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KB 1970-1-53 / Krsna Defeats All the Princes and Takes Rukmini

Home to Dvaraka

53 / Krsna Defeats All the Princes and Takes Rukmini Home to

Dvaraka

All the princes led by Jarasandha became very angry

at Krsna's kidnapping Rukmini. Struck by

the beauty of Rukmini, they had fallen from the backs of

their horses and elephants, but now they began to stand up and

properly arm themselves. Picking up their bows and arrows, they

began to chase Krsna on their chariots, horses and elephants.

To check their progress, the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty

turned and faced them. Thus terrible fighting between the

two belligerent groups began. The princes opposing Krsna

were led by Jarasandha and they were all very expert in

fighting. They began to shoot their arrows at the soldiers of

Yadu just as a cloud splashes the face of a mountain

with torrents of rain. Gathered on the face of a mountain, a

cloud does not move very much, and therefore the force of rain

is much more severe on a mountain than it is anywhere else.

The opposing princes were determined to defeat Krsna and

recapture Rukmini from His custody, and they fought with Him as

severely as possible. Rukmini, seated by the side of Krsna, saw

arrows raining from the opposing party onto the faces of the

soldiers of Yadu. In a fearful attitude, she began to

look on the face of Krsna, expressing her gratefulness that

He had taken such a great risk for her sake only. Her eyes

moving, she appeared to be very sorry and Krsna could

immediately understand her mind. He encouraged her with these

words: "My dear Rukmini, don't worry. Please rest assured that

the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty will kill all the opposing

soldiers without delay."

As Krsna was speaking with Rukmini, the commanders of the Yadu

dynasty's soldiers, headed by Lord Balarama, who is also known

as Sankarsana, as well as Gadadhara, not tolerating the

defiant attitude of the opposing soldiers, began to strike

their horses, elephants, and chariots with arrows. As the

fighting progressed, the princes and soldiers of the enemy camp

began to fall from their horses, elephants and chariots. Within

a very short time, it was seen that millions of severed heads,

decorated with helmets and earrings, had fallen on the

battlefield. The soldiers' hands were cut up along with

their bows and arrows and clubs; one head was piled upon

another, and one horse was piled upon another.

All the infantry soldiers, as well as their camels,

elephants and asses, fell down

with severed heads.

When the enemy, headed by Jarasandha, found that they were

gradually being defeated by the soldiers of Krsna, they thought

it unwise to risk losing in the battle for the

sake of Sisupala. Sisupala himself should have fought to rescue

Rukmini from the hands of Krsna, but when the soldiers saw that

Sisupala was not competent enough to fight with Krsna, they

decided not to lose their strength unnecessarily; therefore

they ceased fighting and dispersed.

Some of the princes, as a matter of etiquette, appeared before

Sisupala. They saw that Sisupala was very much discouraged,

like one who has lost his wife. His face appeared to be dried

up, and he had lost all his energy, and all the luster of his

body had disappeared. They began to address Sisupala thus: "

My dear Sisupala, don't be discouraged in this way. You belong

to the royal order and are the chief amongst the fighters.

There is no question of distress or happiness for a person like

you because neither of these conditions is everlasting. Take

courage. Don't be disappointed by this temporary reverse.

After all, we are not the final actor; as puppets dance in the

hands of a magician, we are all dancing by the will of the

Supreme, and according to His grace only we suffer distress or

enjoy happiness, which therefore balance equally in all

circumstances."

The whole catastrophe of the defeat was due to the envious

nature of Rukmini's elder brother, Rukmi. Having seen his

sister forcibly taken away by Krsna after he had planned to

marry her with Sisupala, Rukmi was frustrated. So he and

Sisupala, his friend and intended brother-in-law, returned to

their respective homes. Rukmi, very much agitated, was

determined to personally teach Krsna a lesson. He

called for his own soldiers -- a military phalanx consisting of

several thousand elephants, horses, chariots and infantry --

and, equipped with this military strength, he began to follow

Krsna to Dvaraka. In order to show his prestige, Rukmi began

to promise before all the returning kings, "You could not help

Sisupala marry my sister, Rukmini, but I cannot allow Rukmini

to be taken away by Krsna. I shall teach Him a lesson. Now I am

going there." He presented himself as a big

commander and vowed before all the princes present, "Unless I

kill Krsna in the fight and bring back my sister from His

clutches, I shall no more return to my capital city, Kundina.

I make this vow before you all, and you will see that I shall

fulfill it." After thus vibrating all these boasting words,

Rukmi immediately got on his chariot and told his chariot

driver to pursue Krsna. He said, "I want to fight with Him

immediately. This cowherd boy has become very proud because of

His tricky way of fighting with the ksatriyas, but today I

shall teach Him a good lesson. Because He has the impudency to

kidnap my sister, I, with my sharpened arrows, shall teach Him

very good lessons indeed." Thus this unintelligent man, Rukmi,

ignorant of the extent of the strength and activities of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, began to voice impudent

threats.

In great stupidity he soon stood before Krsna, telling Him

repeatedly, "Stop for a minute and fight with me!" After saying

this he drew his bow and directly shot three forceful arrows

against Krsna's body. Then he condemned Krsna as the most

abominable descendant of the Yadu dynasty and asked Him to

stand before him for a minute so that he could teach Him a good

lesson. "You are carrying away my sister just like a crow

stealing clarified butter meant for use in a sacrifice. You are

simply proud of Your military strength, but You cannot fight

according to regulative principles. You have stolen my sister;

now I shall relieve You of Your false prestige. You can keep my

sister under Your possession only as long as I do not

pinion You to the ground for good with my arrows."

Lord Krsna, after hearing all these crazy words from Rukmi,

immediately shot an arrow and severed the string of Rukmi's bow,

making him unable to use another arrow. Rukmi immediately took

another bow and shot another five arrows at Krsna. Being

attacked for the second time by Rukmi, Krsna again severed

his bowstring. Rukmi took a third bow, and Krsna again cut

off its string. This time, in order to teach Rukmi a lesson,

Krsna personally shot six arrows at him, and then He shot

another eight arrows. Thus four horses were killed by four

arrows, the chariot driver was killed by another arrow,

and the upper portion of Rukmi's chariot,

including the flag, was chopped off with the remaining three

arrows.

Having run out of arrows, Rukmi took the assistance

of swords, shields, tridents, lances and similar other

weapons used for fighting hand-to-hand, but Krsna immediately

severed them all in the same way. Being repeatedly baffled in

his attempts, Rukmi simply took his sword and ran very swiftly

toward Krsna, just as a fly proceeds toward a fire. As soon

as Rukmi reached Krsna, Krsna cut his weapon to pieces. This

time Krsna took out His sharp sword and was about to kill him

immediately, but Rukmi's sister Rukmini, understanding that

this time Krsna would not excuse her brother, fell down at

the lotus feet of Krsna and in a very grievous tone,

trembling with great fear, began to plead with her husband.

Rukmini first addressed Krsna as "Yogesvara." Yogesvara means

one who is possessed of inconceivable opulence and energy.

Krsna possesses inconceivable opulence and energy, whereas

Rukmini's brother had only limited military potency. Krsna is

immeasurable, whereas her brother was measured in every step of

his life. Therefore, Rukmi was not even comparable to an

insignificant insect before the unlimited power of Krsna. She

also addressed Krsna as the God of the gods. There are many

powerful demigods, such as Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra,

and Candra; Krsna is the Lord of all these gods,

whereas Rukmini's brother was not only an ordinary human being,

but was, in fact, the lowest of all because he had no

understanding of Krsna. In other words, a human being who has

no conception of the actual position of Krsna is the lowest in

human society. Rukmini

also addressed Krsna

as "Jagatpati," the master of the whole cosmic manifestation.

In comparison, her brother was only an ordinary prince.

In this way, Rukmini compared the position of Rukmi to that

of Krsna and very feelingly pleaded with her husband not to

kill her brother just before the auspicious time of her being

united with Krsna, but to excuse him. In other words, she

displayed her real position as a woman. She was happy to get

Krsna as her husband just at the moment when her marriage to

another was to be performed, but she did not want it to be at

the loss of her elder brother, who, after all, loved his young

sister and wanted to hand her over to one who was, according to

his own calculations, a better man. While Rukmini was

praying to Krsna for the life of her brother, her whole body

trembled, and because of her anxiety, her face appeared to by

dried up, her throat became choked, and, due to her

trembling, the ornaments on her body loosened and fell

scattered on the ground.

Lord Krsna

immediately became compassionate and agreed not to kill the

foolish Rukmi. But, at the same time, He wanted to give him

some light punishment, so He tied him up with a piece of cloth

and snipped at his moustache, beard and hair, keeping some

spots here and there.

While Krsna was dealing with Rukmi in this way, the soldiers of

the Yadu dynasty, commanded by Balarama Himself, broke the

whole strength of Rukmi's army just as an elephant in a tank

discards the feeble stem of a lotus flower. In other words, as

an elephant breaks the whole construction of a lotus flower

while bathing in a reservoir of water, so the military strength

of the Yadus broke up Rukmi's forces. Yet when the commanders

of the Yadu dynasty came back to see Krsna, they were all

surprised to see the condition of Rukmi. Lord Balarama became

especially compassionate for His sister-in-law, who was newly

married to His brother. In order to please Rukmini, Balarama

personally untied Rukmi, and in order to further please her,

Balarama, as the elder brother of Krsna, spoke some words of

chastisement. "Krsna, Your action is not at all satisfactory,"

He said. "This is an abomination very much contrary to our

family tradition! To cut someone's hair and shave his moustache

and beard is almost comparable to killing him. Whatever Rukmi

might have been, he is now our brother-in-law, a relative of

our family, and You should not have put him in such a condition.

After this, in order to pacify her, Lord Balarama said to

Rukmini, "You should not be sorry because your brother has been

made very odd-looking. Everyone suffers or enjoys the

results of his own actions." Lord Balarama wanted to impress

upon Rukmini that she should not have been sorry for the

consequences suffered by her brother due to his actions. There

was no need of being too affectionate toward such a brother.

Lord Balarama again turned toward Krsna and said, "My dear

Krsna, a relative, even though he commits such a blunder and

deserves to be killed, should be excused. For when such a

relative is conscious of his own fault, that consciousness

itself is like death. Therefore, there is no need in killing

him." He again turned toward Rukmini and

informed her that the current duty of the ksatriya in the human

society is so fixed that, according to the principles of

fighting, one's own brother may become an enemy on the opposite

side. A ksatriya does not hesitate to kill his own brother.

In other words, Lord Balarama wanted to instruct Rukmini

that Rukmi and Krsna were right in not showing mercy to

each other in the fighting, despite the family

consideration that they happened to be brothers-in-law. Sri

Balarama continued to inform Rukmini that ksatriyas are typical

emblems of the materialistic way of life; they become

puffed-up whenever there is a question of material

acquisition. Therefore, when there is a fight between

two belligerent ksatriyas on account of kingdom, land, wealth,

women, prestige or power, they try to put one another

into the most abominable condition. Balarama instructed

Rukmini that her affection toward her brother Rukmi,

who had created enmity with so many persons,

was a perverse consideration befitting an

ordinary materialistic person. Her brother's character was

not at all adorable, considering his treatment toward

other friends, and yet Rukmini, as an ordinary

woman, was so affectionate toward him. He was not fit to

be her brother, and still Rukmini was lenient toward him.

"Besides that," Balarama continued, "the consideration that a

person is neutral or is one's friend or enemy is generally made

by persons who are in the bodily concept of life. Such foolish

persons become bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme

Lord. The spirit soul is of the same pure quality in any

embodiment of matter, but those who are not sufficiently

intelligent see only the bodily differentiations of

animals and men, literates and illiterates, rich and poor, and

so on, which cover the pure spirit soul. Such differentiation,

observed purely on the basis of the body, is exactly like

differentiation between fires in terms of the

different types of fuel they consume. Whatever the size and

shape of the fuel, there is no such variety of size and shape

of the fire which comes out. Similarly, in the sky there are no

differences in size or shape."

In this way Balarama appeased them by His moral and

ethical instruction. He stated

further: "This body is part of the material manifestation

. The living

entity or spirit soul, being in contact with matter, is

transmigrating, due to illusory enjoyment, from one body to

another, and that is

known as material existence. This contact of the living entity

with the material manifestation has neither integration nor

disintegration. My dear chaste sister-in-law, the spirit soul

is, of course, the cause of this material body, as much as

the sun is the cause of sunlight, eyesight and the forms of

material manifestation." The example of the sunshine and the

material manifestation is very appropriate in the matter of

understanding the living entity's contact with this material

world. In the morning, there is sun rise, and the heat and

light expand gradually throughout the whole day. The sun is the

cause of all material production and shapes and forms; it is

due to the sun that integration and disintegration of material

elements take place. But as soon as the sun is set, the whole

manifestation is no longer connected to the sun, which has

passed from one place to another. When the sun passes from the

eastern to the western hemisphere, the result of interaction

due to the sunshine in the eastern hemisphere remains, but the

sunshine itself is visible again on the western hemisphere.

Similarly, the living entity accepts or produces different

bodies and different bodily relationships in a particular

circumstance, but as soon as he gives up the present body and

accepts another, he has nothing to do with the former body.

Similarly, the living entity has nothing to do with the next

body which he accepts. He is always free from the contact of

this bodily contamination. Therefore, the conclusion is that

the appearance and disappearance of the body have nothing to do

with the living entity, as much as the waxing and waning of the

moon have nothing to do with the moon. When there is waxing of

the moon, we falsely think that the moon is developing, and

when there is waning of the moon we think that the moon is

decreasing. Factually the moon, as it is, is always the same;

it has nothing to do with such visible waxing and waning

activities.

"Consciousness of

material existence can be compared to sleeping and dreaming.

When a man sleeps, he dreams of many nonfactual happenings, and

as a result of dreaming he becomes subjected to different kinds

of distress and happiness. Similarly, when person is in the

dreaming condition of material consciousness, he suffers the

effects of accepting a body and giving it up again in material

existence. Opposite to this material consciousness is Krsna

consciousness. In other words, when a man is elevated to the

platform of Krsna consciousness he becomes free from this

false conception of life."

In this way, Sri Balarama instructed them in spiritual

knowledge. He addressed His sister-in-law thus: "Sweet,

smiling Rukmini, do not be aggrieved by false motives caused by

ignorance. Due to false notions only one becomes

unhappy, but this unhappiness is immediately removed

by discussing the philosophy of actual life. Be

happy on that platform only."

After hearing such enlightening instruction from Sri Balarama,

Rukmini immediately became pacified and happy and adjusted her

mental condition, which was very much afflicted by seeing the

degraded position of her brother, Rukmi. As far as Rukmi was

concerned, neither was his promise fulfilled nor

his mission successful. He had come from home with his soldiers

and military phalanx to defeat Krsna and release his sister,

but on the contrary, he lost all his soldiers and military

strength. He was personally much degraded, and in that

condition he was very sorry; but by the grace of the Lord he

could continue his life to the fixed destination. Because he

was a ksatriya, he could remember his promise that he would not

return to his capital city, Kundina, without killing Krsna and

releasing his sister, which he had failed to do; therefore, he

decided in anger not to return to his capital city, and he

constructed a small cottage in the village known as Bhojakata

and began to reside there for the rest of his life.

After defeating all the opposing elements and forcibly carrying

away Rukmini, Krsna brought her to His capital city, Dvaraka,

and then married her according to the Vedic ritualistic

principle. After this marriage, Krsna became the King of the

Yadus at Dvaraka. On the occasion of His marriage with Rukmini,

all the inhabitants were happy, and in every house there were

great ceremonies. The inhabitants of Dvaraka City became so

pleased that they dressed themselves with the nicest

possible ornaments and garments, and they went to present

gifts according to their means to the newly married couple,

Krsna and Rukmini. All the houses of Yadupuri (Dvaraka) were

decorated with flags, festoons and flowers. Each and every

house had an extra gate specifically prepared for this occasion,

and on both sides of the gate there were big water jugs filled

with water. The whole city was flavored by the burning

of high quality incense, and at night there was illumination

by thousands of lamps, decorating each and every

building.

The entire city appeared jubilant on the occasion of Lord Krsna'

s marriage with Rukmini. Everywhere in the city there was

profuse decorations of banana trees and betel nut trees. These

two trees are considered very auspicious in happy ceremonies.

At the same time there was an assembly of many elephants, who

carried the respective kings of different friendly kingdoms. It

is the habit of the elephant that whenever he sees some small

plants and trees, out of his sportive frivolous nature, he

uproots the trees and throws them hither and thither. The

elephants assembled on this occasion also scattered the banana

and betel nut trees, but in spite of such intoxicated action,

the whole city, with the trees thrown here and there, looked

very nice.

The friendly kings of the Kurus and the Pandavas were

represented by Dhrtarastra, the five Pandu brothers,

King Drupada, King Santardana, as well as Rukmini's father,

Bhismaka. Because of Krsna's kidnapping Rukmini, there was

initially some misunderstanding between the two families, but

Bhismaka, King of Vidarbha, being approached by Sri Balarama

and persuaded by many saintly persons, was induced to

participate in the marriage ceremony of Krsna and Rukmini.

Although the incidence of Krsna's kidnapping was not a very

happy occurrence in the kingdom of Vidarbha, kidnapping was not

an unusual affair among the ksatriyas. Kidnapping was, in fact,

current in almost all marriages. Anyway, King Bhismaka

was from the very beginning inclined to hand over his beautiful

daughter to Krsna. In one way or another his purpose had been

served, and so he was pleased to join the marriage ceremony,

even though his eldest son was degraded in the fight. It is

mentioned in the Padma Purana that Maharaja Nanda and the

cowherd boys of Vrndavana joined the marriage ceremony. Kings

from the kingdoms of Kuru, Srnjaya, Kekaya, Vidarbha and Kunti

came to Dvaraka on this occasion with all their

royal paraphernalia.

The story of Rukmini's being kidnapped by Krsna was poeticized,

and the professional readers recited it everywhere. All the

assembled kings and, especially, their daughters

were struck with wonder and became very pleased upon

hearing the chivalrous activities of Krsna. In this way, all

visitors as well as the inhabitants of Dvaraka City became

joyful seeing Krsna and Rukmini together. In other words,

the Supreme Lord, the maintainer of everyone, and the

goddess of fortune were united, and all

the people felt extremely jubilant.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-third Chapter

of Krsna, "Krsna Defeats all the Princes and Takes Rukmini Home

to Dvaraka."

 
 
KB 54: Krsna Defeats All the Princes and Takes Rukmini 
Home to Dvaraka
 
CHAPTER FIFTY–FOUR
 
Krsna Defeats All the Princes and Takes Rukmini Home to 
Dvaraka
 
Jarasandha and all the other princes were very angry 
at Krsna for having kidnapped Rukmini. Struck by 
Rukmini's beauty, they had fallen from the backs of 
their horses and elephants, but now they began to stand up and 
properly arm themselves. Picking up their bows and arrows, they 
began to chase Krsna on their chariots, horses and elephants. 
To check their progress, the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty 
turned and faced them. Thus terrible fighting began between the 
two belligerent groups. The princes opposing Krsna, who 
were led by Jarasandha and were all expert in 
fighting, shot their arrows at the 
Yadu soldiers just as a cloud splashes the face of a mountain 
with torrents of rain. Gathered on the face of a mountain, a 
cloud does not move very much, and therefore the force of rain 
is much more severe on a mountain than anywhere else.
 
The opposing princes were determined to defeat Krsna and 
recapture Rukmini from His custody, and they fought with Him as 
severely as possible. Rukmini, seated by the side of Krsna, saw 
arrows raining from the opposing party onto the faces of the 
Yadu soldiers. In a fearful attitude, she looked 
upon Krsna's face, expressing her gratefulness that 
He had taken such a great risk for her sake only. Her eyes 
moving, she appeared sorry, and Krsna, who could 
immediately understand her mind, encouraged her with these 
words: "My dear Rukmini, don't worry. Please rest assured that 
the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty will kill all the opposing 
soldiers without delay."
 
As Krsna was speaking with Rukmini, the commanders of the Yadu 
dynasty's soldiers, headed by Lord Balarama, who is also known 
as Sankarsana, as well as by Gada, not tolerating the 
defiant attitude of the opposing soldiers, began to strike 
their horses, elephants and chariots with arrows. As the 
fighting progressed, the princes and soldiers of the enemy 
began to fall from their horses, elephants and chariots. Within 
a short time, millions of severed heads, 
decorated with helmets and earrings, had fallen on the 
battlefield. The soldiers' hands were severed along with 
their bows and arrows and clubs; arms were piled upon 
arms, thighs upon thighs, and horses upon horses. Similarly,
 other animals, such as camels, elephants 
and asses, as well as infantry soldiers, all fell with 
severed heads.
 
When the enemy, headed by Jarasandha, found that they were 
gradually being defeated by the soldiers of Krsna, they thought 
it unwise to risk losing their armies in the battle for the 
sake of Sisupala. Sisupala himself should have fought to rescue 
Rukmini from the hands of Krsna, but when the soldiers saw that 
Sisupala was not competent to fight with Krsna, they 
decided not to lose their armies unnecessarily; therefore 
they ceased fighting and dispersed.
 
Some of the princes, as a matter of etiquette, appeared before 
Sisupala. They saw that Sisupala was discouraged, 
like one who has lost his wife. His face appeared dried 
up, he had lost all his energy, and all the luster of his 
body had disappeared. They addressed Sisupala thus: "
Our dear Sisupala, don't be discouraged in this way. You belong 
to the royal order and are the chief amongst the fighters. 
There is no question of distress or happiness for a person like 
you because neither of these conditions is everlasting. Take 
courage. Don't be disappointed by this temporary reversal. 
After all, we are not the final actors; as puppets dance in the 
hands of a magician, we are all dancing by the will of the 
Supreme, and according to His plan alone we suffer distress or 
enjoy happiness. We should therefore be equipoised in all 
circumstances."
 
Although in the beginning the princes had been full of hope for 
success in their heroic action, after their defeat they could 
only try to encourage Sisupala with flattering words. Thus 
Sisupala, instead of marrying Rukmini, had to be satisfied with 
the flattering words of his friends, and he returned home in 
disappointment. The kings who had come to assist him, also 
disappointed, then returned to their respective kingdoms.
 
The whole catastrophe of the defeat was due to the envious 
nature of Rukmini's elder brother Rukmi. Having seen his 
sister forcibly taken away by Krsna after he had planned to 
marry her to Sisupala, Rukmi was frustrated. So after 
Sisupala, his friend and intended brother-in-law, returned home,
 Rukmi, very much agitated, was 
determined to teach Krsna a lesson personally. He 
called for his own soldiers -- a military phalanx consisting of 
several thousand elephants, horses, chariots and infantry -- 
and equipped with this military strength, he began to follow 
Krsna to Dvaraka. To show his prestige, Rukmi promised
 all the returning kings, "You could not help 
Sisupala marry my sister, Rukmini, but I cannot allow Rukmini 
to be taken away by Krsna. I shall teach Him a lesson. Now I am 
going to follow Him." He presented himself as a big 
commander and vowed before all the princes, "Unless I 
kill Krsna in the fight and bring back my sister from His 
clutches, I shall not return to my capital city, Kundina. 
I make this vow before you all, and you will see that I shall 
fulfill it." After thus vibrating all these boasting words, 
Rukmi immediately got on his chariot and told his chariot 
driver to pursue Krsna. He said, "I want to fight with Him 
immediately. This cowherd boy has become proud of 
His tricky way of fighting with ksatriyas, but today I 
shall teach Him a good lesson. Because He had the impudence to 
kidnap my sister, I, with my sharp arrows, shall teach Him 
very good lessons indeed." Thus this unintelligent man, Rukmi, 
ignorant of the extent of the strength and activities of the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, voiced his impudent 
threats.
 
In great stupidity, he soon stood before Krsna, telling Him 
repeatedly, "Stop for a minute and fight with me!" After saying 
this he drew his bow and directly shot three forceful arrows 
against Krsna's body. Then he condemned Krsna as the most 
abominable descendant of the Yadu dynasty and asked Him to 
stand before him for a minute so that he could teach Him a good 
lesson. "You are carrying away my sister just like a crow 
stealing clarified butter meant for use in a sacrifice. You are 
proud of Your military strength, but You cannot fight 
according to regulative principles. You have stolen my sister; 
now I shall relieve You of Your false prestige. You can keep my 
sister in Your possession only until I beat 
You to the ground for good with my arrows."
 
Lord Krsna, after hearing all these crazy words from Rukmi, 
immediately shot an arrow and severed the string of Rukmi's bow,
 making him unable to use another arrow. Rukmi immediately took 
another bow and shot another five arrows at Krsna. Being 
attacked for the second time, Krsna again severed 
Rukmi's bowstring. Rukmi took a third bow, and Krsna again cut 
its string. This time, to teach Rukmi a lesson, 
Krsna shot six arrows at him and then shot 
another eight arrows, killing four horses with four 
arrows, killing the chariot driver with another arrow,
 and chopping off the upper portion of Rukmi's chariot, 
including the flag, with the remaining three 
arrows.
 
Rukmi, having run out of arrows, took assistance 
from swords, shields, tridents, lances and similar 
weapons used for fighting hand to hand, but Krsna immediately 
broke them all in the same way. Being repeatedly baffled in 
his attempts, Rukmi took his sword and ran swiftly 
toward Krsna, just as a fly proceeds toward a fire. But as soon 
as Rukmi reached Krsna, Krsna cut his weapon to pieces. This 
time Krsna took out His sharp sword and was about to kill him 
immediately, but Rukmi's sister, Rukmini, understanding that 
this time Krsna would not excuse her brother, fell down at 
Krsna's lotus feet and in a very grievous tone, 
trembling with great fear, began to plead with her husband.
 
Rukmini first addressed Krsna as Yogesvara. Yogesvara means "
one who is possessed of inconceivable opulence and energy." 
Krsna possesses inconceivable opulence and energy, whereas 
Rukmini's brother had only limited military potency. Krsna is 
immeasurable, whereas her brother was measured in every step of 
his life. Therefore, Rukmi was not comparable even to an 
insignificant insect before the unlimited power of Krsna. She 
also addressed Krsna as the God of the gods. There are many 
powerful demigods, such as Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra, 
Candra and Varuna, but Krsna is the Lord of all these gods, 
whereas Rukmini's brother was not only an ordinary human being 
but in fact the lowest of all because he had no 
understanding of Krsna. In other words, a human being who has 
no conception of the actual position of Krsna is the lowest in 
human society. Then Rukmini addressed Krsna as Mahabhuja, which 
means "one with unlimited strength." She also addressed Krsna 
as Jagatpati, the master of the whole cosmic manifestation. 
In comparison, her brother was only an ordinary prince.
 
In this way, Rukmini compared the position of Rukmi with that 
of Krsna and very feelingly pleaded with her husband not to 
kill her brother just at the auspicious time of her being 
united with Krsna, but to excuse him. In other words, she 
displayed her real position as a woman. She was happy to get 
Krsna as her husband at the moment when her marriage to 
another was to be performed, but she did not want it to be at 
the loss of her elder brother, who, after all, loved his young 
sister and wanted to hand her over to one who, according to 
his own calculations, was a better man. While Rukmini was 
praying to Krsna for the life of her brother, her whole body 
trembled, and because of her anxiety, her face appeared to dry 
up and her throat became choked, and due to her 
trembling, the ornaments on her body loosened and fell 
scattered on the ground. In this manner, when Rukmini was very 
much perturbed, she fell down on the ground, and Lord Krsna 
immediately became compassionate and agreed not to kill the 
foolish Rukmi. But, at the same time, He wanted to give him 
some light punishment, so He tied him up with a piece of cloth 
and snipped at his mustache, beard and hair, keeping some 
spots here and there.
 
While Krsna was dealing with Rukmi in this way, the soldiers of 
the Yadu dynasty, commanded by Balarama Himself, broke the 
whole strength of Rukmi's army just as an elephant in a pond 
discards the feeble stem of a lotus flower. In other words, as 
an elephant breaks the whole construction of a lotus flower 
while bathing in a reservoir of water, the military strength 
of the Yadus broke up Rukmi's forces.
 
When 
the 
commanders of 
the 
Yadu dynasty came back to see
 
Krsna, they
 were all 
surprised to see the
 condition of Rukmi
. Lord 
Balarama became especially compassionate toward His 
sister-in-law
, who
 was newly married to His brother. 
To please Rukmini, Balarama personally 
untied Rukmi, and to 
further please her, 
Balarama,
 as the elder brother of Krsna,
 spoke some words of chastisement
. "Krsna, Your action is not
 at all satisfactory,"
 He said. "This is 
an abomination very much contrary to Our family 
tradition! To cut someone's hair and shave his 
mustache and beard is almost comparable 
to killing him. Whatever 
Rukmi might have been, he is now 
Our brother-in-law, a relative of Our 
family, and You should not have
 put him in such a condition."
 
After this, to pacify Rukmini, Lord Balarama said to her, "You 
should not be sorry that your brother has been made odd-looking.
 Everyone suffers or enjoys the results of his own actions." 
Lord Balarama wanted to impress upon Rukmini that she should 
not be sorry for the consequences her brother suffered due to 
his actions. There was no need of being too affectionate toward 
such a brother.
 
Lord Balarama again turned toward Krsna and said, "My dear 
Krsna, a relative, even though he commits such a blunder and 
deserves to be killed, should be excused. For when such a 
relative is conscious of his own fault, that consciousness 
itself is like death. Therefore, there is no need to kill him."
 
Balarama again turned toward Rukmini and informed her that the 
current duty of the ksatriya in human society is so fixed that, 
according to the principles of fighting, one's own brother may 
become an enemy. Then a ksatriya does not hesitate to kill his 
own brother. In other words, Lord Balarama wanted to instruct 
Rukmini that Rukmi and Krsna were right in not showing mercy to 
each other in the fighting, despite the family consideration 
that they happened to be brothers-in-law. Sri Balarama informed 
Rukmini that ksatriyas are typical emblems of the materialistic 
way of life; they become puffed up whenever there is a question 
 
of material acquisition. Therefore, when there is a fight 
between two belligerent ksatriyas for kingdom, land, wealth, 
women, prestige or power, they try to put one another into the 
most abominable condition. Balarama instructed Rukmini that her 
affection toward her brother Rukmi, who had created enmity with 
 
so many persons, was a perverse consideration befitting an 
ordinary materialist. Her brother's character was not at all 
admirable, considering his treatment of his friends, and yet 
Rukmini, like an ordinary woman, was affectionate toward him. 
He was not fit to be her brother, and still Rukmini was lenient 
toward him.
 
"Besides that," Balarama continued, "the consideration that a 
person is neutral or is one's friend or enemy is generally made 
by persons in the bodily concept of life. Such foolish 
persons are bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme 
Lord. The spirit soul is of the same pure quality in any 
embodiment of matter, but those who are not sufficiently 
intelligent see only the bodily differences between 
animals and men, literates and illiterates, rich and poor, 
which cover the pure spirit soul. Such differences, 
observed merely on the basis of the body, are exactly like 
the differences between fires in terms of the 
various types of fuel they consume. Whatever the size and 
shape of the fuel, there is no such variety of size and shape 
in the fire which comes out. Similarly, in the sky there are no 
differences in size or shape."
 
In this way Balarama reconciled the situation by His moral and 
ethical instructions to Rukmini and Krsna. To Rukmini He stated 
further, "This body is part of the material manifestation, 
consisting of the material elements, living conditions and 
interactions of the modes of material nature. The living entity,
 or spirit soul, being in contact with these, is 
transmigrating from one body to 
another due to illusory enjoyment, and that transmigration is 
known as material existence. This contact of the living entity 
with the material manifestation has neither integration nor 
disintegration. My dear chaste sister-in-law, the spirit soul 
is, of course, the cause of this material body, just as 
the sun is the cause of sunlight, eyesight and the forms of 
material manifestation."
 
The example of the sunshine and the material manifestation is 
very appropriate in understanding the living entity's contact 
with the material world. In the morning the sun rises, and the 
heat and light gradually expand throughout the whole day. The 
sun is the cause of all material shapes and forms, for it is 
due to the sun that integration and disintegration of material 
elements take place. But as soon as the sun sets, the whole 
manifestation is no longer connected to the sun, which has 
passed from one place to another. When the sun passes from the 
eastern to the western hemisphere, the results of the 
interactions due to the sunshine in the eastern hemisphere 
remain, but the sunshine itself is visible in the western 
hemisphere. Similarly, the living entity accepts or produces 
different bodies and different bodily relationships in a 
particular circumstance, but as soon as he gives up the present 
body and accepts another, he has nothing to do with the former 
body. Similarly, the living entity has nothing to do with the 
next body he accepts. He is always free from the contact of 
this bodily contamination. "Therefore," continued Balarama, "
the appearance and disappearance of the body have nothing to do 
with the living entity, just as the waxing and waning of the 
moon have nothing to do with the moon." When the moon waxes we 
falsely think that the moon is developing, and when it wanes we 
think the moon is decreasing. Factually, the moon, as it is, is 
always the same; it has nothing to do with such visible 
activities of waxing and waning.
 
 
Lord Balarama continued: "One's consciousness in 
material existence can be compared to sleeping and dreaming. 
When a man sleeps, he dreams of many nonfactual happenings, and 
as a result of dreaming he becomes subject to different kinds 
of distress and happiness. Similarly, when a person is in the 
dream of material consciousness, he suffers the 
effects of accepting a body and giving it up again in material 
existence. Opposite to this material consciousness is Krsna 
consciousness. In other words, when a man is elevated to the 
platform of Krsna consciousness, he becomes free from this 
false conception of life."
 
In this way, Sri Balarama instructed Rukmini in spiritual 
knowledge. He further addressed His sister-in-law thus: "Sweet, 
smiling Rukmini, do not be aggrieved by false notions caused by 
ignorance. Only because of false notions does one become 
unhappy, but one can immediately remove this 
unhappiness by discussing the philosophy of actual life. Be 
happy on that platform only."
 
After hearing such enlightening instructions from Sri Balarama, 
Rukmini immediately became pacified and happy and adjusted her 
mind, which was very much afflicted by the 
degraded position of her brother Rukmi. As far as Rukmi was 
concerned, his promise was not fulfilled, nor was 
his mission successful. He had come from home with his soldiers 
and military phalanx to defeat Krsna and release his sister, 
but on the contrary he lost all his soldiers and military 
strength. He was personally degraded and 
very sorry, but by the grace of the Lord he 
could continue his life to its fixed destination. Because he 
was a ksatriya, he could remember his promise that he would not 
return to his capital city, Kundina, without killing Krsna and 
releasing his sister, which he had failed to do; therefore, he 
decided in anger not to return to his capital city, and he 
constructed a small cottage in the village known as Bhojakata,
 where he resided for the rest of his life.
 
After defeating all the opposing elements and forcibly carrying 
away Rukmini, Krsna brought her to His capital city, Dvaraka, 
and then married her according to the Vedic ritualistic 
principles. After this marriage, Krsna became the King of the 
Yadus at Dvaraka. On the occasion of His marriage with Rukmini, 
all the inhabitants were happy, and in every house there were 
great ceremonies. The inhabitants of Dvaraka City were so 
much pleased that they dressed themselves with the nicest 
possible ornaments and garments and went to present gifts,
 according to their means, to the newly married couple, Krsna 
and Rukmini. All the houses of Yadupuri (Dvaraka) were 
decorated with flags, festoons and flowers. Each and every 
house had an extra gate specifically prepared for this occasion,
 and on both sides of the gate were big water jugs filled 
with water. The whole city was made fragrant by the burning 
of fine incense, and at night there was illumination 
from thousands of lamps, which decorated every 
building.
 
The entire city appeared jubilant on the occasion of Lord Krsna'
s marriage with Rukmini. Everywhere in the city there were 
profuse decorations of banana trees and betel-nut trees. These 
two trees are considered very auspicious in happy ceremonies. 
At the same time there was an assembly of many elephants, who 
carried the respective kings of different friendly kingdoms. It 
is the habit of the elephant that whenever he sees some small 
plants and trees, out of his sportive and frivolous nature he 
uproots the trees and throws them hither and thither. The 
elephants assembled on this occasion also scattered the banana 
and betel nut trees, but in spite of such intoxicated action, 
the whole city, with the trees thrown here and there, looked 
very nice.
 
The friendly kings of the Kurus and the Pandavas were 
represented by Bhisma, Dhrtarastra, the five Pandava brothers, 
King Drupada, King Santardana and Rukmini's father, 
Bhismaka. Because of Krsna's kidnapping Rukmini, there was 
initially some misunderstanding between the two families, but 
Bhismaka, King of Vidarbha, being approached by Sri Balarama 
and persuaded by many saintly persons, was induced to 
participate in the marriage ceremony of Krsna and Rukmini. 
Although the incident of the kidnapping was not a very 
happy occurrence in the kingdom of Vidarbha, kidnapping was not 
an unusual affair among ksatriyas. Kidnapping was, in fact, 
current in almost all their marriages. Anyway, King Bhismaka 
was from the very beginning inclined to hand over his beautiful 
daughter to Krsna. In one way or another his purpose had been 
served, and so he was pleased to join the marriage ceremony, 
even though his eldest son was degraded in the fight. It is 
mentioned in the Padma Purana that Maharaja Nanda and the 
cowherd boys of Vrndavana joined the marriage ceremony. Kings 
from the kingdoms of Kuru, Srnjaya, Kekaya, Vidarbha and Kunti 
all came to Dvaraka on this occasion and met with one another 
very joyfully.
 
The story of Rukmini's being kidnapped by Krsna was poeticized, 
and professional readers recited it everywhere. All the 
assembled kings and their daughters especially 
were struck with wonder and very much pleased upon 
hearing the chivalrous activities of Krsna. In this way, all 
the visitors as well as the inhabitants of Dvaraka City were 
joyful to see Krsna and Rukmini together. In other words, 
the goddess of fortune was now united with the 
Supreme Lord, the maintainer of everyone, and thus all 
 
the people felt extremely jubilant.
 
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-fourth Chapter 
of Krsna, "Krsna Defeats all the Princes and Takes Rukmini Home 
to Dvaraka."
 