Source
Texts:
Lord
Balarâma Slays Rukmî
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Each of the wives of Krishna gave birth to ten
sons no less than their Father in all His personal
opulence.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Each of Lord Krishna's wives gave
birth to ten sons, who were not less than their father,
having all His personal opulence.
Text
2
Never
seeing Acyuta leaving their palaces considered every one of the
princesses herself the one most dear; the women didn't know the
truth about Him.
Because
each of these princesses saw that Lord Acyuta never left her
palace, each thought herself the Lord's favorite. These
women did not understand the full truth about Him.
Text
3
Fully
enchanted by the Supreme Lord His face beautiful as the whorl
of a lotus, His long arms, His eyes and loving glances, witty
approach and charming talks could the women, with their appeal,
not conquer the mind of the One All-powerful.
The
Supreme Lord's wives were fully enchanted by His lovely,
lotuslike face, His long arms and large eyes, His loving
glances imbued with laughter, and His charming talks with
them. But with all their charms these ladies could not
conquer the mind of the all-powerful Lord.
Text
4
In
spite of their romantic signs beamed from their arched brows,
hidden looks and coy smiles, so enchanting displaying their
intentions, were the sixteen thousand wives by their arrows of
Cupid and other means not able to agitate the senses [of
Krishna].
The
arched eyebrows of these sixteen thousand queens
enchantingly expressed those ladies' secret intentions
through coyly smiling sidelong glances. Thus their eyebrows
boldly sent forth conjugal messages. Yet even with these
arrows of Cupid, and with other means as well, they could
not agitate Lord Krishna's senses.
Text
5
These
women this way obtaining as their spouse the Lord of
Ramâ, relating to whom not even Lord Brahmâ and the
other gods know the means to attain, partook eagerly
anticipating for the ever-fresh intimate association with
pleasure, smiles and glances in the incessant and increasing
loving attraction [as in 10:59:
44].
Thus
these women obtained as their husband the master of the
goddess of fortune, although even great demigods like
Brahmâ do not know how to approach Him. With
ever-increasing pleasure, they felt loving attraction for
Him, exchanged smiling glances with Him, eagerly anticipated
associating with Him in ever-fresh intimacy and enjoyed in
many other ways.
Text
6
Though having
hundreds of maidservants were they, [personally]
approaching Him, offering a seat, being of first-class worship,
washing His feet, serving with betelnut, giving massages and
fanning Him, with fragrances, garlands, dressing His hair,
arranging His bed, bathing and presenting gifts to Him, of
service to the Almighty Lord [as
in 10.59:
45]
.
Although
the Supreme Lord's queens each had hundreds of maidservants,
they chose to personally serve the Lord by approaching Him
humbly, offering Him a seat, worshiping Him with excellent
paraphernalia, bathing and massaging His feet, giving Him
pân to chew, fanning Him, anointing Him with fragrant
sandalwood paste, adorning Him with flower garlands,
dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing Him and
presenting Him with various gifts.
Text
7
Of
those [16008 *]
wives of Krishna previously mentioned who each had ten
sons there were
eight principal queens of whom I'll recite their sons headed by
Pradyumna.
Among
Lord Krishna's wives, each of whom had ten sons, I
previously mentioned eight principal queens. I shall now
recite for you the names of those eight queens' sons, headed
by Pradyumna.
Text
8-9:
By the Lord
begotten in Rukminî [see 10.54:
60]
there
were, no way inferior to Him, [with Pradyumna first]
Cârudeshna, Sudeshna and the powerful Cârudeha;
Sucâru, Cârugupta, Bhadracâru and another one
called Cârucandra as well as Vicâru and Câru,
the tenth.
The
first son of Queen Rukminî was there werePradyumna,
and also born of her were Cârudeshna, Sudeshna and the
powerful Cârudeha, along with Sucâru,
Cârugupta, Bhadracâru, Cârucandra,
Vicâru and Câru, the tenth. None of these sons
of Lord Hari was less than his father.
Text
10-12:
The
ten sons of
Sathyabhâmâ
[10.56:
44]
were Bhânu, Subhânu, Svarbhânu,
Prabhânu, Bhânumân, and Candrabhânu; as
also Brihadbhânu, the eight one Atibhânu and
S'rîbhânu and Pratibhânu [bhânu
means lustre, splendor]. Sâmba, Sumitra, Purujit,
S'atajit and Sahasrajit; Vijaya and Citraketu, Vasumân,
Dravida and Kratu were the sons of Jâmbavatî
[10.56:
32].
It were indeed these ones headed by Sâmba that were their
Father's favorites [see also 7.1:
2 &
12].
The
ten sons of Satyabhâmâ were Bhânu,
Subhânu, Svarbhânu, Prabhânu,
Bhânumân, Candrabhânu, Brihadbhânu,
Atibhânu (the eighth), S'rîbhânu and
Pratibhânu. Sâmba, Sumitra, Purujit, S'atajit,
Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasumân, Dravida and
Kratu were the sons of Jâmbavatî. These ten,
headed by Sâmba, were their father's favorites.
Text
13
Vîra,
Candra and As'vasena; Citragu, Vegavân, Vrisha,
Âma, S'anku, Vasu and the opulent Kuntî were the
sons of Nâgnajitî [or Satyâ, see
10.58:
55].
The
sons of Nâgnajitî were Vîra, Candra,
As'vasena, Citragu, Vegavân, Vrisha, Âma,
S'anku, Vasu and the opulent Kunti.
Text
14
S'ruta,
Kavi, Vrisha, Vîra, Subâhu, the one called Bhadra,
S'ânti, Dars'a and Pûrnamâsa were, with
Somaka as the youngest, the sons of Kâlindî
[10.58:
23].
S'ruta,
Kavi, Vrisha, Vîra, Subâhu, Bhadra,
S'ânti, Dars'a and Pûrnamâsa were sons of
Kâlindî. Her youngest son was Somaka.
Text
15
Praghosha,
Gâtravân, Simha, Bala, Prabala, and Ûrdhaga
were with
Mahâs'akti,
Saha, Oja and Aparâjita the
sons of Mâdrâ [see *].
Mâdrâ's
sons were Praghosha, Gâtravân, Simha, Bala,
Prabala, Ûrdhaga, Mahâs'akti, Saha, Oja and
Aparâjita.
Text
16
Vrika,
Harsha, Anila, Gridhra, Vardhana, Unnâda, Mahâmsa,
Pâvana and Vahni were with Kshudhi the sons of
Mitravindâ [10.58:
31].
Mitravindâ's
sons were Vrika, Harsha, Anila, Gridhra, Vardhana,
Unnâda, Mahâmsa, Pâvana, Vahni and
Kshudhi.
Text
17
Sangrâmajit,
Brihatsena, S'ûra, Praharana, Arijit, Jaya and Subhadra
were together with Vâma, Âyur and Satyaka the sons
of Bhadrâ [10.58:
56].
Sangrâmajit,
Brihatsena, S'ûra, Praharana, Arijit, Jaya and
Subhadra were the sons of Bhadrâ, together with
Vâma, Âyur and Satyaka.
Text
18
Dîptimân,
Tâmratapta and others were the sons of Lord Krishna and
Rohinî [*].
O King, from Pradyumna was, as He was living in the city of
Bhojakatha [Rukmî's domain] then, begotten in
Rukmavatî, the daughter of Rukmî, the greatly
powerful Aniruddha born [see also 4.24:
35-36].
Dîptimân,
Tâmratapta and others were the sons of Lord Krishna
and Rohinî. Lord Krishna's son Pradyumna fathered the
greatly powerful Aniruddha in the womb of Rukmavatî,
the daughter of Rukmî. O King, this took place while
they were living in the city of Bhojakatha.
Text
19
Of these sons
and grandsons were born tens of millions, o King, as the
mothers of the descendants of Krishna numbered sixteen
thousand.'
My
dear King, the sons and grandsons of Lord Krishna's children
numbered in the tens of millions. Sixteen thousand mothers
gave rise to this dynasty.
Text
20
The king said:
'How could Rukmî give his daughter to the son of his
Enemy in marriage? Defeated by Krishna in battle awaited he the
opportunity to kill Him. Please explain to me, o learned one,
how this marriage between the two enemies could be
arranged.
King
Parîkchit said: How could Rukmî give his
daughter to his enemy's son? After all, Rukmî had been
defeated by Lord Krishna in battle and was waiting for an
opportunity to kill Him. Please explain this to me, O
learned one - how these two inimical parties became united
through marriage.
Text
21
Yogis
[like you] are perfectly able to see the past, the
present, as well as what has not happened yet; things far away,
things blocked by obstacles and things beyond the
senses.'
Mystic
yogîs can perfectly see that which has not yet
happened, as well as things in the past or present, beyond
the senses, remote or blocked by physical obstacles.
Text
22
S'rî
S'uka said: 'At her svayamvara ceremony did she
[Rukmavatî] choose the Cupid manifest [that
was Pradyumna] who with a single chariot in battle
defeating the kings assembled took her away.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: At her svayam-vara
ceremony, Rukmavatî herself chose Pradyumna, who was
the re-embodiment of Cupid. Then, although He fought alone
on a single chariot, Pradyumna defeated the assembled kings
in battle and took her away.
Text
23
Rukmî,
even though always remembering the enmity with Krishna who had
insulted him [10.54:
35],
granted, to do his sister a favor, his daughter the son of his
sister.
Though
Rukmî always remembered his enmity toward Lord
Krishna, who had insulted him, in order to please his sister
he sanctioned his daughter's marriage to his nephew.
Text
24
The
young large-eyed daughter of Rukminî,
Cârumatî, married, so is said, o King, the son of
Kritavarmâ named Balî.
O
King, Balî, the son of Kritavarmâ, married
Rukminî's young daughter, large- eyed
Cârumatî.
Text
25
Rukmî,
despite of his being bound in enmity to the Lord, gave to his
daughter's son, Aniruddha, his granddaughter named
Rocanâ; aware that the marriage was against the dharma
[of not siding as such with the enemy], wished he,
constrained by the ropes of affection, to please his sister
with that marriage.
Rukmî
gave his granddaughter Rocanâ to his daughter's son,
Aniruddha, despite Rukmî's relentless feud with Lord
Hari. Although Rukmî considered this marriage
irreligious, he wanted to please his sister, bound as he was
by the ropes of affection.
Text
26
To the occasion
of that happy event, o King, went Rukminî, Balarâma
and Kes'ava [Krishna], Sâmba, Pradyumna and
others, to the city of Bhojakatha.
On
the joyous occasion of that marriage, O King, Queen
Rukminî, Lord Balarâma, Lord Krishna and several
of the Lord's sons, headed by Sâmba and Pradyumna,
went to the city of Bhojakatha.
Text
27-28
When the
marriage was over spoke some arrogant kings led by the ruler of
Kalinga to Rukmî: 'You should defeat Balarâma with
a game of dice. Indeed not so good at it is He, o King,
nevertheless greatly fascinated by it', thus they said and so
inviting Balarâma played Rukmî a game of dice with
Him.
After
the wedding, a group of arrogant kings headed by the King of
Kalinga told Rukmî, "You should defeat Balarâma
at dice. He's not expert at dice, O King, but still He's
quite addicted to it." Thus advised, Rukmî challenged
Balarâma and began a gambling match with Him.
Text
29
In
that match accepting a wager of first a hundred, then a
thousand and then a ten thousand [gold coins] was it
Rukmî though who won, whereupon the king of Kalinga
loudly laughed at Balarâma baring his teeth freely. This
could the Carrier of the Plow not forgive him.
In
that match Lord Balarâma first accepted a wager of one
hundred coins, then one thousand, then ten thousand.
Rukmî won this first round, and the King of Kalinga
laughed loudly at Lord Balarâma, showing all his
teeth. Lord Balarâma could not tolerate this.
Text
30
Rukmî
next accepted a bet of a hundred thousand which then by
Balarâma was won, but Rukmî, resorting to
deception, said 'I've won!'
Next
Rukmî accepted a bet of one hundred thousand coins,
which Lord Balarâma won. But Rukmî tried to
cheat, declaring "I'm the winner!"
Text
31
With
a mind boiling like the ocean on the day of a full moon
accepted the handsome Balarâma, whose naturally reddish
eyes were burning with anger, a wager of a hundred
million.
Shaking
with anger like the ocean on the full-moon day, handsome
Lord Balarâma, His naturally reddish eyes even redder
in His fury, accepted a wager of one hundred million gold
coins.
Text
32
Balarâma
fairly won that game also but Rukmî again resorting to
deceit said: 'It's won by me. May these witnesses confirm
that!'.
Lord
Balarâma fairly won this wager also, but Rukmî
again resorted to cheating and declared, "I have won! Let
these witnesses here say what they saw."
Text
33
Then
a voice spoke from the sky: 'It indeed was Balarâma who
won the wager, the words Rukmî spoke are a blunt
lie!'
Just
then a voice from the sky declared, "Balarâma has
fairly won this wager. Rukmî is surely lying."
Text
34
Discarding
that voice did the prince of Vidarbha, urged on by the wicked
kings on a crash course, in ridicule say to
Sankarshana:
Urged
on by the wicked kings, Rukmî ignored the divine
voice. In fact destiny itself was urging Rukmî on, and
thus he ridiculed Lord Balarâma as follows.
Text
35
'You cowherds
indeed are good at roaming in the forest, not at playing dice;
to sport with dice and arrows is for kings, not for the likes
of you!'
[Rukmî
said:] You cowherds who wander about the forests know
nothing about dice. Playing with dice and sporting with
arrows are only for kings, not for the likes of You.
Text
36
This
way in the auspicious assembly [of the marriage], by
Rukmî insulted, being the laughingstock of the kings
present raised He angered His club and struck He him
dead.
Thus
insulted by Rukmî and ridiculed by the kings, Lord
Balarâma was provoked to anger. In the midst of the
auspicious wedding assembly, He raised His club and struck
Rukmî dead.
Text
37
Quickly seizing
the king of Kalinga in his tenth step, knocked He in rage out
the teeth of him who laughing had bared his teeth
[see also 4.5:
21].
The
King of Kalinga, who had laughed at Lord Balarâma and
shown his teeth, tried to run away, but the furious Lord
quickly seized him on his tenth step and knocked out all his
teeth.
Text
38
Other
kings tormented by Balarâma's club got their arms, legs
and heads broken and fled drenched in blood
terrified.
Tormented
by Lord Balarâma's club, the other kings fled in fear,
their arms, thighs and heads broken and their bodies
drenched in blood.
Text
39
With
his brother-in-law, Rukmî, slain, o King, did the Lord,
afraid to break the bond of affection with Rukminî and
Balarâma, neither applaud nor protest.
When
His brother-in-law Rukmî was slain, Lord Krishna
neither applauded nor protested, O King, for He feared
jeopardizing His affectionate ties with either Rukminî
or Balarâma.
Text
40
Then,
headed by Râma, placed the descendants of Das'ârha
the groom together with His bride on His chariot and set they,
of whom under the shelter of Madhusûdana all purposes had
been fulfilled, off from Bhojakatha to Kus'asthalî
[another name of Dvârakâ].
Then
the descendants of Das'ârha, headed by Lord
Balarâma, seated Aniruddha and His bride on a fine
chariot and set off from Bhojakatha for Dvârakâ.
Having taken shelter of Lord Madhusûdana, they had
fulfilled all their purposes.
*
This one called Mâdrâ is the eighth principal wife
of Krishna not mentioned before; she is the daughter of the
ruler of Madra, called Brihatsena, and also known as
Lakshmanâ. From the Bhâgavatam knowing her story as
told in 10.83:
17,
is it clear that she belonged to the eight queens He married
before. Thus there were the 16008 of them. Rohinî
[not to confuse with Balarâma's mother who has the
same name], not to be considered as a principal wife, seems
to have been the one heading the sixteen thousand princesses.
So taking Mâdrâ as the cause for speaking of 16001
wives in stead of 16000, do we in sum have: 1 Rukminî, 2
Jâmbavatî, 3 Satyabhâmâ, 4
Kâlindî, 5 Mitravindâ, 6
Satyâ (Nagnajitî), 7 Bhadrâ and 8
Mâdrâ (Lakshmanâ) and then the sixteen
thousand headed by Rohinî who came second [see also
footnote 10.59**
and the list of them in 10.83].
