VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 60
Lord Krishna Teases Queen Rukminî
This chapter describes how Lord Kṛṣṇa provoked anger in Queen Rukmiṇī with joking words and then consoled her, thus demonstrating the opulence of a lovers' quarrel.
One day Lord Kṛṣṇa sat at ease in Queen Rukmiṇī's bedroom while she and her maidservants attended to Him in various ways. Rukmiṇī always responded to Śrī Kṛṣṇa's moods, whatever they might be. On this occasion the Lord looked at Rukmiṇī, whose beauty was faultless, and began to tease her: "Previously many wealthy kings, worthy of you in their appearance and character, wanted to marry you. In fact, your father and brother intended to give you in marriage to Śiśupāla. Why, then, did you accept such an unsuitable husband as Me, who once renounced My kingdom and fled to the sea in fear of Jarāsandha? Besides, I transgress worldly morality, and because I own nothing I am dear to other paupers. Certainly the well-to-do would not worship one such as Me.
"When a man and a woman share the same social class, influence, physical beauty and so on, marriage or friendship can flourish between them. But out of shortsightedness you have accepted a husband who lacks every good quality and is glorified by beggars. Better you had married some prominent warrior; then you might have been happy in this life and the next. Your brother Rukmī and kings like Śiśupāla all hate Me, and it was only to cut down their pride that I kidnapped you. But as for such things as body, home, wife and children, I'm indifferent to them, being the self-satisfied Personality of Godhead, transcendental to all material affairs."
Śrī Kṛṣṇa stopped speaking, having destroyed Queen Rukmiṇī's confidence that she was her husband's favorite. She began to cry, and soon she became stunned in extreme fear, pain and sadness and fell unconscious. Lord Kṛṣṇa saw that she had misunderstood His joking, and thus He felt compassion for her. He picked her up from the floor and, caressing her face, consoled her: "I know you are totally attached to Me. It was only out of eagerness to see your lotus face adorned with a frown that I teased you. To joke with one's beloved is the highest enjoyment for householders." These words dispelled Rukmiṇī's fear of rejection. Seeing that Kṛṣṇa had spoken only in jest, she said, "What You said about the two of us being mismatched is actually true. After all, no one is equal to You, the omnipotent master of the three principal deities — Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva." Rukmiṇī went on to show how everything Kṛṣṇa had said denigrating Himself was actually glorification.
Lord Kṛṣṇa then spoke to Rukmiṇī with deep affection: "I did not intend to agitate your mind with My joking words; rather, I wanted to demonstrate the strength of your chastity. Anyone who prays to Me for sense gratification and happiness in family life is simply deluded by My illusory energy, Māyā. Such a person will take a low birth. Ordinary women with corrupt desires cannot possibly worship Me faithfully, as you have done. At the time of your marriage you showed no interest in any of the royal suitors; rather, you sent a brāhmaṇa messenger for Me. Thus you are certainly the most beloved of all My consorts."
In this way the Lord of the universe, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, took pleasure in joking with the goddess of fortune in her form as Rukmiṇī, and in a similar fashion He fulfilled all the duties of a householder in each palace of His other queens.
10.60.1
(1) The son of Bâdarâyana [of Vyâsa] said: 'Once comfortably sitting, positioned on her bed was He, the Spiritual Master of the Universe, served by Rukminî who fanned Him, the Husband, together with her female companions.
in this chapter Rukmiṇīdevī is like fragrant camphor crushed on the grinding stone of Lord Kṛṣṇa's speech. In other words, the lovely, chaste qualities of Rukmiṇī will become manifest as a result of Lord Kṛṣṇa's apparently insensitive words, just as camphor's fragrance becomes manifest when granules of camphor are crushed by a grinding stone. The ācārya further points out that Rukmiṇī is personally serving the Lord because He is jagad-gurum, the spiritual master of the universe, and patim, her husband.
10.60.2
sṛjaty atty avatīśvaraḥ
(2) This then was His play: that He, as the Supreme Controller who sends forth, protects and devours the universe, indeed was born to defend His own rule [*] as the Unborn Lord among the Yadus [see also 6.3: 19].
As stated in the Sixth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.19) dharmaḿ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: "Religion is the law established by God." The word setu means a "boundary" or "limit," as in the case of a dike. Earth is raised up on both sides of a river or canal so that the water will not deviate from its proper path. Similarly, God establishes laws so that people who follow them can peacefully progress along the path back home, back to Godhead. These laws, which are meant to guide human behavior, are thus called setu.
A further note on the word setu: Earth that is raised up to separate agricultural fields, or to form a causeway or bridge, is also called setu. Thus in the Ninth Canto the Bhāgavatam uses the word setu to indicate the bridge Lord Rāmacandra built to Śrī Lańkā. Since the laws of God act as a bridge to take us from material life to liberated, spiritual life, this additional sense of the word setu certainly enriches its use here.
10.60.3-6
gobhiś candramaso 'malaiḥ
pārijāta-vanāmoda-
vāyunodyāna-śālinā
paryańke kaśipūttame
upatasthe sukhāsīnaḿ
(3-6) In that private part of the palace so brilliant, hung with strings of pearls and resplendent with a canopy, with lamps made with jewels, with jasmine flower garlands swarming with humming bees, with the light of the spotless moon filtered through the openings of the lattice windows, with the fragrance carried by the wind from the grove of pârijâta trees wafting the atmosphere of the garden and with the exciting scent produced from aguru escaping from the window openings, o King, served she her Husband, the Controller of All Worlds, comfortably seated on an excellent pillow of the bed that shone white as the foam of milk.
Rukmiṇī's palace was quite famous then, as now, and these descriptions give a glimpse into its opulence. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that the word amalaiḥ in this verse may also be read aruṇaiḥ, which would indicate that when this pastime took place the moon had just risen, bathing the entire palace in beautiful ruddy moonshine.
10.60.7
(7) Taking a yak-hair fan with a jeweled handle from the hand of a maidservant fanned the goddess her Master with it in performing worship.
10.60.8
sopācyutaḿ kvaṇayatī maṇi-nūpurābhyāḿ
(8) Next to Krishna with the rumour of her ankle bells she appeared beautiful with her rings, bangles and fan in her hand and her garment with its tip concealing her breasts red of the kunkum, the glow of her necklace and the priceless belt she wore on her hips.
Queen Rukmiṇī fanned her Lord with broad strokes, the jewels and gold on her beautiful limbs resounded with her effort.
10.60.9
(9) Seeing her appearing as the goddess of fortune with no other purpose in her life, as the woman who pleased and smiling with her locks, earrings and jewels around her neck and her bright and happy face, for the sake of His pastime corresponds with bodies befitting the forms He assumes [**], gave the Lord a nectarine smile and spoke He.
an interesting verse, spoken by Śrī Parāśara in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
devatve deva-deheyaḿ
viṣṇor dehānurūpāḿ vai
karoty eṣātmanas tanum
"When the Lord appears as a demigod, she [the goddess of fortune] takes the form of a demigoddess, and when He appears as a human being, she takes a humanlike form. Thus the body she assumes matches the one Lord Viṣṇu takes."Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that as Lord Kṛṣṇa is even more beautiful than the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, Lord Kṛṣṇa's consort Rukmiṇī-devī is even more attractive than the goddess of fortune in the Vaikuṇṭha world.
10.60.10
rāja-putrīpsitā bhūpair
mahānubhāvaiḥ śrīmadbhī
rūpaudārya-balorjitaiḥ
(10) The Supreme Lord said; 'O princess you were desired by kings, rulers of the world of beauty, strength and generosity who were abundantly endowed with great powers, influence and opulence.
10.60.11
kasmān no vavṛṣe 'samān
(11) Rejecting those suitors at your disposition like S'is'upâla and others who mad of Cupid were offered to you by your brother and father, do I wonder why you've chosen for Us so different from them.
10.60.12
rājabhyo bibhyataḥ su-bhru
prāyas tyakta-nṛpāsanān
(12) Afraid of the kings, o lovely-browed one, and moved to the ocean for shelter [to Dvârakâ], have We, of enmity with the ones in power, practically abandoned the throne.
"The Lord's mentality here can be understood as follows: 'When I gave Rukmiṇī a single flower from the heavenly pārijāta tree, Satyabhāmā showed such a torrent of fury that I could not pacify her even by bowing down at her feet. Only when I gave her a whole pārijāta tree was she satisfied. Rukmiṇī, however, did not display any anger even when she saw Me give Satyabhāmā the whole tree. So how can I enjoy the nectar of angry words from this wife, who never feels jealousy, who is supremely sober and who always speaks pleasingly?' Thus considering, the Supreme Lord decided, 'If I speak like this to her, I will be able to provoke her anger.' This is how some authorities explain Kṛṣṇa's speech to Rukmiṇī."
According to the ācārya, here the words balavadbhiḥ kṛta-dveṣān prāyaḥ indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa opposed almost all the contemporary kings during His incarnation, befriending only a few, such as the Pāṇḍavas and loyal members of His dynasty. Of course, as stated in the beginning of the Tenth Canto, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared specifically because the earth was overburdened by innumerable bogus kings and He wanted to remove this burden.
the word tyakta-nṛpāsanān, "giving up the king's throne," indicates that after Lord Kṛṣṇa killed Kaḿsa He humbly gave the royal throne to His grandfather Ugrasena, although the Lord Himself was entitled to it.
10.60.13
(13) O beautiful eyebrows, women usually have to suffer who take to men whose behavior is uncertain in following a path not acceptable to normal society.
10.60.14
niṣkiñcanā vayaḿ śaśvan
(14) We without possessions are always very dear to those who have nothing either and are therefore as a rule indeed not so popular with the rich who rarely pay Me tribute o fine-waisted lady.
Like the Lord, His devotees are uninterested in material sense gratification, being awakened to the superior pleasure of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Those who are intoxicated by material wealth cannot appreciate the supreme wealth of the kingdom of God.
10.60.15
janmaiśvaryākṛtir bhavaḥ
nottamādhamayoḥ kvacit
(15) Marriage and friendship is there between two people equal in property, birth, influence, physique and prospects and never ever between a superior and an inferior [in this]!
Persons of superior and inferior qualities may live together in a relationship of master and servant or teacher and student, but marriage and friendship are proper only between those of equal status. The word bhava, in the context of marriage, indicates that a couple should have a similar capacity to produce good offspring.
Lord Kṛṣṇa here presents Himself as materially unqualified. In fact, the Lord does not have any material qualities: He lives in pure spiritual existence. Thus all the Lord's opulences are eternal and not of the flimsy mundane sort.
10.60.16
vaidarbhy etad avijñāya
tvayādīrgha-samīkṣayā
bhikṣubhiḥ ślāghitā mudhā
(16) O princess of Vidarbha, this you couldn't foresee, you didn't know, when you chose for Us so void of good qualities, We who are praised by beggars out of their mind!
10.60.17
athātmano 'nurūpaḿ vai
bhajasva kṣatriyarṣabham
(17) Now please accept for yourself a husband that indeed is suitable, a first class noble able to fulfill all your wishes in this life and the next.
10.60.18
dantavakrādayo nṛpāḥ
(18) S'is'upâla, S'âlva, Jarâsandha, Dantavakra and other kings all hate Me, o beautiful thighs, and so does your elder brother Rukmî.
10.60.19
tejopaharatāsatām
(19) In order to dispel of those, who are blinded by the intoxication of their strength, the pride and arrogance have I married you o good one; We did that to remove the power from the wicked [see also B.G. 4: 7].
10.60.20
(20) We indifferent about a home and the body really do not really care for wives, children and wealth; We, free from any endeavoring, remain completely satisfied within Ourselves like a light existing for itself does.'
10.60.21
(21) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord, saying this much as the destroyer of the pride of she who as His beloved thought herself inseparable, then stopped.
10.60.22
iti trilokeśa-pates tadātmanaḥ
(22) From the Master of the Lords of the Three worlds, her own Beloved, had she, the goddess, never before heard such an unpleasant thing, and with the fear growing in her heart started she, trembling with a terrible anxiety, to sob [see S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka verse 6 &7].
10.60.23
bhuvaḿ likhanty aśrubhir añjanāsitaiḥ
(23) With her most delicate foot glowing red of her nails scratching the earth, and with her tears smearing the makeup of her eyes and sprinkling the red kunkuma powder on her breasts, froze she, face downward, with her speech checked by her extreme sorrow.
10.60.24
rambheva vāyu-vihato pravikīrya keśān
(24) Of her great grief, fear and anguish not thinking clearly anymore, slipped her bangles and fan from her hand and fell, with her mind disrupted swooning, her body suddenly to the ground with her hair scattering, like she was a plantain tree blown over by the wind [see rasa].
Shocked by Lord Kṛṣṇa's words, Rukmiṇī could not understand that the Lord was only teasing, and thus she displayed these ecstatic symptoms of grief, which Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī characterizes as sāttvika ecstasies ranging from "becoming stunned" to "dissolution."
10.60.25
karuṇaḥ so 'nvakampata
(25) Seeing what, not being understood, the full import of His joking meant to the bond of divine love of His beloved, felt the Supreme Lord, merciful Krishna, sorry for her.
10.60.26
paryańkād avaruhyāśu
(26) Stepping down from the bed picked He, with four arms, her quickly up and wiped He, gathering her hair, her face with His lotus hand.
10.60.27-28
(27-28) Wiping her tear-filled eyes and breasts smeared by her tears, put He, o King, His arm around her who chaste had no other object of desire. The Master, the Expert in Pacification, consoled compassionately her who, so pitiable with her mind confounded of His clever joking, had not deserved this with the Goal of the Pure Ones.
10.60.29
kṣvelyācaritam ańgane
(29) The Supreme Lord said: 'O Vaidarbhî, don't be unhappy with Me, I know you're fully dedicated to Me, My dearest, I acted in jest to hear what you would say.
Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the present verse because He thought that lovely Rukmiṇī might be afraid He would again say something to disturb her, or that she might be angry at what He had done.
10.60.30
sphuritādharam īkṣitum
kaṭā-kṣepāruṇāpāńgaḿ
(30) I so wanted to see the face of love with lips trembling in agitation, glances cast from the corners of reddish eyes and beautiful brows knit together.
that normally, by the Lord's transcendental desire, His pure devotees reciprocate with Him in such a way that they satisfy His spiritual desires. But Rukmiṇī's love was so strong that her unique mood predominated in this situation, and thus instead of becoming angry she fainted and fell to the ground. Far from displeasing Kṛṣṇa, however, she increased His transcendental ecstasy by exhibiting her all-encompassing love for Him.
10.60.31
(31) To spend time joking with one's beloved is indeed for a mundane householder the greatest thing to achieve in family life, o timid one of temperament.'
The word bhāmini indicates an angry, passionate, temperamental woman. Since lovely Rukmiṇī did not become angry despite all provocation, the Lord is still speaking facetiously.
10.60.32
(32) S'rî S'uka said: 'She, Vaidarbhî, o King, thus completely pacified by the Supreme Lord, understanding His words to be jocular gave up her fear of being rejected by her Beloved.
10.60.33
snigdhāpāńgena bhārata
(33) Bashfully with a charming smile looking the Supreme Lord in the face addressed she, o descendant of Bharata, with affectionate glances the Best of All Men.
10.60.34
yad vai bhavān bhagavato 'sadṛśī vibhūmnaḥ
(34) S'rî Rukminî said: 'Well, so be it with this what You said o Lotus-eyed One; who would I, unequal to the Supreme Lord, be compared to the Almighty One who takes pleasure in His own glory, to the Controller, the Supreme Lord of the Three [principal deities] - what is the position of me in being someone whose feet because of her material qualities are held by fools?
Lord Kṛṣṇa had described in Himself that He claimed disqualified Him from being Rukmiṇī's husband. These include incompatibility, fearfulness, taking shelter in the ocean, quarreling with the powerful, abandoning His kingdom, uncertainty as to His identity, acting against ordinary standards of behavior, having no good qualities, being praised falsely by beggars, aloofness, and lack of desire for family life. The Lord claimed that Rukmiṇī had failed to recognize these bad qualities in Him. Now she begins to respond to all the Lord's statements.
First she responds to Śrī Kṛṣṇa's statement in Text 11 of this chapter: kasmān no vavṛṣe 'samān. "Why did you select Us, who are not equal to you?" Here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī says that she and Kṛṣṇa are certainly not equal, for no one can be equal to the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further points out that in her extreme humility Rukmiṇī is identifying herself with the Lord's external energy, which in fact is her expansion, Rukmiṇī being the goddess of fortune.
10.60.35
(35) True, You did, o Urukrama [Lord of the Greater Order], as if You'd be afraid of the modes, lay Yourself down in the ocean, always in the pure awareness of the Supreme Soul battling against the badness of the material senses and have, just as Your servants, rejected the position of a king as being of blind ignorance [see also S'rî S'rî Shadgosvâmî-ashthaka verse four and S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka verse 4].
In Text 12 Lord Kṛṣṇa said, rājabhyo bibhyataḥ su-bhru samudram śaraṇaḿ gatān: "Out of fear of the kings, We took shelter in the ocean." Here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī points out that the actual rulers of this world are the guṇas, the material modes of nature, which impel all living beings to act. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that because Lord Kṛṣṇa fears that His devotee will come under the influence of the modes of nature and become entangled in sense gratification, He enters the internal ocean of their hearts, where He remains as the omniscient Supersoul (upalambhana-mātra ātmā). Thus He protects His devotees. The word upalambhana-mātraḥ also indicates that the Lord is the object of meditation for His devotees.
In Text 12 Lord Kṛṣṇa also said, balavadbhiḥ kṛta-dveṣān: "We created enmity with the powerful." Here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī points out that it is the material senses which are actually powerful in this world. The Supreme Lord has taken up the battle against sense gratification on the part of His devotees, and thus He is constantly trying to help them in their struggle for spiritual purity. When the devotees become free of unwanted material habits, the Lord reveals Himself to them, and then the eternal loving relationship between the Lord and His devotees becomes an irrevocable fact.
In the same verse Kṛṣṇa stated, tyakta-nṛpāsanān: "We renounced the royal throne." But here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī points out that the position of political supremacy in this world usually implicates so-called powerful leaders in darkness and blindness. As the saying goes, "Power corrupts." Thus even the Lord's loving servants tend to shy away from political intrigue and power politics. The Lord Himself, being completely satisfied in His own spiritual bliss, would hardly be interested in occupying mundane political positions. Thus Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī correctly interprets the Lord's actions as evidence of His supreme transcendental nature.
10.60.36
vartmāsphuṭaḿ nr-paśubhir nanu durvibhāvyam
(36) For sages who relish the honey of Your lotuslike feet is Your path, that for animals in a human form for sure is impossible to comprehend, not quite clear because - [so one may wonder] - is it really so that they, who otherworldly present themselves with activities in service of the Supreme Controller [of Time], o All-powerful One, are following You [as a person]?
Here Queen Rukmiṇī replies to Lord Kṛṣṇa's statement in Text 13:
aspaṣṭa-vartmanāḿ puḿsām
"O fine-browed lady, women are usually destined to suffer when they stay with men whose behavior is uncertain and who pursue a path not approved by society."
In the present verse Rukmiṇī is taking the term aloka-patham to mean "unworldly path." Those who are entangled in worldly behavior are trying to enjoy this world more or less like animals. Even if such people are "culturally advanced," they should simply be considered sophisticated or polished animals. Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī points out that because the Lord's activities are always transcendental, they are aspaṣṭa, or "unclear," to ordinary people, and even the sages trying to know the Lord cannot perfectly understand these activities.
10.60.37
(37) You indeed are without possessions, You beyond Whom there is nothing and to Whom even the enjoyers of tribute headed by Brahmâ pay tribute; persons materially satisfied do, blinded by their status, not know You as their death, but to the great enjoyers are You the One most dear, as they are to You [see also 1.7: 10].
Here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī replies to Lord Kṛṣṇa's statement in Text 14:
niṣkiñcanā vayaḿ śaśvan
"We have no material possessions, and We are dear to those who similarly have nothing. Therefore, O slender one, the wealthy hardly ever worship Me."
Queen Rukmiṇī begins her statement by saying niṣkiñcano nanu, "You are indeed niṣkiñcana." The word kiñcana means "something," and the prefix nir — or, as it appears here, niṣ — indicates negation. Thus in the ordinary sense niṣkiñcana means "one who does not have something," or, in other words, "one who has nothing."
But in the present verse Queen Rukmiṇī states that Lord Kṛṣṇa "possesses nothing" not because He is a pauper but because He Himself is everything. In other words, since Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, all that exists is within Him. There is no second thing, something outside the Lord's existence, for Him to possess. For example, a man may possess a house or a car or a child or money, but these things do not become the man: they exist outside of him. We say he possesses them merely in the sense that he has control over them. But the Lord does not merely control His creation: His creation actually exists within Him. Thus there is nothing outside of Him that He can possess in the way that we possess external objects.
The ācāryas explain niṣkiñcana in the following way: To state that a person possesses something implies that he does not possess everything.
In other words, if we say that a man owns some property, we imply that he does not own all property but rather some specific property. A standard American dictionary defines the word some as "a certain indefinite or unspecified number, quantity, etc., as distinguished from the rest." The Sanskrit word kiñcana conveys this sense of a partial amount of the total. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa is called niṣkiñcana to refute the idea that He possesses merely a certain amount of beauty, fame, wealth, intelligence and other opulences. Rather, He possesses infinite beauty, infinite intelligence, infinite wealth and so on. This is so because He is the Absolute Truth.
Śrīla Prabhupāda begins his introduction to the First Canto, Volume One, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with the following statement, which is quite relevant to our present discussion: "The conception of God and the conception of the Absolute Truth are not on the same level. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam hits on the target of the Absolute Truth. The conception of God indicates the controller, whereas the conception of the Absolute Truth indicates the summum bonum, or the ultimate source of all energies." Here Śrīla Prabhupāda touches upon a fundamental philosophical point. God is commonly defined as "the supreme being," and the dictionary defines supreme as (1) highest in rank, power, authority, etc; (2) highest in quality, achievement, performance, etc; (3) highest in degree; and (4) final, ultimate. None of these definitions adequately indicates absolute existence.
For example, we may say that a particular American is supremely wealthy in the sense that he is wealthier than any other American, or we may speak of the Supreme Court as the highest court in the land, although it certainly does not have absolute authority in all political and social matters, since it shares authority in these fields with the legislature and the president. In other words, the word supreme indicates the best in a hierarchy, and thus the supreme being may merely be understood as the best or greatest of all beings but not as the very source of all other beings and, indeed, of everything that exists. Thus Śrīla Prabhupāda specifically points out that the concept of the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, is higher than the concept of a supreme being, and this point is essential to a clear understanding of Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is not merely a supreme being: He is the absolute being, and that is exactly the point His wife is making. Thus the word niṣkiñcana indicates not that Kṛṣṇa possesses no opulence but rather all opulence. In that sense she accepts His definition of Himself as niṣkiñcana.
In Text 14 Lord Kṛṣṇa also stated, niṣkiñcana-jana-priyāḥ: "I am dear to those who have nothing." Here, however, Queen Rukmiṇī points out that the demigods, the wealthiest souls in the universe, regularly make offerings to the Supreme Lord. We may assume that the demigods, being the Lord's appointed representatives, know that everything belongs to Him in the sense that everything is part of Him, as explained above. Therefore the statement niṣkiñcana-jana-priyāḥ is correct in the sense that since nothing exists except the Lord and His potencies, no matter how wealthy the Lord's worshipers appear to be they are in fact offering Him nothing but His own energy as a loving act. The same idea is exemplified when one worships the Ganges River by offering Ganges water, or when a child gets money from his father on the father's birthday and buys him a gift. The father is paying for his own present, but what he is really interested in is his child's love. Similarly, the Supreme Lord manifests the cosmos, and then the conditioned souls collect various items of the Lord's creation. Pious souls offer some of the best items from their collection back to the Lord as a sacrifice and thus purify themselves. Since the whole cosmos and everything in it is simply the Lord's energy, we may say that those who worship the Lord possess nothing.
In more conventional terms, people who are proud of their great wealth do not bow down to God. Queen Rukmiṇī also mentions these fools. Satisfied with their temporary bodies, they do not understand the divine power of death, which stalks them. The demigods, however, who are by far the wealthiest living beings, regularly offer sacrifice to the Supreme Lord, and thus the Lord is most dear to them, as stated here.
10.60.38
tvaḿ vai samasta-puruṣārtha-mayaḥ phalātmā
yad-vāñchayā su-matayo visṛjanti kṛtsnam
(38) You indeed are the ultimate goal comprising all the goals of human life, You are the very Self longing for Whom intelligent persons discard everything; Your association, o Omnipotent one, is appropriate to them and not to a man and woman in lust being happy and unhappy.
Here Queen Rukmiṇī refutes Lord Kṛṣṇa's statement in Text 15:
yayor ātma-samaḿ vittaḿ
janmaiśvaryākṛtir bhavaḥ
nottamādhamayoḥ kvacit
"Marriage and friendship are proper between two people who are equal in terms of their wealth, birth, influence, physical appearance and capacity for good progeny, but never between a superior and an inferior." In fact, only those who have given up all such material conceptions of sense gratification and have taken exclusively to the Lord's loving service can understand who their real friend and companion is — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself.10.60.39
(39) You, the Supreme Soul of all the Worlds giving away Your Self, of Whose prowess speak the sages who gave up on the staff [of wandering, becoming Paramahamsas, see 5.1*], have thus by me been chosen in rejection of those masters of heaven, born on the lotus [Brahmâ] and ruling existence [S'iva], whose aspirations are destroyed by the force of Time generated from Your eyebrows. What then would my interest be in others?
This is Queen Rukmiṇī's refutation of Lord Kṛṣṇa's statement in Text 16. There the Lord Kṛṣṇa said, bhikṣubhiḥ ślāghitā mudhā: "I am glorified by beggars." But Queen Rukmiṇī points out that those so-called beggars are actually sages in the paramahaḿsa stage of life — sannyāsīs who have reached the highest level of spiritual advancement and thus given up the sannyāsī rod. Lord Kṛṣṇa also made two specific accusations against His wife in Text 16. He said, vaidarbhy etad avijñāya — "My dear Vaidarbhī, you were not aware of the situation" — and tvayādīrgha-samīkṣayā — "because you lack foresight." In the present verse, Rukmiṇī's statement iti me vṛto 'si indicates "I chose You as my husband because You possess the above-mentioned qualities. It was not a blind choice at all." Rukmiṇī further mentions that she passed over lesser personalities like Brahmā, Śiva and the rulers of heaven because she saw that even though, materially speaking, they are great personalities, they are frustrated by the powerful waves of time, which emanate from the eyebrows of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, far from lacking foresight, Rukmiṇī chose Lord Kṛṣṇa after an exhaustive appraisal of the entire cosmic situation. Thus she lovingly rebukes her husband here.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī interprets Rukmiṇī's mood as follows: "My dear husband, Your accusation that I lack foresight indicates that You did know of my deep insight into the situation. Actually, I chose You because I knew of Your true glories."
10.60.40
tebhyo bhayād yad udadhiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapannaḥ
(40) How foolish were the words You used about taking shelter in the ocean out of fear, o Gadâgraja, You who by twanging Your S'ârnga drove back the kings in taking me, Your proper tribute, away the way a lion snatches his share away from the animals [see also jalpa 10.47: 12-21].
In Text 12 of this chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa said, rājabhyo bibhyataḥ su-bhru samudraḿ śaranaḿ gatān: "Terrified of those kings, We went to the ocean for shelter." According to the ācāryas, Lord Kṛṣṇa finally provoked Rukmiṇī's anger by glorifying other men who might have been her husband, and thus in an agitated mood she here tells Him that she is not ignorant but rather that He has spoken foolishly. She states, "Like a lion You abducted me in the presence of those kings and drove them away with Your Śārńga bow, so it is simply foolishness to say that out of fear of those same kings You went to the ocean." According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, as Queen Rukmiṇī spoke these words she frowned and cast angry sidelong glances at the Lord.
10.60.41
(41) For want of You have the kings Anga [father of Vena, 4.13: 47], Vainya [Prithu, 4.23], Jâyanta [Bharata, 6.7: 11], Nâhusha [Yayâti, 9.19], Gaya [15.15: 6-7] and others abandoning their crown, their absolute sovereignty over their kingdoms, entered the forest, o Lotus-eyed One; how could they, fixed on Your path in this world, be of trepidation?
Here Queen Rukmiṇī refutes the ideas put forth by Lord Kṛṣṇa in Text 13. In fact Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī repeats Lord Kṛṣṇa's own words. The Lord said, āsthitāḥ padavīḿ su-bhru prāyaḥ sīdanti yoṣitaḥ: "Women who follow My path generally suffer." Here Rukmiṇī-devī says, sīdanti te 'nupadavīḿ ta ihāsthitāḥ kim: "Why should those fixed on Your path suffer in this world?" She gives the example of many great kings who renounced their powerful sovereignty to enter the forest, where they performed austerities and worshiped the Lord, intensely desiring His transcendental association. Thus, according to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī here intends to tell Śrī Kṛṣṇa, "You have said that I, a king's daughter, am unintelligent and frustrated because I married You. But how can You accuse all these great enlightened kings of being unintelligent? They were the wisest of men, yet they gave up everything to follow You and were certainly not frustrated by the result. Indeed, they achieved the perfection of Your association."
10.60.42
āghrāya san-mukharitaḿ janatāpavargam
lakṣmy-ālayaḿ tv avigaṇayya guṇālayasya
martyā sadoru-bhayam artha-viviita-dṛṣṭiḥ
(42) What woman would take shelter of another man, once having smelled the by the saints described aroma of Your lotus feet where Lakshmî resides and that for all people bestow liberation; what mortal woman with the insight to ascertain what's best for her, would not take You seriously as the Abode of All Qualities, and go for one who is always in great fear [of his false ego]?
In Text 16 Lord Kṛṣṇa claimed that He was guṇair hīnāḥ, "bereft of all good qualities." To refute this claim, the devoted Rukmiṇī here states that the Lord is guṇālaya, "the abode of all good qualities." In a single moment the so-called powerful men of this world can be reduced to utter helplessness and confusion. Indeed, destruction is the inevitable fate of all powerful masculine bodies. The Lord, however, has an eternal, spiritual body that is omnipotent and infinitely beautiful, and thus, as Queen Rukmiṇī argues here, how could any sane, enlightened woman take shelter of anyone but the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa?
10.60.43
syān me tavāńghrir araṇaḿ sṛtibhir bhramantyā
(43) For Him, You Yourself, have I chosen as the Ultimate Master and Supreme Soul of All Worlds to fulfill our desires in this life and the next [see last verse S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka]; may there for me who wandered on different paths be the shelter of Your feet which, indeed approaching their worshiper, award with liberation from the untrue.
An alternate reading for the word sṛtibhiḥ is śrutibhiḥ, in which case the idea Rukmiṇī expresses is this: "I have been bewildered by hearing from various religious scriptures about numerous rituals and ceremonies with their promises of fruitive results." Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī gives this explanation, while Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī give an additional idea Rukmiṇī might express with the word śrutibhiḥ: "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I was bewildered by hearing about Your various incarnations. I heard that when You descended as Rāma You abandoned Your wife, Sītā, and that in this life You abandoned the gopīs. Thus I was bewildered."
It is understood that Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī is the eternally liberated consort of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but in these verses she humbly plays the part of a mortal woman taking shelter of the Supreme Lord.
10.60.44
(44) Let the kings You mentioned, o Acyuta, be of those women in whose homes they are like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves and whose ears never came close to the core of You Who vex Your enemies; You Who are sung and discussed in the scholarly assemblies of Mrida [the gracious one or S'iva] and Viriñca [the pure one beyond passion or Brahmâ].
these fiery words of Queen Rukmiṇī's are a response to Lord Kṛṣṇa's opening statement, found in Text 10 of the chapter. The Supreme Lord had said, "My dear princess, You were sought after by many kings as powerful as the rulers of planets. They were all abundantly endowed with political influence, wealth, beauty, generosity and physical strength." According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, Queen Rukmiṇī here speaks with anger, pointing her index finger at the Lord. She compares the so-called great princes to asses because they carry many material burdens, to oxen because they are always distressed while performing their occupational duties, to dogs because their wives disrespect them, to cats because they are selfish and cruel, and to slaves because they are servile in family affairs. Such kings may appear desirable to a foolish woman who has not heard or understood the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
that such kings are like asses because their wives sometimes kick them, like dogs because they behave inimically toward outsiders in order to protect their homes, and like cats because they eat the remnants left by their wives.
10.60.45
(45) The woman who's not smelling the honey of Your lotus feet has a totally bewildered idea; she worships as her partner a living corpse covered by skin, whiskers, bodily hair, nails and head-hair with inside flesh, bones, blood, worms, stool, mucus, bile and air.
Here Lord Kṛṣṇa's chaste wife makes a quite unequivocal statement about material sense gratification based on the physical body. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments as follows on this verse: On the authority of the statement sa vai patiḥ syād akuto-bhayaḥ svayam — "He indeed should become one's husband who can remove all fear" — Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the real husband for all women at all times. Thus a woman who worships someone else as her husband simply worships a dead body. Rukmiṇī thus considered that although the sweetness of Lord Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet is well known, and although He possesses an eternal body full of knowledge and bliss, foolish women reject Him. An ordinary husband's body is covered on the outside by skin and hair; otherwise, being filled with blood, feces, flesh, bile and so on, it would be overwhelmed with flies and other vermin attracted by its bad smell and other offensive qualities.
Those who have no practical experience of the beauty and purity of Kṛṣṇa or of Kṛṣṇa consciousness may be confused by such uncompromising denunciations of material, bodily gratification. But those who are enlightened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be enlivened and enthused by such absolutely truthful statements.
10.60.46
ātman ratasya mayi cānatirikta-dṛṣṭeḥ
(46) Let there be, o lotus-eyed one, my steady attraction to the feet of You who are more taking pleasure in the True Self than in me, You who for the increase of this universe assume an abundance in passion and with Your glance in that looking at me indeed show us the greatest mercy [see also 10.53: 2].
In Text 20 of this chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa stated, "Always satisfied within Ourselves, We care nothing for wives, children and wealth." Here Rukmiṇī-devī humbly replies, "Yes, You take pleasure within Yourself and therefore rarely look at me."
that Lord Kṛṣṇa had already declared His love for Rukmiṇī (Bhāg. 10.53.2): tathāham api tac-citto nidrāḿ ca na labhe niśi. "I am also thinking about her — so much so that I cannot sleep at night." Lord Kṛṣṇa is satisfied within Himself, and if we remember that Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī is His internal potency, we can understand that His loving affairs with her are expressions of His pure spiritual happiness.
Here, however, Queen Rukmiṇī humbly identifies herself with the Lord's external energy, which is her expansion. Therefore she says, "Though You do not often look at me, when You are ready to manifest the material universe and thus begin to work through the material quality of passion, which is Your potency, You glance at me. In this way You show me Your greatest mercy." Thus Ācārya Viśvanātha explains that Goddess Rukmiṇī's statement can be understood in two ways. And of course the Vaiṣṇavas, after thoroughly understanding the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa from the bona fide ācāryas, simply relish these loving affairs between the Lord and His exalted devotees.
10.60.47
vacas te madhusūdana
(47) Factually I don't consider Your words false o Killer of Madhu, it is sure often so that with a maiden [as I with the kings] the attraction raises as it once happened to Ambâ [daughter of the king of Kâs'î attracted to S'âlva, see Mahâbhârata and note 9.22: 20*].
Having refuted everything Lord Kṛṣṇa said, Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī, in a gracious frame of mind, now praises the truthfulness of His statements. In other words, she accepts that Lord Kṛṣṇa used her as an example to elucidate ordinary female psychology. The King of Kāśī had three daughters — Ambā, Ambālikā and Ambikā — and Ambā was attracted to Śālva. This story is narrated in the Mahābhārata.
10.60.48
vyūḍhāyāś cāpi puḿścalyā
(48) A promiscuous woman is even being married attracted to newer and newer men; being intelligent should one not keep such an unfaithful woman because one staying attached to her then will have fallen in two ways [in this as well as in the next life, see also 9.14: 36].'
10.60.49
sādhvy etac-chrotu-kāmais tvaḿ
(49) The Supreme Lord said: 'All that you replied is correct indeed; what I have said fooling you, o princess, was for My want of hearing you speak on this, o saintly lady!
10.60.50
(50) Whatever benedictions you hanker for in order to be freed from lust, o fair one, are there, o auspicious one, always for you who indeed are exclusively devoted to Me.
10.60.51
yad vākyaiś cālyamānāyā
na dhīr mayy apakarṣitā
(51) O sinless one, I've seen your pure love and adherence in vows to the husband; as far as words could upset you, could your mind attached to Me, not be diverted.
the pure love between Rukmiṇī and Kṛṣṇa:
sarvathā dhvaḿsa-rahitaḿ
"When the affectionate bond between a young man and a young woman can never be destroyed, even when there is every cause for the destruction of that relationship, the attachment between them is said to be pure love." This is the nature of the eternal loving affairs between Lord Kṛṣṇa and His pure conjugal associates.
10.60.52
kāmātmāno 'pavargeśaḿ
(52) Those falling for civil status who worship Me with penances and adherence to vows, are, lusty of nature, bewildered by the illusory energy of Me, the Controller of the Final Beatitude.
The word dāmpatye indicates the relationship between husband and wife. Lusty and bewildered persons worship the Supreme Lord to enhance this relationship, though they know He can free them from their useless attachment to temporary things.
10.60.53
(53) O reservoir of love, for those who with obtaining Me, the Treasure of Emancipation, not as fortunate desire from Me, the Master of that, only the material treasures that are there even available for persons living in hell, is it, because they are obsessed with sense gratification, [then also] hell what suits them best [see also 3.32, and 7.5: 32].
It stands to reason that since Lord Kṛṣṇa is the source of all pleasure and all opulence, He Himself is the supreme pleasure and the most opulent. Therefore our real self-interest is to always engage in the loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. As Prahlāda Mahārāja says (Bhāg. 7.5.31), na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiḿ hi viṣṇum: "The ignorant do not know that their actual self-interest lies in attaining the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu [Kṛṣṇa]."
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, one can easily obtain female association and other sense pleasures even in hell. We have practical experience that even such creatures as hogs, dogs and pigeons have ample opportunity to enjoy sex. It is unfortunate that modern human beings, who have a golden opportunity to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, prefer to enjoy like dogs and cats. And this goes on in the name of material progress.
10.60.54
(54) Fortunately, o mistress of the house, were you rendering the constant faithful service to Me that gives liberation from a material existence, the service which is most difficult for especially tricky women with bad intentions, who care for the breath of their own life only and delight in cutting off [relations].
Since devotional service easily awards one liberation, isn't it possible that everyone will be liberated and the world will no longer exist? The great ācārya answers that there is no such danger, since it is very difficult for envious, duplicitous, sensuous persons to faithfully serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and there is no shortage of such people in the world.
10.60.55
prāptān nṛpān na vigaṇayya raho-haro me
(55) In my palaces can I find no wife as loving as you, o respectful one; you who at the time of her own marriage disregarded the kings who had arrived; you by whom, having heard the true stories, a brahmin carrier was sent to Me with a confidential message.
10.60.56
bhrātur virūpa-karaṇaḿ yudhi nirjitasya
(56) When your brother was disfigured being defeated in battle [10.54] and on the appointed day of the marriage ceremony [of Aniruddha, her grandson, see next chapter] got killed during a gambling match, you suffered unbearable sorrow from Us, but afraid of separation you didn't say a word and by that were We conquered by you.
10.60.57
tiṣṭheta tat tvayi vayaḿ pratinandayāmaḥ
(57) When, with the messenger sent with the most confidential bidding to obtain My person, I was delayed, wanted you, thinking this world all empty, to give up this body that wouldn't be there for the service of anyone else [see 10.53: 22-25]; may you always be that way [of fortitude] with Us rejoicing in response.'
Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī had no intention whatsoever of accepting any other husband but Lord Kṛṣṇa, as she stated in her message to the Lord (Bhāg. 10.52.43): yarhy ambujākṣa na labheya bhavat-prasādaḿ/ jahyām asūn vrata-kṛśān śata-janmabhiḥ syāt. "If I cannot obtain Your mercy, I shall simply give up my vital force, which will have become weak from the severe penances I will perform. Then, after hundreds of lifetimes of endeavor, I may obtain Your mercy." The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam firmly establishes the unique glories of Queen Rukmiṇī-devī.
10.60.58
(58) S'rî S'uka said: 'This way in conjugal conversations imitating the human world took the Supreme Lord pleasure in enjoying Himself with Ramâ.
The word viḍambayan means "imitating" and also "ridiculing." The Lord acted like a husband of this world, but His pastimes are transcendental and expose the perverted nature of mundane activities aimed at bodily sense gratification.
10.60.59
tathānyāsām api vibhur
(59) Similarly behaving like a householder in the residences of the other queens, did the Almighty Lord and Spiritual master of All the Worlds carry out the duties of a family man.'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Sixtieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Kṛṣṇa Teases Queen Rukmiṇī."
Canto 10
Chapter 61
Lord Balarâma Slays Rukmî at Aniruddha's Wedding
This chapter lists Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's sons, grandsons and other progeny. It also describes how Lord Balarāma killed Rukmī at Aniruddha's marriage ceremony and how Lord Kṛṣṇa arranged for His sons and daughters to be married.
Not understanding the full truth about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, each of His wives thought that since He remained constantly in her palace she must be His favorite wife. They were all entranced by the Lord's beauty and His loving conversations with them, but they could not agitate His mind with the charming gestures of their eyebrows or by any other means. Having attained as their husband Lord Kṛṣṇa, whom even demigods like Brahmā find it difficult to know in truth, the Lord's queens were always eager to associate with Him. Thus, although each of them had millions of maidservants, they would personally render Him menial service.
Each of Lord Kṛṣṇa's wives had ten sons, who in turn each fathered many sons and grandsons. In the womb of Rukmī's daughter Rukmavatī, Pradyumna fathered Aniruddha. Though Śrī Kṛṣṇa had disrespected Rukmī, to please his sister Rukmī gave his daughter in marriage to Pradyumna, and his granddaughter to Aniruddha. Balī, the son of Kṛtavarmā, married Rukmiṇī's daughter Cārumatī.
At Aniruddha's wedding, Lord Baladeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and other Yādavas went to Rukmī's palace in the city of Bhojakaṭa. After the ceremony, Rukmī challenged Lord Baladeva to a game of dice. In the first match Rukmī defeated Baladeva, whereupon the King of Kalińga laughed at the Lord, displaying all his teeth. Lord Baladeva won the next match, but Rukmī refused to concede defeat. A voice then spoke from the sky, announcing that Baladeva had in fact won. But Rukmī, encouraged by the wicked kings, offended Lord Baladeva by saying that while He was certainly expert at tending cows, He knew nothing of playing dice. Thus insulted, Lord Baladeva angrily struck Rukmī dead with His club. The King of Kalińga tried to flee, but Lord Baladeva seized him and knocked out all his teeth. Then the other offensive kings, their arms, thighs and heads wounded by Baladeva's blows, fled in all directions, bleeding profusely. Śrī Kṛṣṇa expressed neither approval nor disapproval of His brother-in-law's death, fearing He would jeopardize His loving ties with either Rukmiṇī or Baladeva.
Lord Baladeva and the other Yādavas then seated Aniruddha and His bride on a fine chariot, and they all set off for Dvārakā.
10.61.1
ekaikaśas tāḥ kṛṣṇasya
ajījanann anavamān
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Each of the wives of Krishna gave birth to ten sons no less than their Father in all His personal opulence.
10.61.2
(2) Never seeing Acyuta leaving their palaces considered every one of the princesses herself the one most dear; the women didn't know the truth about Him.
that Lord Kṛṣṇa would leave the palaces only with the permission of His wives, and thus each one considered herself His favorite.
10.61.3
svair vibhramaiḥ samaśakan vanitā vibhūmnaḥ
(3) Fully enchanted by the Supreme Lord His face beautiful as the whorl of a lotus, His long arms, His eyes and loving glances, witty approach and charming talks could the women, with their appeal, not conquer the mind of the One All-powerful.
The previous verse stated that Lord Kṛṣṇa's queens could not understand the truth of the Lord. This truth is explained in the present verse. The Lord is all-powerful, full in Himself, with infinite opulence.
10.61.4
yasyendriyaḿ vimathitum karaṇair na śekuḥ
(4) In spite of their romantic signs beamed from their arched brows, hidden looks and coy smiles, so enchanting displaying their intentions, were the sixteen thousand wives by their arrows of Cupid and other means not able to agitate the senses [of Krishna].
10.61.5
bhejur mudāviratam edhitayānurāga-
(5) These women this way obtaining as their spouse the Lord of Ramâ, relating to whom not even Lord Brahmâ and the other gods know the means to attain, partook eagerly anticipating for the ever-fresh intimate association with pleasure, smiles and glances in the incessant and increasing loving attraction [as in 10.59: 44].
10.61.6
(6) Though having hundreds of maidservants were they, [personally] approaching Him, offering a seat, being of first-class worship, washing His feet, serving with betelnut, giving massages and fanning Him, with fragrances, garlands, dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing and presenting gifts to Him, of service to the Almighty Lord [as in 10.59: 45].
that Śukadeva Gosvāmī is so eager to describe these glorious pastimes of the Lord with His queens that he has repeated these verses. That is, Text 5 of this chapter is almost identical with Text 44 of the fifty-ninth chapter in this canto, and Text 6 is identical with Text 45 of that chapter. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the term varārhaṇa ("excellent offerings") indicates that the queens offered the Lord palmfuls of flowers (puṣpāñjali) and palmfuls of jewels (ratnāñjali).
10.61.7
(7) Of those [16008 **] wives of Krishna previously mentioned who each had ten sons there were eight principal queens of whom I'll recite their sons headed by Pradyumna.
10.61.8-9
cārudeṣṇaḥ sudeṣṇaś ca
sucāruś cāruguptaś ca
bhadracārus tathāparaḥ
cārucandro vicāruś ca
(8-9) By the Lord begotten in Rukminî [see 10.54: 60] there were, no way inferior to Him, [with Pradyumna first] Cârudeshna, Sudeshna and the powerful Cârudeha; Sucâru, Cârugupta, Bhadracâru and another one called Cârucandra as well as Vicâru and Câru, the tenth.
10.61.10-12
prabhānur bhānumāḿs tathā
candrabhānur bṛhadbhānur
atibhānus tathāṣṭamaḥ
śrībhānuḥ pratibhānuś ca
satyabhāmātmajā daśa
chatajic ca sahasrajit
viyayaś citraketuś ca
jāmbavatyāḥ sutā hy ete
(10-12) The ten sons of Sathyabhâmâ [10.56: 44] were Bhânu, Subhânu, Svarbhânu, Prabhânu, Bhânumân and Candrabhânu; as also Brihadbhânu, the eight one Atibhânu and S'rîbhânu and Pratibhânu [bhânu means lustre, splendor]. Sâmba, Sumitra, Purujit, S'atajit and Sahasrajit; Vijaya and Citraketu, Vasumân, Dravida and Kratu were the sons of Jâmbavatî [10.56: 32]. It were indeed these ones headed by Sâmba who were their Father's favorites [see also 7.1: 2 & 12].
he compound pitṛ-sammatāḥ in this verse as "highly regarded by their father." The word also indicates that these sons, like the others already mentioned, were regarded as being just like their glorious father, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
10.61.13
vīraś candro 'śvasenaś ca
kuntir nāgnajiteḥ sutāḥ
(13) Vîra, Candra and As'vasena; Citragu, Vegavân, Vrisha, Âma, S'anku, Vasu and the so very beautiful Kunti were the sons of Nâgnajitî [or Satyâ, see 10.58: 55].
10.61.14
śāntir darśaḥ pūrṇamāsaḥ
kālindyāḥ somako 'varaḥ
(14) S'ruta, Kavi, Vrisha, Vîra, Subâhu, the one called Bhadra, S'ânti, Dars'a and Pûrnamâsa were, with Somaka as the youngest, the sons of Kâlindî [10.58: 23].
10.61.15
praghoṣo gātravān siḿho
saha ojo 'parājitaḥ
(15) Praghosha, Gâtravân, Simha, Bala, Prabala, and Ûrdhaga were with Mahâs'akti, Saha, Oja and Aparâjita the sons of Mâdrâ [see *].
Mādrā is also known as Lakṣmaṇā.
10.61.16
vṛko harṣo 'nilo gṛdhro
mahāḿsaḥ pāvano vahnir
mitravindātmajāḥ kṣudhiḥ
(16) Vrika, Harsha, Anila, Gridhra, Vardhana, Unnâda, Mahâmsa, Pâvana and Vahni were with Kshudhi the sons of Mitravindâ [10.58: 31].
10.61.17
sańgrāmajid bṛhatsenaḥ
śūraḥ praharaṇo 'rijit
(17) Sangrâmajit, Brihatsena, S'ûra, Praharana, Arijit, Jaya and Subhadra were together with Vâma, Âyur and Satyaka the sons of Bhadrâ [10.58: 56].
10.61.18
dīptimāḿs tāmrataptādyā
pradyamnāc cāniruddho 'bhūd
nāmnā bhojakaṭe pure
(18) Dîptimân, Tâmratapta and others were the sons of Lord Krishna and Rohinî [*]. O King, from Pradyumna was, as He was living in the city of Bhojakatha [Rukmî's domain] then, begotten in Rukmavatî, the daughter of Rukmî, the greatly powerful Aniruddha born [see also 4.24: 35-36].
Lord Kṛṣṇa's eight principal queens are Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavatī, Nāgnajitī, Kālindī, Lakṣmaṇā, Mitravindā and Bhadrā. Having mentioned all their sons, Śukadeva Gosvāmī now refers to the sons of the other 16,100 queens by mentioning the two principal sons of Queen Rohiṇī, the foremost of the remaining queens.
10.61.19
(19) Of these sons and grandsons were born tens of millions, o King, for the mothers of the descendants of Krishna numbered sixteen thousand.'
10.61.20
śrī-rājovāca
prādād duhitaraḿ yudhi
kṛṣṇena paribhūtas taḿ
dviṣor vaivāhikaḿ mithaḥ
(20) The king said: 'How could Rukmî give his daughter to the son of his Enemy in marriage? Defeated by Krishna in battle awaited he the opportunity to kill Him. Please explain to me, o learned one, how this marriage between the two enemies could be arranged.
10.61.21
(21) Yogis [like you] are perfectly able to see the past, the present, as well as what hasn't happened yet, things far away, things blocked by obstacles and things beyond the senses.'
Here King Parīkṣit encourages Śukadeva Gosvāmī to explain why Rukmī gave his daughter to Lord Kṛṣṇa's son Pradyumna. The King stresses that since great yogīs like Śukadeva Gosvāmī know everything, the sage must also know this and should explain it to the anxious King.
10.61.22
anaṇgo 'ṇga-yutas tayā
jahāraika-ratho yudhi
(22) S'rî S'uka said: 'At her svayamvara ceremony did she [Rukmavatî] choose the Cupid manifest [that was Pradyumna] who with a single chariot, in battle defeating the assembled kings, took her away.
10.61.23
rukmī kṛṣṇāvamānitaḥ
vyatarad bhāgineyāya
(23) Rukmî, even though he always thought of the enmity with Krishna who had insulted him [10.54: 35], granted, in order to please his sister [Rukminî], his daughter his nephew.
The answer to King Parīkṣit's question is given here. Ultimately Rukmī approved his daughter's marriage to Pradyumna in order to please his sister, Rukmiṇī.
10.61.24
kṛtavarma-suto balī
upayeme viśālākṣīḿ
(24) The young large-eyed daughter of Rukminî, Cârumatî, married, so is said, o King, the son of Kritavarmâ named Balî.
that each of the Lord's queens had one daughter, and that this mention of Cārumatī's marriage is an indirect reference to the marriages of all these princesses.
10.61.25
dauhitrāyāniruddhāya
pautrīḿ rukmy ādadād dhareḥ
sneha-pāśānubandhanaḥ
(25) Rukmî, despite of his being bound in enmity to the Lord, gave to his daughter's son, Aniruddha, his granddaughter named Rocanâ; aware that the marriage was against the dharma [of not siding as such with the enemy], preferred he, constrained by the ropes of affection, to please his sister with that marriage.
that according to worldly standards one should not give one's beloved granddaughter to the grandson of one's bitter enemy. Thus we find the following injunction: dviṣad-annaḿ na bhoktavyaḿ dviṣantaḿ naiva bhojayet. "One should not eat an enemy's food or feed an enemy." There is also the following prohibition: asvargyaḿ loka-vidviṣṭaḿ dharmam apy ācaren na tu. "One should not execute religious injunctions if they will obstruct one's journey to heaven, or if they are odious to human society."
It should be pointed out here that Lord Kṛṣṇa is not really the enemy of anyone. As the Lord states in the Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), suhṛdaḿ sarva-bhūtānām jñātvā māḿ śāntim ṛcchati: "One achieves peace by understanding that I am the well-wishing friend of every living being." Although Lord Kṛṣṇa is everyone's friend, Rukmī could not appreciate this fact and considered Lord Kṛṣṇa his enemy. Still, out of affection for his sister, he gave his granddaughter to Aniruddha.
Finally, we should note that, contrary to the prohibition quoted above, one may not give up the basic principles of spiritual life merely because such principles are unpopular with people in general. As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Gītā (18.66), sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaḿ śaranaḿ vraja. The last word in spiritual duties is to surrender to the Supreme Lord, and that duty takes precedence over all secondary injunctions. Moreover, in this age Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has kindly presented a sublime process that will attract all sincere people to come to the point of surrendering to the Lord. By following Lord Caitanya's blissful process of chanting, dancing, feasting and discussing spiritual philosophy, anyone can easily go back home, back to Godhead, for an eternal life of bliss and knowledge.
Still, someone may argue that the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should not practice in the Western countries those ceremonies or activities that displease people in general. We respond that even in the Western countries, when people are properly informed of the activities of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they generally appreciate this great spiritual institution. Those who are especially envious of God will not appreciate any type of religious movement, and since such persons are themselves little better than animals, they cannot impede the great Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, just as the envious Rukmī could not impede the performance of Lord Kṛṣṇa's pure pastimes.
10.61.26
sāmba-pradyumnakādayaḥ
(26) To the occasion of that happy event, o King, went Rukminî, Balarâma and Kes'ava [Krishna], Sâmba, Pradyumna and others, to the city of Bhojakatha.
10.61.27-28
dṛptās te rukmiṇaḿ procur
tenākṣair rukmy adīvyata
(27-28) After the ceremon spoke some arrogant kings led by the ruler of Kalinga to Rukmî: 'You should defeat Balarâma with a game of dice. Really not that good at it is He, o King, nevertheless greatly fascinated by it', thus they said and consequently inviting Balarâma played Rukmî a game of dice with Him.
10.61.29
rāmas tatrādade paṇam
dantān sandarśayann uccair
nāmṛṣyat tad dhalāyudhaḥ
(29) In that match accepting a wager of first a hundred, then a thousand and then a ten thousand [gold coins] was it Rukmî though who won, whereupon the king of Kalinga loudly laughed at Balarâma baring his teeth freely. This could the Carrier of the Plow not forgive him.
that the wagers consisted of gold coins. Lord Balarāma inwardly became quite angry when He saw the gross offense of the King of Kalińga.
10.61.30
tato lakṣaḿ rukmy agṛhṇād
(30) Rukmî next accepted a bet of a hundred thousand which then by Balarâma was won, but Rukmî, resorting to deception, said 'I've won!'
10.61.31
jātyāruṇākṣo 'ti-ruṣā
(31) With a mind boiling like the ocean on the day of a full moon accepted the handsome Balarâma, whose naturally reddish eyes were burning with anger, a wager of a hundred million.
10.61.32
(32) Balarâma fairly won that game also but Rukmî again resorting to deceit said: 'It's won by me. May these witnesses confirm that!'
Rukmī undoubtedly had his friends in mind when he called for the witnesses to speak. But even as his witnesses prepared to aid their cheating friend, a wonderful event took place, as described in the next verse.
10.61.33
tadābravīn nabho-vāṇī
balenaiva jito glahaḥ
dharmato vacanenaiva
(33) Then a voice spoke from the sky: 'It indeed was Balarâma who won the wager, the words Rukmî spoke are a blunt lie!'
10.61.34
(34) Discarding that voice did the prince of Vidarbha, urged on by the wicked kings on a crash course, in ridicule say to Sankarshana:
10.61.35
akṣair dīvyanti rājāno
bāṇaiś ca na bhavādṛśāḥ
(35) 'You cowherds indeed are good at roaming in the forest, not at playing dice; to sport with dice and arrows is for kings, not for the likes of you!'
10.61.36
rukmiṇaivam adhikṣipto
rājabhiś copahāsitaḥ
(36) This way in the auspicious assembly [of the marriage] by Rukmî insulted and being the laughingstock of the kings present, raised He angered His club and struck He him dead.
10.61.37
yo 'hasad vivṛtair dvijaiḥ
(37) Quickly seizing the fleeing king of Kalinga in his tenth step, knocked He in rage out the teeth he had bared in laughing [see also 4.5: 21].
10.61.38
śiraso rudhirokṣitāḥ
rājāno dudravar bhītā
balena pańghārditāḥ
(38) Other kings tormented by Balarâma's club got their arms, legs and heads broken and fled terrified drenched in blood.
10.61.39
rakmiṇī-balayo rājan
(39) The fact that his brother-in-law, Rukmî, had been slain, o King, was by the Lord, afraid to break the bond of affection with Rukminî and Balarâma, neither applauded nor protested.
10.61.40
tato 'niruddhaḿ saha sūryayā varaḿ
rāmādayo bhojakaṭād daśārhāḥ
siddhākhilārthā madhusūdanāśrayāḥ
(40) Then, headed by Râma, placed the descendants of Das'ârha the groom together with His bride on His chariot and set they, of whom under the shelter of Madhusûdana all purposes had been fulfilled, off from Bhojakatha to head for Kus'asthalî [another name of Dvârakâ].'
Even though Rukmiṇī was very dear to all the Dāśārhas, her brother Rukmī had constantly opposed and insulted Kṛṣṇa since Rukmiṇī's wedding. Thus, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains, the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa could hardly lament Rukmī's sudden demise.
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Sixty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Balarāma Slays Rukmī."
Footnote:
* This one called Mâdrâ is the eighth principal wife of Krishna not mentioned before; she is the daughter of the ruler of Madra, called Brihatsena, and also known as Lakshmanâ. From the Bhâgavatam knowing her story as told in 10.83: 17, is it clear that she belonged to the eight queens He married before. Thus there were the 16008 of them. Rohinî [not to confuse with Balarâma's mother who has the same name], not to be considered as a principal wife, seems to have been the one heading the sixteen thousand princesses. So taking Mâdrâ as the cause for speaking of 16001 wives in stead of 16000, do we in sum have: 1 Rukminî, 2 Jâmbavatî, 3 Satyabhâmâ, 4 Kâlindî, 5 Mitravindâ, 6 Satyâ (Nâgnajitî), 7 Bhadrâ and 8 Mâdrâ (Lakshmanâ) and then the sixteen thousand headed by Rohinî who came second [see also footnote 10.59** and the list of them in 10.83].
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