The Marriage of Samba

In this sixty eighth chapter, when the kurus capture Samba, Balarama, angered by their harsh words, drags the city of Hastinapura.

Samba, victorious in battle (samitinjayah), took away Laksmana, daughter of Duryodhana.

The Yadavas enjoy land give by us. They are not kings.

They will become peaceful, like controlled senses (prana).

Somadatta had three sons, Sala, bhuri and Bhurisvara, also called Yajnaketu. These three went with Karna and Duryodhana. Bhisma (krurk vrddha) gave them permission. “Since he has touched her already, he must be the husband, since it would be improper to marry her to anyone else. To show our bravery and his impropriety however, we should capture him but not kill him.” Together these six bound up Samba.

Samba was covered completely (samakiran) with arrows.

The child of the supreme lord ( acintaysa arbhah) did not tolerate being struck so unjustly (apaviddha).

Successively he shot four arrows at each of the four horses of each chariot. They praised him for this act.

Seizing the boy and the girl, they entered the city.

Having pacified the Vrsnis, Balarama then went to Hastinapura, surrounded by brahmanas and elders, because he did not want a quarrel between the Kauravas and Vrsnis.

16, With a desire to know the intentions of Dhrtarastra, Balarama sent Uddhava.

As there is no mention of offering respects to Yudisthira and the other Pandavas, it is understood that they were now living Indraprastha.

Welcoming Uddhava (tam arcayitva), they went to meet Balarama.

Those among them who knew his power, such as Bhisma, offered their respects by bowing down.

Both sides heard and asked about friends’ welfare.

You are kings but Ugrasena is the ruler or king of you (ksiti isa isa). Why? Because he is master (prabhu), whose order Indra and others carry out, offering him tribute in the form of the sudharma hall and the parijata tree. Yayati forbade the Yadus from being kings, but he did not forbid them from being rulers of kings. You should listen carefully to his order, otherwise he will punish you.

22.Ugrasena speaks in this verse. “I am tolerating that you unjustly defeated Samba.” His meaning is: “Therefore you should immediately bring him forward and give him back.” He did not complete this statement however, because just on hearing it, the opposing side would utter foul words.

Hearing his words filled with splendor (virya), courage (saurya), and strength, befitting his sakti, they became angry.

How astonishing! The movement of time is insurmountable (kala gatya duratyaya). Leather shoe wants to climb on the head, even on a head with a crown.

They are related to us only by marriage- of Kunti to Pandu. They are only brothers in law.

We do not have regard, which is a symptom of respect. Rather we have disregard (upeksa) which is a sign of disrespect. Not respecting them because of their low family, we disregard their audacious acts.

In this verse they state that they should no longer ignore their offenses.

“We shall take away their royal symbols. “(alam nara deva lancanaih).

“As you proudly think yourselves favored by Indra, please hear o Yadavas.

How can Indra dare take anything which is not given by the Kauravas? He is like a ram in comparison to a lion. If Indra is like a ram, what are you?”

Mad with abundance of high birth (janma), strong friends (Bhisma and others) and wealth, they made Balarama hear their harsh words.

In the circumstance Balarama thought, “Let them say what they want and do what they want.” So he was silent. After the Kauravas left however he, in the presence of the city people, said and did what he should, and showed his anger (krodha samrabdha).

“Filled with pride in their wealth and other assets (nana) only punishment will pacify their pride (prasamah). The other forms of negotiation such as sama and dana will not work.”

“Insulting me who am well known as their well wisher, they have uttered bad words.”

In six verses he remembers their bad words.

Remembering their words, “How audacious the Yadavas are” , angrily he expresses how they insulted even Krsna in three verses.

“Is he not fit for the king’s throne?”

Krsna, the dust of whose feet, the tirtha for the best of yogis who are personified tirthas, are held by loka palas on their excellent crowns, and which even Brahma, your creator, whose power is greater than Indra’s or other devatas’, and even Siva, and even I, all of whom are but his expansions or expansions of expansions, and even Laksmi, his internal sakti with more opulence that any of us, carefully carry on our heads, must obtain his throne by begging from them and getting their mercy.

This is a sarcastic statement.

Having joked with sarcastic words, Balarama now speaks the facts in one and a half verses.

“What punisher such as myself can tolerate such rough, inappropriate words from proud people bewildered by their power as if intoxicated with wine. Let others tolerate, but not me.”

With the tip of his plow, which had increased in size by his desire, pulling up the city by digging at the base of the southern wall, he began dragging it with force towards the water. Why? To throw it in the Ganga. He ordered the Ganga, “Except for Samba, kill everyone by attacking the whole city except Samba with water.” This was to fulfill his previous promise that he would rid the earth of the Kauravas. Though the whole city would be submerged, Samba would be safe.

Seeing their city moving about like a boat, and about to fall into the Ganga, the Kauravas became fearful. There is an extra syllable in the first line of verse 43, as there may be nine instead of eight syllables in a line according to the Bhasavrtti. They put Laksmana and Samba in front in order to please Balarama quickly.

You sleep on Sesa, without a second (advitiyah), since there is no one else existing at that time except you in the three worlds.

“The display of anger from you, who maintain sattva guna for maintenance, was only to teach us. What type the anger? That which has as its purpose (tatparah) to maintain respect for rules of conduct. Because you exhibited anger, we are now obedient. Previously we were polluted, and did not see you, being blinded by pride.” Tat parah without the visarga would make the phrase a vocative: “O lord whose object is maintenance of correct behavior!”

In case he says, “I will kill you evil people.” they recite his names. “As you have all powers, you hold the power to kill us or maintain us. As you are inexhaustible, (avyaya) killing us or letting us live is neither loss nor gain. But this universe is a result of your actions, and therefore you should let us live.”

He was pleased by the kauravas, whose city (ayanaiah) was trembling (vepamana).

He gave twelve hundred elephants and a hundred and twenty thousand horses.