| Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 53: Krsna Kidnaps Rukmini |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.53.51-55
tam deva-mayam iva dhira-mohinim
su-madhyamam kundala-manditananam
syamam nitambarpita-ratna-mekhalam
vyanjat-stanim kuntala-sankiteksanam
suci-smitam bimba-phaladhara-dyuti-
sonayamana-dvija-kunda-kudmalam
pada calantim kala-hamsa-gaminim
sinjat-kala-nupura-dhama-sobhina
yasasvinas tat-krta-hrc-chayarditah
yam viksya te nrpatayas tad udara-hasa-
vridavaloka-hrta-cetasa ujjhitastrah
petuh ksitau gaja-rathasva-gata vimudha
yatra-cchalena haraye 'rpayatim sva-sobham
saivam sanais calayati cala-padma-kosau
praptim tada bhagavatah prasamiksamana
utsarya vama-karajair alakan apangaih
praptan hriyaiksata nrpan dadrse 'cyutam ca
tam raja-kanyam ratham aruraksatim
jahara krsno dvisatam samiksatam
SYNONYMS
tam -- her; deva -- of the Supreme Lord; mayam -- the illusory potency; iva -- as if; dhira -- even those who are sober; mohinim -- who bewilders; su-madhyamam -- whose waist was well-formed; kundala -- with earrings; mandita -- decorated; ananam -- whose face; syamam -- uncontaminated beauty; nitamba -- on whose hips; arpita -- placed; ratna -- jewel-studded; mekhalam -- a belt; vyanjat -- budding; stanim -- whose breasts; kuntala -- of the locks of her hair; sankita -- frightened; iksanam -- whose eyes; suci -- pure; smitam -- with a smile; bimba-phala -- like a bimba fruit; adhara -- of whose lips; dyuti -- by the glow; sonayamana -- becoming reddened; dvija -- whose teeth; kunda -- jasmine; kudmalam -- like buds; pada -- with her feet; calantim -- walking; kala-hamsa -- like that of a royal swan; gaminim -- whose gait; sinjat -- tinkling; kala -- skillfully fashioned; nupura -- of whose ankle bells; dhama -- by the effulgence; sobhina -- beautified; vilokya -- seeing; virah -- the heroes; mumuhuh -- became bewildered; samagatah -- assembled; yasasvinah -- respectable; tat -- by this; krta -- generated; hrt-saya -- by the lust; arditah -- distressed; yam -- whom; viksya -- upon seeing; te -- these; nr-patayah -- kings; tat -- her; udara -- broad; hasa -- by the smiles; vrida -- of shyness; avaloka -- and the glances; hrta -- stolen; cetasah -- whose minds; ujjhita -- dropping; astrah -- their weapons; petuh -- they fell; ksitau -- to the ground; gaja -- on elephants; ratha -- chariots; asva -- and horses; gatah -- sitting; vimudhah -- fainting; yatra -- of the procession; chalena -- on the pretext; haraye -- to Lord Hari, Krsna; arpayatim -- who was offering; sva -- her own; sobham -- beauty; sa -- she; evam -- thus; sanaih -- slowly; calayati -- making walk; cala -- moving; padma -- of lotus flowers; kosau -- the two whorls (that is, her feet); praptim -- the arrival; tada -- then; bhagavatah -- of the Supreme Lord; prasamiksamana -- eagerly awaiting; utsarya -- pushing away; vama -- left; kara-jaih -- with the nails of her hand; alakan -- her hair; apangaih -- with sidelong glances; praptan -- those present; hriya -- with shyness; aiksata -- she looked; nrpan -- at the kings; dadrse -- she saw; acyutam -- Krsna; ca -- and; tam -- her; raja-kanyam -- the King's daughter; ratham -- His chariot; aruruksatim -- who was ready to mount; jahara -- seized; krsnah -- Lord Krsna; dvisatam -- His enemies; samiksatam -- as they looked on.
TRANSLATION
Rukmini appeared as enchanting as the Lord's illusory potency, who enchants even the sober and grave. Thus the kings gazed upon her virgin beauty, her shapely waist, and her lovely face adorned with earrings. Her hips were graced with a jewel-studded belt, her breasts were just budding, and her eyes seemed apprehensive of her encroaching locks of hair. She smiled sweetly, her jasmine-bud teeth reflecting the glow of her bimba-red lips. As she walked with the motions of a royal swan, the effulgence of her tinkling ankle bells beautified her feet. Seeing her, the assembled heroes were totally bewildered. Lust tore at their hearts. Indeed, when the kings saw her broad smile and shy glance, they became stupefied, dropped their weapons and fell unconscious to the ground from their elephants, chariots and horses. On the pretext of the procession, Rukmini displayed her beauty for Krsna alone. Slowly she advanced the two moving lotus-whorls of her feet, awaiting the arrival of the Supreme Lord. With the fingernails of her left hand she pushed some strands of hair away from her face and shyly looked from the corners of her eyes at the kings standing before her. At that moment she saw Krsna. Then, while His enemies looked on, the Lord seized the princess, who was eager to mount His chariot.
PURPORT
According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, Rukmini was anxious that her locks of hair might impede her vision, since she was most eager to see her beloved Krsna. The nondevotees, or demons, are bewildered at seeing the opulences of the Lord and think that His potency is meant for their gross sense gratification. But Rukmini, an expansion of Krsna's internal pleasure potency, was meant for the Lord alone.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti quotes the following verse to describe the kind of woman known as syama:
"A woman is called syama when her breasts are very firm and when someone in her presence feels warm in the winter and cool in the summer."
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti further points out that since the beautiful form of Rukmini is a manifestation of the Lord's internal energy, the nondevotees cannot perceive her. Thus the heroic kings assembled in Vidarbha were agitated with lust upon seeing the Lord's illusory potency, an expansion of Rukmini. In other words, no one can lust after the Lord's eternal consort, since as soon as one's mind is contaminated with lust, the covering of Maya separates one from the pristine beauty of the spiritual world and its inhabitants.
Finally, Srimati Rukmini-devi felt shy as she looked from the corners of her eyes at the other kings, for she did not want to meet the glances of those inferior men.
Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari