24) The goddess then, o King, with a mind full of devotion folding her palms and bowing down, praised the Lord of the Universe who is worshiped by the best of the gods.
10.59.25
bhūmir uvāca
bhaktecchopātta-rūpāya
(25) Bhûmi said: 'To You my obeisances o God of Gods, o Lord, holder of the conch, the disc and the club, Who to the desire of Your devotees have assumed Your forms, o Supreme Soul; let there be the praise unto You.
10.59.26
namas tepańkajāńghraye
(26) My homage is for Him with the lotuslike depression in His belly, my reverence for the One with the garland of lotuses, my respects for He whose glance is as cool as a lotus, my praise unto You with the feet that are like lotuses [as in 1.8: 22].
Queen Kuntī offered this same prayer, which is found in First Canto of the Śrīmad-BhāgavatamWe may also note that although Kuntī's prayer occurs early in the Bhāgavatam, she offered it many years after the incident described here.
10.59.27
puruṣāyādi-bījāya
(27) My obeisances unto You, the Supreme Lord, Vâsudeva, Vishnu, the Original Person, the Seed and Full of Knowledge, unto You my salutations.
10.59.28
parāvarātman bhūtātman
(28) May there be the veneration for You, the Unborn Progenitor, the Unlimited Absolute, the Soul of the energies higher and lower, the Soul of the Creation, the Supersoul!
10.59.29
tamo nirodhāya bibharṣy asaḿvṛtaḥ
kālaḥ pradhānaḿ puruṣo bhavān paraḥ
(29) You, desiring to create o Master stand out Unborn [as Brahmâ], for annihilation You adopt the ignorance [as S'iva] and for maintenance You are [manifested as] the goodness [as vishnu-avatâras] of the Universe [and yet are You] not covered [by these modes], o Lord of Jagat [the Living Being that is the Universe]. Being Kâla [time], Pradhâna [the original state of matter] and Purusha [the complete as the Original Person] are You yet of a separate existence.
The word jagataḥ in the third line of this verse indicates that the functions of creation, maintenance and annihilation are here mentioned in a cosmic context.
The word utkaṭam indicates that when a particular function is being carried out, whether universal creation, maintenance or annihilation, the particular material quality associated with that function becomes predominant.
10.59.30
(30) This self of mine, the water, the fire and the air, the ether, the sense objects, the demigods, the mind, the senses, the doer, the total material energy, in sum everything that moves around or doesn't move, constitutes [when it exists only for itself] perplexity o Supreme Lord, because this all resides within You, the One Without a Second [see also siddhânta]!
The earth-goddess, in her prayers, directly touches upon the subtleties of transcendental philosophy, clarifying that although the Supreme Lord is unique and distinct from His creation, His creation has no independent existence and always rests within Him. Thus the Lord and His creation are simultaneously one and different, as explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu five hundred years ago.
To say that everything is God, without any distinction, is meaningless, since nothing can act like God. Dogs, shoes and human beings are hardly omnipotent or omniscient, nor do they create the universe. On the other hand, there is a real sense in which all things are one, for everything is part of the same supreme, absolute reality. Lord Caitanya has given the very useful analogy of the sun and the sun rays. The sun and its sunshine are one reality, for the sun is the celestial body that shines. On the other hand, one can certainly distinguish between the sun globe and the sun rays. Thus God's simultaneous oneness with and difference from His creation is the final and satisfying explanation of reality. All that exists is the Lord's potency, and yet He endows the superior potency, the living beings, with free will so that they can become responsible for the moral and spiritual quality of their decisions and activities.
This entire transcendental science is clearly and rationally explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
10.59.31
bhītaḥ prapannārti-haropasāditaḥ
śirasy amuṣyākhila-kalmaṣāpaham
(31) This son of him [Bhauma's son, Bhûmi's grandson] has in his fear approached the lotusfeet of You who removes the distress of those who take shelter; please protect him and place on his head Your lotushand which eradicates all sins.'
Here the earth-goddess seeks protection for her grandson, who has been frightened by all the terribly violent events that just took place.
10.59.32
iti bhūmy-arthito vāgbhir
prāviśat sakalarddhimat
(32) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord, with these words entreated by Bhûmi with devotion and humility, entered, to take away the fear, the residence of Bhauma that was rich with all opulences.
10.59.33
ṣaṭ-sahasrādhikāyutam
bhaumāhṛtānāḿ vikramya
(33) There the Lord saw sixteen thousand [**] maidens of the royal order who by Bhaumâsura by force were stolen from the kings.
evidence from the sage Parāśara, as quoted in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (5.29.31), to the effect that there were actually 16,100 royal maidens imprisoned in Bhauma's palace:
kanyā-pure sa kanyānāḿ
ṣoḍaśātulya-vikramaḥ
"Within the maidens' quarters, O wise one, that Lord of unequaled prowess found 16,100 princesses."Another relevant verse from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (5.29.9) is as follows:
deva-siddhāsurādīnāḿ
"The demon [Bhaumāsura] kidnapped the unmarried daughters of demigods, siddhas, asuras and kings, O Janārdana, and imprisoned them in his palace."
10.59.34
tam praviṣṭaḿ striyo vīkṣya
patiḿ daivopasāditam
(34) The women upon seeing Him entering, the most excellent of all men, enchanted chose for Him who was brought by fate to them as the husband of their desire.
10.59.35
(35) Absorbed in Krishna thinking: 'May providence make that He becomes my husband', installed they Him thus all individually in their hearts.
10.59.36
tāḥ prāhiṇod dvāravatīḿ
rathāśvān draviṇaḿ mahāt
(36) Having them properly washed and clad in spotless clothes, sent He them in palanquins off to Dvârakâ together with the enormous treasure of chariots, horses and a great number of other valuables [that was seized].
10.59.37
catur-dantāḿs tarasvinaḥ
pāṇḍurāḿś ca catuḥ-ṣaṣṭiḿ
(37) Kes'ava dispatched also sixty-four swift white elephants with four tusks stemming from the family of Airâvata [Indra's elephant].
10.59.38-39
pūjitas tridaśendreṇa
codito bhāryayotpāṭya
nirjityopānayat puram
(38-39) Going to the abode of the king of the gods and giving Aditi her earrings was He together with His beloved [Satyabhâmâ] worshiped by Indra the head of the [chief] thirty demigods and the great king his wife. Urged by His wife He uprooted the pârijâta, placed it on Garuda and brought it, defeating the demigods [who opposed that], to His city.
10.59.40
sthāpitaḥ satyabhāmāyā
gṛhodyānopaśobhanaḥ
anvagur bhramarāḥ svargāt
tad-gandhāsava-lampaṭāḥ
(40) All the way from heaven followed by the bees greedy for its sweet fragrance and juice, beautified the tree after being planted in the garden of Satyabhâmâ's residence.
10.59.41
(41) After he [Indra] had bowed down, to the occasion of which he with the tips of his crown touched His feet, and had begged Acyuta to fulfill his purpose, started he, that great soul among the demigods, having achieved his purpose, to quarrel with Him [about the pârijâta]. To hell with their wealth, what an ignorance! [see also: 3.3: 5].
It is well known that material wealth and power tend to produce arrogance, and thus an opulent life can often be the royal road to hell.
10.59.42
yathopayeme bhagavān
(42) Then married the Supreme Lord, all at the same time in various residences, those women as should, for the purpose of which the Imperishable One assumed as many forms [see 10.58: 45, 10.69: 19-45 and B.G. 9: 15; 13: 31].
here the word yathā indicates that each marriage was duly performed. This means that the entire company of the Lords relatives, including His mother Devakī, appeared in each and every palace and attended each and every wedding. Since all these weddings took place simultaneously, this event was surely a manifestation of the Lords inconceivable potency.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa does things, He does them in style. So it is not astonishing that the Lord simultaneously appeared in 16,100 wedding ceremonies taking place in 16,100 royal palaces, accompanied in each palace by all His relatives. Indeed, this is the way one would expect the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do things. After all, He is not an ordinary human being.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī further explains that on this particular occasion the Lord manifested His original form in each of His palaces. In other words, to take part in the wedding vows, He manifested identical forms (prakāśa) in all the palaces.
10.59.43
nirasta-sāmyātiśayeṣv avasthitaḥ
(43) Remaining in their unequalled and superior palaces which He never left, enjoyed He, the performer of the inconceivable, with the women eager to please Him and fulfilled He, being absorbed in the pleasure like any other man, His duties as a householder [see also 1.11: 37-39].
The word atarka-kṛt is significant here. Tarka means "logic," and atarka means "that which is beyond logic." The Lord can perform (kṛt) that which is beyond mundane logic and hence inconceivable. Still, the Lord's activities can be appreciated and understood to a significant extent by those who surrender unto Him. This is the secret of bhakti, loving devotion to the Supreme Lord.
that the Lord was always at home except for when He had to go out to do ordinary household duties. And Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that since in the Vaikuṇṭha planets Lord Nārāyaṇa enjoys with only one goddess of fortune and in Dvārakā Kṛṣṇa enjoys with thousands of queens, Dvārakā must be considered superior to Vaikuṇṭha. In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī also quotes the following passage from the Skanda Purāṇa:
ṣoḍaśaiva sahasrāṇi
gopyas tawra samāgatāḥ
tasyaitāḥ śaktayo devi
ṣoḍaśaiva prakīṛtitāḥ
ekaikaśas tāḥ sambhinnāḥ
"At that place sixteen thousand gopīs were assembled with Kṛṣṇa, who is considered the Supreme, the Supersoul, the shelter of all living beings. These gopīs are His renowned sixteen potencies, O goddess. Kṛṣṇa is like the moon, the gopīs are like its phases, and the full contingent of gopīs is like the full sequence of the moons sixteen phases. Each of these sixteen divisions of gopīs, my dear Varāńganā, is subdivided into one thousand parts."the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa: kaiśore gopa-kanyās tā yauvane rāja-kanyakāḥ. "Those who were the daughters of cowherds in their early youth became royal princesses in their maturity." The ācārya adds, "Therefore just as the Lord of Dvārakā is a plenary expansion of the supremely complete Lord of Śrī Vṛndāvana, so His principal queens are full expansions of His supremely complete pleasure potencies, the gopīs."
10.59.44
bhejur mudāviratam edhitayānurāga
(44) The women so obtaining the Husband of Ramâ thus knew to attain Him in a manner not even available to Brahmâ and the other gods, the way they shared in an ever-increasing pleasure the always fresh loving attraction of associating with Him in smiles and glances, intimate talks and bashfulness.
10.59.45
(45) Approaching Him, offering a seat, being of first-class worship, washing His feet, serving with betelnut, massages and fanning, fragrances, garlands, dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing and presenting gifts were they, though having hundreds of maidservants, [personally] of service to the Almighty Lord.'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Fifty-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Killing of the Demon Naraka."
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