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KB 1970-2-28 / Draupadi Meets the Queens of Krsna
28 / Draupadi Meets the Queens of Krsna
There were many visitors who came to see Krsna, and among them
were the Pandavas, headed by King Yudhisthira. After talking
with the gopis and bestowing upon them the greatest benediction,
Lord Krsna came to welcome King Yudhisthira and other
relatives who had come to see Him. He first of all inquired
from them whether their situation was auspicious. Actually,
there is no question of ill fortune for anyone who sees the
lotus feet of Lord Krsna, yet when Lord Krsna, as a matter of
etiquette, inquired from King Yudhisthira about his welfare,
the King became very happy by such a reception and began to
address the Lord thus: "My dear Lord Krsna, great personalities
and devotees in full Krsna consciousness always think of Your
lotus feet and remain fully satisfied by drinking the nectar of
transcendental bliss. The nectar which they constantly drink
sometimes comes out of their mouths and is sprinkled on others
as the narration of Your transcendental activities. This nectar
coming from the mouth of a devotee is so powerful that if one
is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to drink it, he
immediately becomes freed from the continuous journey of
birth and death. Our material existence is caused by our
forgetfulness of Your personality, but fortunately, the
darkness of forgetfulness is immediately dissipated if one is
privileged to hear about Your glories. Therefore, my dear Lord,
where is the possibility of ill fortune for one who is
constantly engaged in hearing Your glorious activities?
"Since we are fully surrendered unto You and have no other
shelter than Your lotus feet, we are always confident of our
good fortune. My dear Lord, You are the ocean of unlimited
knowledge and transcendental bliss. The result of the action
of mental concoction is to exist in the three temporary phases
of material life -- wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep. But
these conditions cannot exist in Krsna consciousness. All such
reactions are invalidated by practice of Krsna
consciousness. You are the ultimate destination of all
liberated persons. Out of Your independent will only, You have
descended on this earth by the use of Your own internal potency,
yogamaya, and in order to reestablish the Vedic principles of
life, You have appeared just like an ordinary human being.
Since You are the Supreme Person, there cannot, therefore, be
any ill luck for one who has fully surrendered unto You."
When Lord Krsna was busy meeting various kinds of visitors and
while they were engaged in offering prayers to the Lord, the
female members of the Kuru dynasty and the Yadu dynasty took
the opportunity of meeting with one another and engaging in
talk of Lord Krsna's transcendental pastimes. The first inquiry
was made by Draupadi to the wives of Lord Krsna. She addressed
them: "My dear Rukmini, Bhadra, Jambavati, Satya, Satyabhama,
Kalindi, Saibya, Laksmana, Rohini and all other
wives of Lord Krsna, will you please let us know how Lord Krsna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accepted you as His wives
and married you in pursuance of the marriage ceremonies of
ordinary human beings?"
To this question, the chief of the queens, Rukminidevi, replied,
"My dear Draupadi, it was practically a settled fact that
princes like Jarasandha and others wanted me to marry King
Sisupala, and, as is usual, all the princes present during the
marriage ceremony were prepared with their armor and weapons to
fight with any rival who dared to stop the marriage. But the
Supreme Personality of Godhead kidnapped me the way a lion
takes away a lamb from the flock. This was not, however, a very
wondrous act for Lord Krsna, because anyone who claims to be a
very great hero or king within this world is subordinate to the
lotus feet of the Lord. All the kings touched their helmets to
the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. My dear Draupadi, it is my
eternal desire that life after life I may be engaged in the
service of Lord Krsna, who is the reservoir of all pleasure and
beauty. This is my only desire and ambition in life."
After this, Satyabhama began to speak. She said, "My dear
Draupadi, my father was very much afflicted on the death of his
brother, Prasena, and he falsely accused Lord Krsna of killing
his brother and stealing the Syamantaka jewel, which had
actually been taken by Jambavan. Lord Krsna, in order to
establish His pure character, fought with Jambavan and rescued
the Syamantaka jewel, which was later delivered to my father.
My father was very much ashamed and sorry for accusing Lord
Krsna of his brother's death. After getting back the Syamantaka
jewel, he thought it wise to rectify his mistake, so although
he had promised others my hand in marriage, he submitted the
jewel and myself at the lotus feet of Krsna, and thus I was
accepted as His maidservant and wife."
After this, Jambavati replied to Draupadi's question. She said,
"My dear Draupadi, when Lord Krsna attacked my father Jambavan,
the King of the rksas, my father did not know that Lord Krsna
was his former master, Lord Ramacandra, the husband of Sita.
Not knowing the identity of Lord Krsna, my father remained
continually engaged in fighting with Him for
twenty-seven days. After this period, when he became very tired
and fatigued, he could understand that since no one but Lord
Ramacandra could defeat him, his opponent, Lord Krsna, must be
the same Lord Ramacandra. He thus came to his senses and not
only immediately returned the Syamantaka jewel, but in
order to satisfy the Lord, he presented me to Him to
become His wife. In this way I was married to the Lord, and
thus my desire to remain life after life as a servitor of Krsna
was fulfilled."
After this, Kalindi said, "My dear Draupadi, I was engaged in
great austerities and penances in order to get Lord Krsna as my
husband. When Lord Krsna became aware of this fact, He very
kindly came to me along with His friend Arjuna and accepted me
as His wife. Lord Krsna then took me away from the bank of
Yamuna, and since then I have been engaged in the house of Lord
Krsna as a sweeper. And the Lord is treating me as His wife."
After this, Mitravinda said, "My dear Draupadi, there was a
great assembly of princes at my svayamvara ceremony
. Lord Krsna was also present
in that meeting, and He accepted me as His maidservant by
defeating all the princes present there. He immediately took me
away to Dvaraka, exactly as a lion takes a deer from a pack
of dogs. When I was thus taken away by Lord Krsna, my brothers
wanted to fight with Him, and later on they were defeated. Thus
my desire to become the maidservant of Krsna life after life
was fulfilled."
After this, Satya addressed Draupadi in this way: "My dear
Draupadi, my father arranged for an assembly for my svayamvara,
[the personal selection of a husband], and in order to test the
strength and heroism of the prospective bridegrooms, my father
stipulated that they each fight with his seven ferocious bulls,
which had long, serpentine horns. Many heroic prospective
bridegrooms tried to defeat the bulls, but unfortunately they
were all severely struck, and they returned to their homes as
defeated invalids. When Lord Sri Krsna came and fought with the
bulls, they were just like playthings for Him. He captured the
bulls and roped each one of them by their nostrils. Thus they
came under His control, just like a goat's small kids come very
easily under the control of children. My father became very
pleased and married me with Lord Krsna in great pomp,
giving as my dowry many divisions of soldiers, horses, chariots
and elephants, along with hundreds of maidservants. Thus Lord
Krsna brought me to His capital city, Dvaraka. On the way back,
He was also assaulted by many princes, but Lord Krsna defeated
all of them, and thus I have the privilege of serving His lotus
feet as a maidservant."
After this, Bhadra began to speak. She said, "My dear Draupadi,
Lord Krsna is the son of my maternal uncle. Fortunately, I
became attracted to His lotus feet. When my father understood
these feelings of mine, he personally arranged for my marriage,
inviting Lord Krsna to marry me and giving Him in dowry one
aksauhini, or division of armed forces, along with many
maidservants and other royal paraphernalia. I do not know
whether I shall be able to have the shelter of Lord Krsna life
after life, but still I pray to the Lord that wherever I may
take my birth I may not forget my relationship with His lotus
feet."
Then Laksmana said, "My dear Queen, many times I have heard the
great sage Narada glorifying the pastimes of Lord Krsna. I
became attracted to the lotus feet of Krsna when I heard Narada
say that the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, was also attracted to
His lotus feet. Since then I have always been thinking of Him,
and thus my attraction for Him has increased. My dear Queen, my
father was very affectionate toward me. When he understood that
I was attracted to Krsna, he devised a plan. His plan was like
that devised by your father; during the svayamvara, the
prospective bridegrooms had to pierce the eyes of a fish with
their arrows. The difference between the competition in your
svayamvara and mine was that in your case the fish was hanging
openly on the ceiling, in clear view, but in my case the fish
was covered with a cloth and could only be seen by the
reflection of the cloth in a pot of water. That was the special
feature of my svayamvara.
"The news of this device was spread all over the world, and
when the princes heard of it, they arrived at my father's
capital city from all directions, fully equipped with armor and
guided by their military instructors. Each one of them desired
to win me as his wife, and one after another they raised the
bow and arrow which was left there for piercing the fish. Many
could not even join the bowstring to the two ends of the bow,
and without attempting to pierce the fish, they simply left the
bow as it was and went away. Some with great difficulty drew
the string from one end to the other, and being unable to tie
the other end, they were suddenly knocked down by the
spring-like bow. My dear Queen, you will be surprised to
know that at my svayamvara meeting there were many famous kings
and heroes present. Heroes like Jarasandha, Ambastha, Sisupala,
Bhimasena, Duryodhana and Karna were, of course, able to string
the bow, but they could not pierce the fish, because it was
covered, and they could not trace it out from the reflection.
The celebrated hero of the Pandavas, Arjuna, was able to see
the reflection of the fish on the water, but although with
great caution he traced out the location of the fish and shot
an arrow, he did not pierce the fish in the right spot. His
arrow at least touched the fish, and so he proved himself
better than all other princes.
"All the princes who had tried to pierce the target were
disappointed, being baffled in their attempts, and some
candidates had even left the place without making an attempt,
but when at last Lord Krsna took up the bow, He was able to tie
the bowstring very easily, just as a child plays with a toy. He
placed the arrow, and looking only once at the reflection of
the fish in the water, He shot the arrow, and the pierced fish
immediately fell down. This victory of Lord Krsna was
accomplished at noon, during the moment called abhijit, which
is astronomically calculated as auspicious. At that time the
vibration of 'Jaya! Jaya!' was heard all over the world, and
from the sky came sounds of drums beat by the denizens of
heaven. Great demigods were overwhelmed with joy and began
to shower flowers on the earth.
"At that time, I entered the arena of competition, and the
ankle bells on my legs were sounding very melodiously as I
walked. I was nicely dressed with new silken garments, flowers
were decorating my hair, and because of Lord Krsna's
victory, I was in ecstatic joy and smiling very pleasingly. I
was carrying in my hands a golden necklace bedecked with
jewels, which was glittered at intervals. My curling hair
encircled my face, which was shining with a bright luster due
to the reflection of my various rings. My eyes blinking, I
first of all observed all the princes present, and when I
reached my Lord I very slowly placed the golden necklace on His
neck. As I have already informed you, from the very beginning
my mind had been attracted by Lord Krsna, and thus I considered
the garlanding of the Lord to be my great victory. As soon as I
placed my garland on the neck of the Lord, there sounded
immediately the combined vibration of mrdangas, patahas,
conchshells, drums, kettledrums and other
instruments, causing a tumultuous sound, and while the music
played, expert male and female dancers began to dance, and
singers began to sing sweetly.
"My dear Draupadi, when I accepted Lord Krsna as my worshipable
husband, and He also accepted me as His maidservant, there was
a tumultuous roaring among the disappointed princes. All of
them became very agitated because of their lusty desires, but
without caring for them, my husband, in His form as the four-
handed Narayana, immediately took me on His chariot, which was
drawn by four excellent horses. Expecting opposition from the
princes, He armored Himself and took up His bow named Sarnga,
but our celebrated driver, Daruka, drove the beautiful
chariot without a moment's delay toward the city of Dvaraka.
Thus, in the presence of all the princes, I was carried away
very quickly, exactly as a deer is carried away from the flock
by a lion. Some of the princes, however, wanted to check our
progress, and thus, equipped with proper weapons, they opposed
us, just as dogs try to oppose the progressive march of a lion.
At that time, due to the arrows released by the Sarnga bow of
Lord Krsna, some of the princes were cut on their left hands,
some of them lost their legs, and some lost their heads and
their lives, and others fled from the battlefield.
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead then entered the most
celebrated city of the universe, Dvaraka, and as He entered the
city, He appeared like the shining sun. The whole city of
Dvaraka was profusely decorated on that occasion. There were so
many flags and festoons and gates all over Dvaraka that the
sunshine could not even enter the city. I have already told you
that my father was very much affectionate to me, so when he saw
that my desire was fulfilled by getting Lord Krsna as
my husband, in great happiness he began to distribute to
friends and relatives various kinds of gifts, such as valuable
dresses, ornaments, bedsteads and sitting carpets. Lord Krsna
is always self-sufficient, yet my father, out of his own accord,
offered my husband a dowry consisting of riches, soldiers,
elephants, chariots, horses and many rare and valuable weapons.
He presented all these to the Lord with great enthusiasm. My
dear Queen, at that time I could guess that in my previous life
I must have performed some wonderfully pious activity, and as a
result I can in this life be one of the maidservants in the
house of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
When all the principal queens of Lord Krsna had finished their
statements, Rohini, as the representative of the other sixteen
thousand queens, began to narrate the incident of their
becoming wives of Krsna.
"My dear Queen, when Bhaumasura was conquering all the world,
he collected wherever possible all the beautiful daughters of
the kings and kept us arrested within his palace. When news of
our imprisonment reached Lord Krsna, He fought with Bhaumasura
and released us. Lord Krsna killed Bhaumasura and all his
soldiers, and although He had no need to accept even one wife,
He nevertheless, by our request, married all sixteen thousand
of us. My dear Queen, our only qualification was that we were
always thinking of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, which is the
way to release oneself from the bondage of repeated birth and
death. My dear Queen Draupadi, please take it from us that we
are not after any opulence such as kingdom, empire, or a
position of heavenly enjoyment. We do not want to enjoy such
material opulences, nor do we desire to achieve the yogic
perfections, nor the exalted post of Lord Brahma. Nor do we
want any of the different kinds of liberation --
salokya, sarsti, samipya or sayujya. We are not at all
attracted by any of these opulences. Our only ambition is to
bear on our heads life after life the dust particles attached
to the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. The goddess of fortune also
desires to keep that dust on her breast, along with fragrant
saffron. We simply desire this dust, which accumulates
underneath the lotus feet of Krsna as He travels on the land of
Vrndavana as a cowherd boy. The gopis especially, and also the
cowherd men and the aborigine tribeswomen, always desire to
become the grass and straw on the street of Vrndavana, to be
trampled on by the lotus feet of Krsna. My dear Queen, we wish
to remain as such life after life, without any other desire."
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Volume,
Twenty-eighth Chapter, of Krsna, "Draupadi Meets the Queens of
Krsna."
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KB 83: Draupadi Meets the Queens of Krsna
CHAPTER EIGHTY–THREE
Draupadi Meets the Queens of Krsna
There were many visitors who came to see Krsna, and among them
were the Pandavas, headed by King Yudhisthira. After talking
with the gopis and bestowing upon them the greatest benediction,
Lord Krsna welcomed King Yudhisthira and other
relatives who had come to see Him. He first of all inquired
from them whether their situation was auspicious. Actually,
there is no question of ill fortune for anyone who sees the
lotus feet of Lord Krsna, yet when Lord Krsna, as a matter of
etiquette, inquired from King Yudhisthira about his welfare,
the King became very happy by such a reception and addressed
the Lord thus: "My dear Lord Krsna, great personalities
and devotees in full Krsna consciousness always think of Your
lotus feet and remain fully satisfied by drinking the nectar of
transcendental bliss. The nectar which they constantly drink
sometimes comes out of their mouths and is sprinkled on others
as the narration of Your transcendental activities. This nectar
coming from the mouth of a devotee is so powerful that if one
is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to drink it, he
is immediately freed from the continuous journey of
birth and death. Our material existence is caused by our
forgetfulness of Your personality, but fortunately the
darkness of forgetfulness is immediately dissipated if one is
privileged to hear about Your glories. Therefore, my dear Lord,
where is the possibility of ill fortune for one who is
constantly engaged in hearing Your glorious activities?
"Since we are fully surrendered unto You and have no other
shelter than Your lotus feet, we are always confident of our
good fortune. My dear Lord, You are the ocean of unlimited
knowledge and transcendental bliss. The reactions
of mental concoctions in the three phases
of material life -- wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep -
- cannot exist in Krsna consciousness. All such
reactions are invalidated by the practice of Krsna
consciousness. You are the ultimate destination of all
liberated persons. Out of Your independent will only, You have
descended to this earth by the use of Your own internal potency,
yogamaya, and to reestablish the Vedic principles of
life You have appeared just like an ordinary human being.
Since You are the Supreme Person, there cannot be
any ill luck for one who has fully surrendered unto You."
When Lord Krsna was busy meeting various kinds of visitors and
while they were engaged in offering prayers to the Lord, the
female members of the Kuru dynasty and the Yadu dynasty took
the opportunity to meet with one another and engage in
talk of Lord Krsna's transcendental pastimes. The first inquiry
was made by Draupadi to the wives of Lord Krsna. She addressed
them: "My dear Rukmini, Bhadra, Jambavati, Satya, Satyabhama,
Kalindi, Saibya [Mitravinda], Laksmana, Rohini and all other
wives of Lord Krsna, will you please let us know how Lord Krsna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accepted you as His wives
and married you in pursuance of the marriage ceremonies of
ordinary human beings?"
To this question, the chief of the queens, Rukminidevi, replied,
"My dear Draupadi, it was practically a settled fact that
princes like Jarasandha wanted me to marry King
Sisupala, and, as is usual, all the princes present during the
marriage ceremony were prepared with their armor and weapons to
fight with any rival who dared to stop the marriage. But the
Supreme Personality of Godhead kidnapped me the way a lion
takes away a lamb from the flock. This was not, however, a very
wondrous act for Lord Krsna, because anyone who claims to be a
great hero or king within this world is subordinate to the
lotus feet of the Lord. All kings touch their helmets to
the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. My dear Draupadi, it is my
eternal desire that life after life I be engaged in the
service of Lord Krsna, who is the reservoir of all pleasure and
beauty. This is my only desire and ambition in life."
After this, Satyabhama began to speak. She said, "My dear
Draupadi, my father was very much afflicted by the death of his
brother, Prasena, and he falsely accused Lord Krsna of killing
his brother and stealing the Syamantaka jewel, which had
actually been taken by Jambavan. Lord Krsna, in order to
establish His pure character, fought with Jambavan and rescued
the Syamantaka jewel, which He later delivered to my father.
My father was very much ashamed and sorry for accusing Lord
Krsna of his brother's death. After getting back the Syamantaka
jewel, he thought it wise to rectify his mistake, so although
he had promised others my hand in marriage, he submitted the
jewel and me at the lotus feet of Krsna, and thus I was
accepted as His maidservant and wife."
After this, Jambavati replied to Draupadi's question. She said,
"My dear Draupadi, when Lord Krsna attacked my father, Jambavan,
the King of the rksas, my father did not know that Lord Krsna
was his former master, Lord Ramacandra, the husband of Sita.
Not knowing the identity of Lord Krsna, my father fought
with Him continuously for
twenty-seven days. After this period, when he became
fatigued, he could understand that since no one but Lord
Ramacandra could defeat him, his opponent, Lord Krsna, must be
the same Lord Ramacandra. He thus came to his senses and
immediately returned the Syamantaka jewel.
Furthermore, to satisfy the Lord, he presented me to Him to
become His wife. In this way I was married to the Lord, and
thus my desire to be a servitor of Krsna
life after life was fulfilled."
After this, Kalindi said, "My dear Draupadi, I was engaged in
great austerities and penances to get Lord Krsna as my
husband. When He became aware of this fact, He very
kindly came to me with His friend Arjuna and accepted me
as His wife. Lord Krsna then took me away from the bank of the
Yamuna, and since then I have been engaged in the house of Lord
Krsna as a sweeper. And the Lord is treating me as His wife."
After this, Mitravinda said, "My dear Draupadi, there was a
great assembly of princes at my svayamvara ceremony [the
personal selection of a husband]. Lord Krsna was also present
in that meeting, and He accepted me as His maidservant by
defeating all the princes there. He immediately took me
away to Dvaraka, exactly as a lion takes its prey from a pack
of dogs. When I was thus taken away by Lord Krsna, my brothers
wanted to fight Him, and later they were defeated. Thus
my desire to become the maidservant of Krsna life after life
was fulfilled."
After this, Satya addressed Draupadi in this way: "My dear
Draupadi, my father arranged for an assembly for my svayamvara,
and to test the
strength and heroism of the prospective bridegrooms, he
stipulated that they each fight with his seven ferocious bulls,
which had long, sharp horns. Many heroic prospects
tried to defeat the bulls, but unfortunately they
were all severely struck, and they returned to their homes as
defeated invalids. When Lord Sri Krsna came and fought with the
bulls, they were just like playthings for Him. He captured the
bulls and roped each one of them by the nostrils. Thus they
came under His control, just as a goat's small kids come very
easily under the control of children. My father was very
much pleased and married me to Lord Krsna with great pomp,
giving as my dowry many divisions of soldiers, horses, chariots
and elephants, along with hundreds of maidservants. Thus Lord
Krsna brought me to His capital city, Dvaraka. On the way back,
He was assaulted by many princes, but Lord Krsna defeated
all of them, and thus I have the privilege of serving His lotus
feet as a maidservant."
After this, Bhadra began to speak. She said, "My dear Draupadi,
Lord Krsna is the son of my maternal uncle. Fortunately, I
became attracted to His lotus feet. When my father understood
these feelings of mine, he personally arranged for my marriage,
inviting Lord Krsna to marry me and giving Him in dowry one
aksauhini, or division of armed forces, along with many
maidservants and other royal paraphernalia. I do not know
whether I shall be able to have the shelter of Lord Krsna life
after life, but still I pray to the Lord that wherever I may
take my birth I may not forget my relationship with His lotus
feet."
Then Laksmana said, "My dear Queen, many times I heard the
great sage Narada glorifying the pastimes of Lord Krsna. I
became attracted to the lotus feet of Krsna when I heard Narada
say that the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, was attracted to
His lotus feet. Since then I have always been thinking of Him,
and thus my attraction for Him has increased. My dear Queen, my
father was very affectionate toward me. When he understood that
I was attracted to Krsna, he devised a plan like
that devised by your father: during the svayamvara, the
prospective bridegrooms had to pierce the eyes of a fish with
their arrows. The difference between the competition in your
svayamvara and mine was that in yours the fish was hanging
openly on the ceiling, in clear view, but in mine the fish
was covered and could be seen only by its
reflection in a pot of water. That was the special
feature of my svayamvara.
"The news of this device spread all over the world, and
when the princes heard of it they arrived at my father's
capital city from all directions, fully equipped with armor and
guided by their military instructors. Each of them desired
to win me as his wife, and one after another they raised the
bow and arrow left there for piercing the fish. Many
could not even join the bowstring to the two ends of the bow,
and without attempting to pierce the fish, they simply left the
bow as it was and went away. Some with great difficulty drew
the string from one end to the other, but being unable to tie
the other end, they were suddenly knocked down by the
springlike bow. My dear Queen, you will be surprised to
know that at my svayamvara meeting there were many famous kings
and heroes present. Heroes like Jarasandha, Ambastha, Sisupala,
Bhimasena, Duryodhana and Karna were, of course, able to string
the bow, but they could not pierce the fish, because it was
covered, and they could not trace it out from the reflection.
The celebrated hero of the Pandavas, Arjuna, was able to see
the reflection of the fish on the water, but although with
great care he traced out the location of the fish and shot
an arrow, he did not pierce the fish in the right spot. But his
arrow at least touched the fish, and so he proved himself
better than all the other princes.
"All the princes who tried to pierce the target were
disappointed, being baffled in their attempts, and some
candidates even left the place without making an attempt,
but when at last Lord Krsna took up the bow, He was able to tie
the bowstring very easily, just as a child plays with a toy. He
placed the arrow, and looking only once at the reflection of
the fish in the water, He shot the arrow, and the pierced fish
immediately fell down. This victory of Lord Krsna was
accomplished at noon, during the moment called abhijit, which
is astronomically calculated as auspicious. At that time the
vibration of ‘Jaya! Jaya!' was heard all over the world, and
from the sky came sounds of drums beaten by the denizens of
heaven. Great demigods were overwhelmed with joy and showered
flowers on the earth.
"At that time, I entered the arena of competition, and the
ankle bells on my legs sounded very melodious as I
walked. I was nicely dressed with new silken garments, flowers
decorated my hair, and because of Lord Krsna's
victory I was in ecstatic joy and smiling very pleasingly. I
carried in my hands a golden necklace bedecked with
jewels, which glittered at intervals. My curling hair
encircled my face, which shone with a bright luster due
to the reflection of my various earrings. My eyes blinking, I
first observed all the princes present, and when I
reached my Lord I very slowly placed the golden necklace on His
neck. As I have already informed you, from the very beginning
my mind was attracted by Lord Krsna, and thus I considered
the garlanding of the Lord my great victory. As soon as I
placed my garland on the neck of the Lord, there sounded
immediately the combined vibration of mrdangas, pataha
and anaka drums, conchshells, kettledrums and other
instruments, causing a tumultuous sound, and while the music
played, expert male and female dancers began to dance, and
singers began to sing sweetly.
"My dear Draupadi, when I accepted Lord Krsna as my worshipable
husband and He accepted me as His maidservant, there was
a tumultuous roaring among the disappointed princes. All of
them were very agitated because of their lusty desires, but
without caring for them, my husband, in His form as the four-
handed Narayana, immediately took me on His chariot, which was
drawn by four excellent horses. Expecting opposition from the
princes, He armored Himself and took up His bow, named Sarnga,
and then our celebrated driver, Daruka, drove the beautiful
chariot, without a moment's delay, toward the city of Dvaraka.
Thus, in the presence of all the princes, I was carried away
very quickly, exactly as a deer is carried away from the flock
by a lion. Some of the princes, however, wanted to check our
progress, and thus, equipped with proper weapons, they opposed
us, just as dogs try to oppose the progressive march of a lion.
At that time, due to the arrows released by the Sarnga bow of
Lord Krsna, some of the princes lost their hands,
some of them lost their legs, some lost their heads and
their lives, and others fled from the battlefield.
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead then entered the most
celebrated city of the universe, Dvaraka, and as He entered the
city He appeared like the shining sun. The whole city of
Dvaraka was profusely decorated on that occasion. There were so
many flags and festoons and gates all over Dvaraka that the
sunshine could not even enter the city. I have already told you
that my father was very affectionate to me, so when he saw
that my desire had been fulfilled by my getting Lord Krsna as
my husband, in great happiness he began to distribute to
friends and relatives various kinds of gifts, such as valuable
garments, ornaments, bedsteads and sitting carpets. Lord Krsna
is always self-sufficient, yet my father, out of his own accord,
offered my husband a dowry consisting of riches, soldiers,
elephants, chariots, horses and many rare and valuable weapons.
He presented all these to the Lord with great enthusiasm. My
dear Queen, at that time I could guess that in my previous life
I must have performed some wonderfully pious activity, and as a
result I can in this life be one of the maidservants in the
house of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
When all the principal queens of Lord Krsna had finished their
statements, Rohini, as the representative of the other sixteen
thousand queens, began to narrate the incident of their
becoming wives of Krsna.
"My dear Queen, when Bhaumasura was conquering all the world,
he collected wherever possible all the beautiful daughters of
the kings and kept us arrested within his palace. When news of
our imprisonment reached Lord Krsna, He fought with Bhaumasura
and released us. Lord Krsna killed Bhaumasura and all his
soldiers, and although He had no need to accept even one wife,
He nevertheless, by our request, married all sixteen thousand
of us. My dear Queen, our only qualification was that we were
always thinking of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, which is the
way to release oneself from the bondage of repeated birth and
death. My dear Queen Draupadi, please take it from us that we
are not after any opulence such as a kingdom, an empire or a
position of heavenly enjoyment. We do not want to enjoy such
material opulences, nor do we desire to achieve the yogic
perfections, nor the exalted post of Lord Brahma. Nor do we
want any of the different kinds of liberation -- sarupya,
salokya, sarsti, samipya or sayujya. We are not at all
attracted by any of these opulences. Our only ambition is to
bear on our heads life after life the dust particles attached
to the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. The goddess of fortune also
desires to keep that dust on her breasts, along with fragrant
saffron. We simply desire this dust, which accumulates
underneath the lotus feet of Krsna as He travels on the land of
Vrndavana as a cowherd boy. The gopis especially, and also the
cowherd men and the aborigine tribeswomen, always desire to
become the grass and straw on the streets of Vrndavana, to be
trampled on by the lotus feet of Krsna. My dear Queen, we wish
to remain as such life after life, without any other desire."
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighty
-third Chapter of Krsna, "Draupadi Meets the Queens of
Krsna."
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