॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
25 May 2023, Thursday - Srimad Bhagavatam X b.54 - Sri Krishna defeats the opposing kings who attack him from all around after seeing him kidnapping Rukmini. Sri Krishna spares Rukmi’s life but disfigures him. He brings Rukmini to Dwaraka to a great reception and marries her.
***
Seeing Sri Krishna taking Princess Rukmini away right under their noses, the antagonistic kings gathered their armies and pursued him. Balarama and the generals of the Yadava army turned to face these opponents, blocking their advance. The enemy armies then began pouring incessant showers of arrows upon Sri Krishna’s army. Seeing her husband-to-be’s forces under such a violent attack, Rukmini looked at Sri Krishna in fright. But Sri Krishna simply smiled and told her there was nothing to fear because his army would surely destroy the enemy in short order.
Balarama and the other heroes then began to annihilate the opposing army with fierce arrows. The enemy kings, headed by Jarasandha, retreated after suffering the destruction of their armies at the hands of the Yadavas.
Jarasandha could not help Shishupala but consoled him: “Happiness and distress are never permanent and are under the control of the Supreme Being. Seventeen times Sri Krishna defeated me, but in the end, I was victorious over him. Thus, seeing that victory and defeat are under the control of destiny and time, I have learned not to succumb to either lamentation or joy. The time now favours the Yadavas, so they have defeated you with only a small army, but in the future, Time will favour you, and you will surely conquer them.” Consoled in this way, Shishupala took his army and went away to his kingdom.
Rukmini’s brother Rukmi, who hated Sri Krishna, was infuriated after witnessing Sri Krishna’s kidnapping of his sister. So, after vowing before all the kings present that he would not return to Kundina (capital of Vidarbha) until Sri Krishna had been destroyed and Rukmini rescued, Rukmi set out with his army to attack the Lord. Ignorant of Sri Krishna’s glories, Rukmi boldly attacked Sri Krishna in a lone chariot. He approached the Lord, struck Him with arrows and demanded that he release Rukmini. Sri Krishna fended off Rukmī’s weapons, breaking them to pieces. Then He raised his sword high and was about to kill Rukmi when Rukmini interceded and fervently pleaded that her brother’s life be spared.
Sri Krishna did not kill Rukmi, but with his sword he shaved off bits of Rukmi’s hair here and there, leaving him with a disfigured countenance. Just then Balarama appeared on the scene with the Yadava army. Seeing Rukmi disfigured, he thought Sri Krishna was about to kill him.
असाध्विदं त्वया कृष्ण कृतमस्मज्जुगुप्सितम् ।
वपनं श्मश्रुकेशानां वैरूप्यं सुहृदो वधः ॥
मैवास्मान् साध्व्यसूयेथा भ्रातुर्वैरूप्यचिन्तया ।
सुखदुःखदो न चान्योऽस्ति यतः स्वकृतभुक् पुमान् ॥
बन्धुर्वधार्हदोषोऽपि न बन्धोर्वधमर्हति ।
त्याज्यः स्वेनैव दोषेण हतः किं हन्यते पुनः ॥
क्षत्रियाणामयं धर्मः प्रजापतिविनिर्मितः ।
भ्रातापि भ्रातरं हन्याद्येन घोरतरस्ततः ॥
राज्यस्य भूमेर्वित्तस्य स्त्रियो मानस्य तेजसः ।
मानिनोऽन्यस्य वा हेतोः श्रीमदान्धाः क्षिपन्ति हि ॥
तवेयं विषमा बुद्धिः सर्वभूतेषु दुर्हृदाम् ।
यन्मन्यसे सदाभद्रं सुहृदां भद्रमज्ञवत् ॥
आत्ममोहो नृणामेष कल्पते देवमायया ।
सुहृद्दुर्हृदुदासीन इति देहात्ममानिनाम् ॥
एक एव परो ह्यात्मा सर्वेषामपि देहिनाम् ।
नानेव गृह्यते मूढैर्यथा ज्योतिर्यथा नभः ॥
देह आद्यन्तवानेष द्रव्यप्राणगुणात्मकः ।
आत्मन्यविद्यया कॢप्तः संसारयति देहिनम् ॥
T: Seeing Sri Krishna with his sword raised on a disfigured Rukmi, Balarama spoke:
“My dear Krishna, You have acted without propriety! This deed will bring shame on us, for to disfigure a close relative by shaving off his moustache and hair is as good as killing him.”
“Oh Princess Rukmini, you are a noble soul and hence, please do not be displeased with us out of anxiety for your brother’s disfigurement. No one but oneself is responsible for one’s joy and grief, for a man experiences the result of his own Karma. And Krishna, you know this well. A relative should not be killed even if his wrongdoing warrants capital punishment. Rather, he should be thrown out of the family. Since he has already been killed by his own sin, why kill him again?”
“The code of sacred duty for warriors established by Lord Brahma enjoins that one may have to kill even his own brother. That is indeed a most dreadful law. Blinded by conceit with their personal prosperity, proud men offend others for the sake of such things as kingdom, land, wealth, women, honour and power. Princess Rukmini, Your attitude of protecting Rukmi is unfair, for like an ignorant person you wish good to those who are inimical to all living beings and who have done evil to your true well-wishers.”
“The Supreme Lord’s Maya makes men forget their real selves, and thus, taking the body for the self, they consider others to be friends, enemies or neutral parties. Those who are bewildered perceive the Paramatma who resides in all embodied beings, as many persons, just as one may perceive the light in the sky, or the sky itself, as many rays and bright patches. This material body, which has a beginning and an end, is composed of the physical elements, the senses and the three Gunas. The body, imposed on the self by material ignorance, causes one to experience the cycle of birth and death."
Rukmini cheered up now. Rukmi, meanwhile, was feeling totally frustrated, deprived as he was of all his strength and his will to fight. Since he had vowed not to return home without conquering Sri Krishna, Rukmi constructed a city on that very spot and took up residence there in a mood of undiminished anger.
Sri Krishna took Rukmini to his capital, Dwaraka, and married her. All the citizens celebrated the wedding in lavish style, telling one another repeatedly throughout the city their accounts of how the Lord had kidnapped Rukmini. Everyone in Dwaraka was delighted to see Sri Krishna united with Rukmini.
