Canto Ten / CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Rukminī’s Message to Lord Krishna

There are several significant words in this verse. A standard Sanskrit dictionary gives the following English meanings for the word kshullaka: “little, small, low, vile, poor, indigent, wicked, malicious, abandoned, hard, pained, distressed.” These are the symptoms of the Age of Kali, and all these qualities are said here to apply to men, animals, plants and trees in this age. We who are enamored of ourselves and our environment can perhaps imagine the superior beauty and living conditions available to people in former ages.

The last line of this text, jagāma diśam uttarām — “He went toward the north” — can be understood as follows. By traveling north in India, one comes to the world’s highest mountains, the Himālayan range. There one can still find many beautiful peaks and valleys, where there are quiet hermitages suitable for austerity and meditation. Thus in Vedic culture “going to the north” indicates renouncing the comforts of ordinary society and going to the Himālayan Mountains to practice serious austerities for spiritual advancement.

The name Gandhamādana indicates a place of delightful fragrances. Undoubtedly Gandhamādana was filled with the aroma of wild flowers and forest honey, and with other natural scents.

It is clear from this verse that Kālayavana alone pursued Lord Krishna into the mountain cave. When Krishna returned to the besieged city of Mathurā, He eliminated the vast barbarian army.

Clearly we are observing one of the Supreme Lord’s transcendental pastimes. Although the Bhāgavatam states that the two Lords, Krishna and Balarāma, were “exhausted,” even in Their so-called exhausted state They were able to quickly climb a high mountain and shortly thereafter jump off it to the ground. It would be unwise and illogical to ignore the whole picture the sages are giving us here and instead try to pick apart isolated descriptions. Clearly we are watching the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the midst of His spiritual pastimes; we are not observing an ordinary human being. Lord Krishna and Lord Balarāma were still quite young men when this pastime took place, and one can easily see in these descriptions how They must have been enjoying Themselves, eagerly fleeing from the somewhat ridiculous King Jarāsandha, racing up a mountain, jumping off and totally befuddling the constantly failing demon, who somehow or other never lost confidence in himself. Seen without envy or quarrelsomeness, the Lord’s pastimes are immensely entertaining.

Eleven yojanas is approximately ninety miles.

The topic of Lord Krishna’s marriage to Rukminī will now be discussed. By way of introduction, a brief mention is made of His brother Baladeva’s marriage. This marriage was alluded to in the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam, Third Chapter, texts 33-36.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī gives the following profound comments on these two verses: The words śriyo mātrām indicate that beautiful Rukminī is a direct expansion of the eternal goddess of fortune. Therefore she is worthy to be the bride of the Personality of Godhead. As stated in the Brahma-samhitā (5.56), śriyah kāntā kāntah parama-purushah: “In the spiritual world, all the female lovers are goddesses of fortune and the male lover is the Supreme Personality.” Thus, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains, Śrīmatī Rukminī-devī is a plenary portion of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. The Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāna states, kaiśore gopa-kanyās tā yauvane rāja-kanyakāh: “In childhood, Śrī Krishna enjoyed with the daughters of cowherd men, and in His adolescence He enjoyed with the daughters of kings.” Similarly, in the Skanda Purāna we find this statement: rukminī dvāravatyām tu rādhā vrindāvane vane. “Rukminī is in Dvārakā what Rādhā is in the forest of Vrindāvana.”

The term svayamvare here means “by one’s own choice.” Although the word often refers to a formal Vedic ceremony in which an aristocratic girl may select her own husband, here it indicates the informal and indeed unprecedented events surrounding Krishna’s marriage to Rukminī. In fact, Śrī Krishna and Śrīmatī Rukminī chose each other because of their eternal, transcendental love.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes the following smriti statement: rākshaso yuddha-haranāt. “A Rākshasa marriage takes place when the bride is stolen from one’s rival suitors by force.” Similarly, Śukadeva Gosvāmī himself has already said, rājñah pramathya: Krishna had to beat down opposing kings to take Rukminī.

We should not think that Śrī Krishna was actually afraid of Jarāsandha. In the very next chapter we will find that Śrī Krishna easily defeats Jarāsandha and his soldiers. Thus we should never doubt the supreme prowess of Lord Krishna.

The word sadriśam indicates that Rukminī and Śrī Krishna had similar qualities and thus were naturally attracted to each other. King Bhīshmaka was a pious man, and therefore many spiritually advanced persons must have visited his palace. Undoubtedly these saintly persons preached openly about the glories of Śrī Krishna.

Just as Lord Krishna was described as sadriśam patim, an ideal husband for Rukminī, being just like her, Rukminī is described as sadriśīm bhāryām, an ideal wife for Śrī Krishna, being just like Him. That is natural, since Śrīmatī Rukminī is Lord Krishna’s internal potency.

Rukmī abused his position as elder brother and acted with impure motives. He would only suffer for his decision.

Here we have translated the word dharma as “religious practice,” although this does not fully convey the Sanskrit sense of the word. Krishna did not appear within a secular society. The people in Vedic times could hardly imagine a society that did not understand the need to obey God’s law. Thus to them the word dharma conveyed a sense of duty in general, higher principles, prescribed duty and so on. It was automatically understood that such duties were within a religious context. But religion in those days was not a specific aspect or department of life, but rather a guiding light for all activities. Irreligious life was considered demoniac, and God’s hand was seen in everything.

Those who are unsatisfied feel distress throughout their body, becoming subject to many diseases. A satisfied brāhmana, however, though he may possess nothing, is peaceful and calm, and there is no distress within his body or mind.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that sva-lābha also means “achieving one’s self,” or, in other words, self-realization. Thus an advanced brāhmana is always satisfied with his spiritual understanding, never depending on material formalities or facilities.

The word grihīta may be translated as “grasped or caught,” and thus, exactly as in English, may also mean “to perceive or understand something.” Therefore Lord Krishna’s transcendental body is perceived, understood, or in other words, grasped by the devotees when the Lord comes to exhibit His transcendental pastimes. These pastimes are not whimsical, but are a part of the complex program, structured and executed by the Lord Himself, for awakening the conditioned souls to their natural love and devotion for Him and bringing them back to Godhead.

Rukminī was a king’s daughter, courageous and bold, and furthermore she would rather die than lose Krishna. Considering all this, she wrote a frank, explicit letter, begging Krishna to come and take her away.

The ācāryas comment as follows on this verse: “Rukminī felt that no one could obtain Lord Krishna by the efforts of a single lifetime. Therefore she earnestly pointed out the pious activities she had performed in that life and previous lives, hoping to convince Śrī Krishna to come.”

As Śrīla Prabhupāda points out in Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Rukminī, being born of royal blood, certainly had a brilliant grasp of political affairs. She advised Śrī Krishna to enter the city alone and unnoticed and then surround Himself with His military commanders so He could do what was needed. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares the coming fight to the Lord’s churning of the ocean to extract the goddess Lakshmī. Gorgeous Rukminī, the goddess of fortune, would be gained in the coming turbulence.

Clever Rukminī anticipated a possible objection on the part of Śrī Krishna. He certainly would not object to subduing rascals like Śiśupāla and Jarāsandha, but He might be reluctant to injure or kill Rukminī’s relatives, some of whom might block His way to the palace’s inner sanctum, where the women were protected. The procession to or from the temple of Girijā (Durgā) would provide the perfect opportunity for Krishna to kidnap Rukminī without harming her relatives.

The divine Rukminī’s extraordinary dedication to Śrī Krishna is possible only on the spiritual platform, not in the fragile world of mundane affection.

When the brāhmana arrived, he broke the seal of a confidential letter written in the privacy of Rukminī’s quarters and meant only for Lord Krishna. By using the term guhya-sandeśāh, the trustworthy brāhmana, personally selected by Rukminī, here affirms that he has not violated the confidentiality of this message. Only Lord Krishna has heard it. Since the marriage of Rukminī was fast approaching, Śrī Krishna would have to act immediately. The term yadu-deva indicates that Lord Krishna, as the Lord of the powerful Yadu dynasty, should make His decision and then mobilize His followers if necessary.