Marriage of Krishna and Rukmini

This chapter describes the defeat of Jarasandha and others, the disfiguring of Rukmi, consolation of Rukmini and the wedding of Krsna and Rukmini in Dvaraka.

Seeing the enemy pursue them, they drew their bows (visphujya) and faced them.

The shower of Jarasandha’s arrows was like rain on a mountain, completely insignificant.

Rukmini glanced (aiksat for aiksata) at Krsna’s face.

Do not be afraid ( ma sma baih). Your army will defeat the enemy.” Out of affection form his new bride he calls his troops hers.

Not being able to tolerate such courage in the enemy, or then not being able to tolerate the courage in the enemy, they destroyed their chariots and horses with arrows.

Karabha means part of the hand from the wrist to the little finger.

One does not see any permanence (nistha) of happiness and distress.

Just as puppets are controlled by a master, so the jivas receive happiness and distress under the direction of the Lord. Though the demons are here accepting the power of God, they do not recognize Krsna, and therefore they are considered asuras.

I have been defeated in seventeen battles using twenty three auksahinis of soldiers. And in one battle at the end I was victorious.

Time, under the direction of fate, agitates this world.

I was defeated by the Yadus who had meager troops.

When time becomes favorable to us, then we win.

Rukmi, being intolerant and very angry, took up his bow.

He said, “Without killing Krsna and bringing back Rukmini I will not enter Kundina.” Another meaning is “Not having recognized Krsna and liberated Rukmini, I will not enter Kundina.”

“Today I will take away (nesye) the heroic pride of the stupid cowherd boy who has forcibly taken my sister with my sharp arrows.” The other meaning is: ‘I will have my pride in my own heroism removed today by the sharp arrows of the cowherd boy who is merciful to even the wicked (su dur mateh).”

24.Kula pamsana can mean “O defiler of your dynasty” But it can also mean “O protector of the dynasty! O killer of enemies! (kula pa, amsana).” Are Ksanam tistha can mean “Stand there a moment.” It can also mean: ara iksanam tistha. “Stand so that I may glance upon you.”

“ Where are you going, taking my sister, like a crow (dhvanksa) taking away the offering. Today (adya), fool, I will take away your pride in being a false warrior and cheater.” The other meaning is: “Where are you going, not having stolen from me (me amusitva) your own essence (sva saram), Mahalaksmi? I will steal my sister, releasing her from you, and will take her back to my house, like a crow takes the sacrificial offering. Please break (adya make eat) the pride of this false warrior, myself, who is a fool (manda) and cheater (mayi).” Havih means a sacrificial offering or ghee in the neuter.

“Before you lie on the battlefield, having been killed (me hatah) by my arrow, release the girl.” The other meaning is:”Because you are not killed by my arrow ( me ahatah), do not release the girl.”

“Why do I need the girl?”

“So you can lie down (sayithah) ” He does not complete the sentence “with her on a bed of flowers.” out of shyness.

“What will people think if they know that my brother was killed before my eyes?” She was filled with fear because of this, not out of affection for her brother. The prema of the city women is dependent on public opinion (samanjasa prema, proper love), whereas the prema of the gopis is not dependent at all on the opinion of the public (samartha prema ), and is much stronger. However, one should not worry that the general definition of prema, that it is exclusive possessiveness of Visnu, and no one else, does not apply to Rukmini and others women, since they did not have genuine affection for Rukmi and other demons. This will be explained in detail later.

“O master of Yoga, you are the holder of great inconceivable power, while Rukmi is the lowest among the controlled. You are the immeasurable one (aprameyatma) , and he is like an insect among the limited. You are supreme among the devatas (deva deva), and he is the lowest among humans, because he is inimical to you. You are the protector of the universe (jagat pate), and though he is evil, because he is within the universe, he is to be protected. Therefore O auspicious one (kalyana), with mighty arms (maha bhuja), you should not kill that inauspicious person with no power in his arms.”

Krsna was compassionate to Rukmini, who was compassionate to her brother even though he was against her, evil, and would have been the cause of her giving up her life (if forced to marry Sisupala), out of fear of the social laws that the sister should be merciful to the brother.

Thinking, “I should do something so that he cannot come and cause disturbance again” Krsna showed his contempt for Rukmi by marking his body with some ugly features to let him remember his defeat and dissolve his pride. He tied Rukmi’s head cloth around his neck, and holding the two ends of that cloth with his left hand, with his right hand holding a sword, he knocked off Rukmi’s turban and shaved off bits of his moustache, beard and hair at the root, drawing blood, so that here and there bunches of hair remained. In this way Rukmi looked completely disfigured.

Balarama took in his own hand the cloth that Krsna was holding in his left hand, and let Rukmi loose from his noose.

“It would have been better to kill him. Shaving him with a sword has made his face ghastly.” To console the lamenting Rukmini, Balarama in this way engaged in an appearance of scolding Krsna. However, internally he was thinking, “O most clever brother, you have done what is proper.” Becoming satisfied, he then scolded Krsna. Suhrt in this verse refers to Rukmi as a friend, relative, a brother in law. Factually however he is and enemy, not a friend. Therefore the word is used to mean the opposite in sarcasm.

In order to remove the sorrow of Rukmini, he reasons with her in this verse. “Every jiva must enjoy of suffering the results of his acts. So what is this useless affection for a person who is evil and who acts against your husband?” He gives a hint of scolding to Rukmini.

Balarama speaks this verse to Krsna, giving him moral instructions, in order to satisfy Rukmini. A relative should not be killed by a relative. A brother in law should not killed by the sister’s husband.

He speaks again to Rukmini who was saying in her mind, “Your younger brother does not know this rule.” “One should even kill ones brother. That is the rule of the scripture. What to speak then of a brother in law who is so vile?”

41.Guessing that Rukmini would be thinking to herself, “It may be true that a ksatriya can kill his relative, but he should not disfigure him in a ghastly way.” Balarama then speaks to Krsna to satisfy her. “O Krsna, those who are proud abuse others in order to gett kingdom, land, money, power etc. But we should not do this.”

“But this rule is for situations other than war. The rule in war is that the enemy should be defeated, and made insignificant.” Guessing that this was Krsna’s internal thought, Balarama then spoke to Rukmini with this verse. “Krsna treatment of relatives who have evil intentions to all beings, such as shaving your brother, which you think is wrong for them, is actually correct. It is due to your biased intelligence, like that of ignorant people, though actually you have good intelligence.”

“I know that my brother is evil, but thought that is so, still I have some attachment as a relative. What can I do?”

“Certainly for an elevated person like you, such bad judement is not proper. But for worldly people this is their natural tendency. For those who think that their bodies are themselves, there is such bewilderment, but not for the persons in knowledge.”

In two verse he refutes the misconception of those who think body is self. First he states that the body is not the supersoul. The supersoul is certainly the one inspirer of the many jivas with bodies. Two examples are given to show one is the basis of many. It is like fire within wood and ether in the pot, as is said in the First cantao: yatha hy avahito….

The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second.(sb 1.2.32)

The body is also not the jiva. That which you think is to be protected because he is a relative, or to be killed because he is an enemy is simply the body which is subject to birth and death. That body has three aspects: adhibhuta (dravya), the senses or adhyatma (prana), and adhidaivam (guna). It is produced for the jiva by ignorance and causes the jiva to rotate in bodies, under the control of attraction and repulsion.

Because the atma is covered by the body, the body is perceived as the atma. Actually however, the atma is not affected by the body. Nor is the paramatma affected by the jiva.

First this verse can be explained as referring to the jivatma and matter. There is no permanent contact of the soul with the material body which is impermanent, having a beginning and end. Because there is no contact then there is no separation. How does this take place? The jivatama acts as the source of manifestation of the body. Because the jiva is the manifester of the material body, it is not contaminated by it. How can the manifester be contaminated by that which it manifests?

Referring to paramatma and jiva, the verse can be explained as follows. The paramatma (atmanah) has no contact with the jiva (anena) or his impermanent body (asata), because the paramatma is the source of manifestation of the jiva and his body by his very nature as God. Paramatma is never contaminated by either the jiva or the body manifested from him. The manifester is never contaminated by the manifested.

In both cases, the example of the sun applies.The sun has no contamination from the eye or form manifested from it. The sun is the paramatma, the eye is the jiva and the form is the body.

Since the soul has no contact with birth and death, these must only be characteristics of the body. But how can that be, for the awareness of being born, being a child, of aging, is a perception of the self or soul, not the body. This is explained with an example. Just as there are birth and other many phases of the moon, but these is no the birth of the moon which has unlimited phases, and just as the new moon phase is not the death of the moon, so we talk about death of the self, but actually it is death of the body connected with the soul.

From the sruti statement “asango’ yam purusah” it is understood that the atma is actually not contaminated by the body, and material life exists only because of the conception of body due to ignorance with its inconceivable energy. This is illustrated with an example. Though objects themselves are real, while sleeping a person may experience objects such as countries to be conquered with vast armies, results such as victory, and enjoyment of the results such as sandalwood and women. And sometimes he experiences defeat, bondage, beating and abuse. In this way, the unintelligent person experiences in an unreal way the world of happiness and distress due to association with the body.

“Because this is so, o smiling faced one, be situated in your nature, and reveal your natural smiling face. You should not be an ordinary material bride.”

“What will people say about me?” Giving up this depression (vaimanasyam), she collected herself.

While walking away from Krsna Rukmi was insulted by the Yadu soldiers with abuse, curses, and chastisement. (dvidbhir hata bala prabhah).

The people of Dvaraka who had exclusive devotion (ananya bhavanam) for Krsna began celebrating.

They brought worthy gifts to the bride and groom (varayoh).

In the city there were high flag poles which touched the city of Indra.

The streets were sprinkled with the mada from the elephants of the best kings. The doors were ornamented with tall banana tree and betel nut trees.

Gathering together (paridhavanam) they rejoiced.