Rukmini's Message to Krishna

In the fifty-second chapter, the Lord becomes invisible to His enemies, causes the mountain to be burned and hears the proposal of Bismaka's daughter.

Seeing that kali yuga had almost come (kail yugam praptam literally means “seeing that kali yuga had come”), Mucukunda departed for the north.

Killing the enemy army, he began to take (ninye) the booty to Dvaraka.

7.. Seeing the great speed (vega rabhasam) of the enemy troops Krsna and Balarama, assumed the actions of human beings, and quickly fled.

How they acted as human beings is described in this verse. Assuming the activities and qualities of human beings (manusya cestam apannau) however is their very nature. This is not real reason for their fleeing however, because even though they many times assume the human role, in those cases they have shown their omniscience and omnipotence. It cannot also be explained as some immature display out of prema, because there were no devotees present there. Nor can it be explained as an imitation of fear. Because as Uddhava said “Even the intelligent are disturbed, thinking you flee out of fear.” (sb3.4.16) In the same verse however , Uddhava states that being the protector of Dvaraka, he fled in great fear. By examining this statement, one will understand the reason for fleeing. Though without fear (abhitau), Krsna and Balarama decided to show fear acting like fearful persons (bhiru bhitavat). This expresses a contradiction.

Unaware of their greatness ( a pramana vit), he pursued them.

They jumped from the mountain (tatah) which was eleven yojanas at the summit and surpassing the places where the troops of Jarasandha were gathered, landed at another place.

15.Before describing Krsna’s marriage, first Balarama’s marriage as described in the ninth canto is remembered in this verse. The son of Revata-- Raivata or Kakudmi, gave his daughter Revati to Balarama.

16.Krsna married Rukmini whose subtle essential form is Laksmi (sriyah matram), just as sound is the essence of ether (tan matra). As Krsna is svayam bhagavan, it is fitting that rukmini should be of the same quality as Laksmi.

The raksasa method of marriage is to take the bride after fighting with opponents according the smrti scriptures.

Who could be satiated hearing (srnavana) the sweet (madhvi) topics of Krsna?

Ignoring the relatives and elders like father who wanted to give Rukmini to Krsna in marriage, Rukmi on his own initiative prevented her from marrying Krsna and decided to giver her to Sisupala in marriage.

Rukmini sent the son of the priest to bring Krsna there.

He entered accompanied by the gate keepers. (pratiharaih).

Krsna worshipped the brahamana just as the devas worship Krsna.

Krsna appeared calm (avyagrah), though he was anxious within concerning the marriage. Massaging the brahmana’s feet (abhisprsya), he then inquired from him.

If the brahmana is unwavering in his dharma (svatdharmat ahiyamanah) , that dharma (sah) yields all desires.

The unsatisfied brahmana even it he becomes Indra, wanders from planet to planet, but does not exhaust his thirst for enjoyment; There is an alternate reading: even though he becomes Indra, he does not attain the planets. This means he does not attain satisfaction.

One is satisfied with whatever one obtains by unccha vrtti or gathering. He does not yearn for attaining anything else.

That king is dear to me in whose country (visaye) the people live happily.

“.If you have any questions to ask me, please ask.,” Saying this, the brahmana was asked questions(samprstha samprasnah) by Krsna, who excepts his body as his own by the agency of lila sakti.

The brahmana then broke the seal and shows the letter, a token of her love, which she had written in her own hand and sent though the brahmana, to Krsna. At Krsna’s request the brahmana then read the letter to him. This is Sridhara Swami’s explanation.

“How can I accept a forward woman who shows not shame in writing letters proposing marriage to me, a princess unseen and unheard of by me.”

“True you can say that, but I will express the feelings of my heart. Hearing that, you can respect or ignore it, accept or reject it, and depending on whether I obtain or do not obtain you, I will live happily, or if today or tomorrow I die, where is the question of fear or shame. Therefore I now speak.” Then she expressed herself in seven verses.

“Oh Acyuta hearing about your qualities and form, my mind has lost all shame.

I have become attached to you. Your qualities and form are the cause of my mind becoming shameless, and my ears as well. Therefore we two are at fault. Therefore you cannot criticize me, and I cannot criticize you.” The suggestion of the word acyuta is “ O Acyuta, my mind, becoming shameless, has approached you, but you are unmoved (acyuta). So now, I have no idea what you want to do.”

“Other men can have attractive qualities and form, so why don’t you find fault with them?”

“You cannot say that.” Then she begins to list Krsna’s qualities. “Having entered the ears of attentive young women, those qualities destroy completely the pains both subtle and gross. What other man has these qualities? Your form is more attractive and sweet than the best object for people who are observant. There is an assortment of colors: blue like the sapphire or blue lotus, yellow like gold ornaments and kumkuma, red like bandhuli flowers and rubies, white like moonstone and the moon. But your sweetness and beauty is greater than all these, giving splendor to your limbs, tongue, lips nails and other bodily parts. Does any other person have such beauty? “ Therefore she addressed Krsna appropriately. “O most beautiful, both materially and spiritually, in the three worlds, in all the material and spiritual worlds!”

“Granted, I may be the most incomparable man in the universe, but are you the only girl in the whole universe with eyes and ears? I do not see anyone else with such shamelessness.”

“O Mukunda, with smile like the kunda flower (mukha +_ kunda), who should also smile on me! What intelligent girl endowed with beauty and good qualities would not accept you as a husband? Only those who are ugly, without good qualities and unintelligent, or who have not heard about you would not accept you. Those with good qualities accept you, incomparable in qualities, beauty, knowledge, youth wealth and power. Like me there are many other girls who will accept you when their times comes. But now it is may time. O lion among of men ( nr simha), who is uncontrollable like a lion! I have no desire to control you. Your incomparable beauty and qualities play in the minds of all humans. So what fault is there if you also reside in my mind?”

“Since I am attracted to you, I therefore have chosen you as my husband. It is not just now, but from the first, I have chosen you. Both my soul and body have been offered to your lotus feet. I have sent this letter to inform you of my mental state. If you accept me, I will maintain my life, and if you reject me, I will burn myself up. I will not give myself to anyone else, even if Brahma himself were to ask.

But my offering of myself to you is not like the surrender of Bali Maharaja, which was nirbhava, without intense love.” With that intention she says, “Accept me as your wife. If someone gives someone some food as says “You should eat this” That is nirbhava. But my surrender is svabhavam, touched with prema and thus superior. You should quickly send back the brahmana with a reply so that I know whether you accept me or not—so that Sisupala will not take the share meant for you. Being moistened by this one hope, my body does not burn up. If Sisupala comes and touches me, then with the destruction of hope for attaining you, the fire of separation will blaze up and burn my body. My fear however is that you will become infamous. Sisupala will take your share, like a jackal stealing from a lion. That impudence towards you will be broadcast everywhere. O lotus eyed Lord, my body though burning n the fire of separation from you, does not feel pain, because I meditate on your lotus eyes.”

“O most difficult to attain person! You cannot be obtained simply by the good acts of one birth. If I have performed pious acts in previous lives, whether with a desire to attain you , or without a desire to attain you, let the results come now in the form of attaining you. This is my prayer. If I have worshipped the Lord profusely by digging wells (purta), by sacrifices (ista), by offerings to the Lord (dana), by regulations (niyama) such as bathing in holy places, by observing vratas like ekadasi, by worship of devas, brahmanas and gurus, which are angas of worship of the Lord himself, then may the human Lord, elder brother of Gada, come here and accept me, a human in marriage, and not anyone else, either Narayana, or any devata or any human.”

41.”True I accept you according to your past pious actions, but what should I do, now that you are have been given to Sisupala in marriage? “

Rukmini then shows him a method. “You cannot be defeated by anyone (ajita), and therefore at the upcoming wedding, first you should enter the city unseen, without troops, and having entered the city, you can surround yourself with your army to show your strength. If you do not do this, then it will be difficult to enter the city quickly, for outside the city troops will be ready to fight with you. After entering the city, however, you can say that you have come to see the spectacular wedding and the army will have no reason for fighting with you. Then at your leisure you can take me away. If the evil, fearsome troops agitate to fight with you (nirmanthya), you can show your bravery, just as you received Laksmi from the churning (nirmanthana) of the ocean. Suddenly snatch me away, the reward for your show of strength.”

“Let Sisupala’s troops get killed. However, stealing you from within the city will certainly lead to killing your relatives.”

“How can my desire be fulfilled without killing? There is a temple of Durga outside the city. You can easily steal me from there, without killing my relatives.”

“Princess, you may say that, but how can you get my mercy without having performed pious acts in the past to attain me?”

“In order to attain you in a future life, in this life I will practice celibacy and austerities. If after one life’s activities I do not attain you, then I will perform activities for a million lives. It is impossible for me to erase my desire to attain you.”

“But you have also performed many sinful activities which will prevent you from attaining me.”

“It is certain that all these sins will be removed by your lotus feet, which I will attain by my austerities. The great devotees like Siva desire to bathe in the dust of your lotus feet in order to destroy at the root their ignorance. I will also destroy all my sins by bathing in the dust of your lotus feet, which I will attain by austerities. If I do not attain your mercy, then I will give up my life by fasting.”

“What will you accomplish by that?”

“I will give up my life time after time for hundreds of births until I attain your mercy. O Lord with lotus eyes, longing for the glance of those lotus eyes is the cause of my performing such austerities!”

“O Lord, it is my promise not to reveal this message to anyone else, because it would cause Rukmini shame. O Lord of the Yadus, it is not necessary to consult with the Yadus, because you are their Lord, giving them intelligence. After considering by your own intelligence, do what should be done, without delay (anantaram).”