CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
After hearing RukmiášÄŤâs statement, Lord KášášŁáša was very much pleased. He immediately shook hands with the brÄhmaáša and said, âMy dear brÄhmaáša, I am very glad to hear that RukmiášÄŤ is eager to marry Me, since I am also eager to get her hand. My mind is always absorbed in thoughts of the daughter of BhÄŤmaka, and sometimes I cannot sleep at night because I am thinking of her. I can understand that the marriage of RukmiášÄŤ with ĹiĹupÄla has been arranged by her elder brother in a spirit of animosity toward Me; so I am determined to give a good lesson to all of these princes. Just as one extracts and uses fire after manipulating ordinary wood, after dealing with these demoniac princes I shall bring forth RukmiášÄŤ, like fire, from their midst.â
KášášŁáša, upon being informed of the specific date of RukmiášÄŤâs marriage, was anxious to leave immediately. He asked His driver, DÄruka, to harness the horses for His chariot and prepare to go to the kingdom of Vidarbha. After hearing this order, the driver brought KášášŁášaâs four special horses. The names and descriptions of these horses are mentioned in the Padma PurÄáša. The first one, Ĺaibya, was greenish; the second, SugrÄŤva, was grayish like ice; the third, Meghapuᚣpa, was the color of a new cloud; and the last, BalÄhaka, was of ashen color. When the horses were yoked and the chariot was ready to go, KášášŁáša helped the brÄhmaáša up and gave him a seat by His side. Immediately they started from DvÄrakÄ and within one night arrived at the province of Vidarbha. The kingdom of DvÄrakÄ is situated in the western part of India, and Vidarbha is situated in the northern part. They are separated by a distance of not less than one thousand miles, but the horses were so fast that they reached their destination, a town called Kuášá¸ina, within one night or, at most, twelve hours.
King Bhčᚣmaka was not enthusiastic about handing his daughter over to ĹiĹupÄla, but he was obliged to accept the marriage settlement due to his affectionate attachment for his eldest son, who had negotiated it. As a matter of duty, the King was decorating the city for the marriage ceremony and acting in great earnestness to make it very successful. Water was sprinkled all over the streets, and the city was cleansed very nicely. Since India is situated in the tropical zone, the atmosphere is always dry. Dust always accumulates on the streets and roads, so they must be sprinkled with water at least once a day, and in big cities like Calcutta twice a day. The roads of Kuášá¸ina were arrayed with colored flags and festoons, and gates were constructed at particular crossings. The whole city was decorated very nicely. The beauty of the city was enhanced by the inhabitants, both men and women, who were dressed in fresh, washed clothes and decorated with sandalwood pulp, pearl necklaces and flower garlands. Incense burned everywhere, and fragrances like aguru scented the air. Priests and brÄhmaášas were sumptuously fed and, according to ritualistic ceremony, were given sufficient wealth and cows in charity. In this way, they were engaged in chanting Vedic hymns. The Kingâs daughter, RukmiášÄŤ, was exquisitely beautiful. She was very clean and had beautiful teeth. The auspicious sacred thread was tied on her wrist. She was given various types of jewelry to wear and long silken cloth to cover the upper and lower parts of her body. Learned priests gave her protection by chanting mantras from the SÄma Veda, ášg Veda and Yajur Veda. Then they chanted mantras from the Atharva Veda and offered oblations in the fire to pacify the influence of different stars.
King Bhčᚣmaka was experienced in dealing with brÄhmaášas and priests when such ceremonies were held. He specifically honored the brÄhmaášas by giving them large quantities of gold and silver, grain mixed with molasses, and cows decorated with cloth and ornaments. Damaghoᚣa, ĹiĹupÄlaâs father, executed all kinds of ritualistic performances to invoke good fortune for his son. ĹiĹupÄlaâs father was known as Damaghoᚣa due to his superior ability to cut down unregulated citizens. Dama means curbing down, and ghoᚣa means famous; so he was famous for controlling the citizens. Damaghoᚣa thought that if KášášŁáša came to disturb the marriage ceremony, he would certainly cut Him down with his military power. Therefore, after performing the various auspicious ceremonies, Damaghoᚣa gathered his military divisions. He took many elephants garlanded with golden necklaces, and many similarly decorated chariots and horses. It appeared that Damaghoᚣa, along with his son and other companions, was going to Kuášá¸ina not exactly to get ĹiĹupÄla married but mainly to fight.
When King Bhčᚣmaka learned that Damaghoᚣa and his party were arriving, he left the city to receive them. Outside the city gate were many gardens where guests were welcome to stay. In the Vedic system of marriage, the brideâs father receives the large party of the bridegroom and accommodates them in a suitable place for two or three days until the marriage ceremony is performed. The party led by Damaghoᚣa contained thousands of men, among whom the prominent kings and personalities were JarÄsandha, Dantavakra, VidĹŤratha and Pauášá¸raka. It was an open secret that RukmiášÄŤ was meant to be married to KášášŁáša but that her elder brother RukmÄŤ had arranged her marriage to ĹiĹupÄla. There was also some whispering about a rumor that RukmiášÄŤ had sent a messenger to KášášŁáša; therefore the soldiers suspected that KášášŁáša might cause a disturbance by attempting to kidnap RukmiášÄŤ. Even though they were not without fear, they were all prepared to give KášášŁáša a good fight to prevent the girl from being taken away. ĹrÄŤ BalarÄma received the news that KášášŁáša had left for Kuášá¸ina accompanied only by a brÄhmaáša and that ĹiĹupÄla was there with a large number of soldiers. BalarÄma suspected that they would attack KášášŁáša, and thus out of great affection for His brother He took strong military divisions of chariots, infantry, horses and elephants and went to the precincts of Kuášá¸ina.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, RukmiášÄŤ was expecting KášášŁáša to arrive, but when neither He nor the brÄhmaáša who took her message appeared, she was full of anxiety and began to think how unfortunate she was. âThere is only one night between today and my marriage day, and still neither the brÄhmaáša nor ĹyÄmasundara has returned. I cannot ascertain any reason for this.â Having little hope, she thought that perhaps KášášŁáša had found reason to become dissatisfied and had rejected her fair proposal. As a result, the brÄhmaáša might have become disappointed and not come back. Although she was thinking of various causes for the delay, she expected them both at any moment.
RukmiášÄŤ further thought that demigods such as Lord BrahmÄ, Lord Ĺiva and Goddess DurgÄ might have been displeased. It is generally said that the demigods become angry when not properly worshiped. For instance, when Indra found that the inhabitants of VášndÄvana were not worshiping him (KášášŁáša having stopped the Indra-yajĂąa), he became angry and wanted to chastise them. Thus RukmiášÄŤ thought that since she did not worship Lord Ĺiva or Lord BrahmÄ very much, they might have become angry and tried to frustrate her plan. Similarly she thought that Goddess DurgÄ, the wife of Lord Ĺiva, might have taken the side of her husband. Lord Ĺiva is known as Rudra, and his wife is known as RudrÄášÄŤ. RudrÄášÄŤ and Rudra refer to those who are accustomed to putting others in distress to cry forever. RukmiášÄŤ was thinking of Goddess DurgÄ as GirijÄ, the daughter of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan Mountains are very cold and hard, and she thought of Goddess DurgÄ as hardhearted and cold. In her anxiety to see KášášŁáša, RukmiášÄŤ, who was after all still a child, thought this way about the different demigods. The gopÄŤs worshiped goddess KÄtyÄyanÄŤ to get KášášŁáša as their husband; similarly RukmiášÄŤ was thinking of the various types of demigods not for material benefit but in respect to KášášŁáša. Praying to the demigods to achieve the favor of KášášŁáša is not irregular, and RukmiášÄŤ was fully absorbed in thoughts of KášášŁáša.
Even though she pacified herself by thinking that the time for Govinda to arrive had not yet expired, RukmiášÄŤ felt that she was hoping against hope. Not expressing her mind to anyone, she simply shed tears, unobserved by others, and when her tears became more forceful, she closed her eyes in helplessness. While RukmiášÄŤ was in such deep thought, auspicious symptoms appeared in different parts of her body. Trembling began to occur in her left eyelid, arm and thigh. When trembling occurs in these parts of the body, it is an auspicious sign indicating that something lucrative can be expected.
Just then, RukmiášÄŤ, full of anxiety, saw the brÄhmaáša messenger. KášášŁáša, being the Supersoul of all living beings, could understand RukmiášÄŤâs anxiety; therefore He sent the brÄhmaáša inside the palace to let her know that He had arrived. When RukmiášÄŤ saw the brÄhmaáša, she could understand the auspicious trembling of her body and immediately became elated. She smiled and inquired whether KášášŁáša had already come. The brÄhmaáša replied that the son of the Yadu dynasty, ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša, had arrived; he further encouraged her by saying that KášášŁáša had promised to carry her away without fail. RukmiášÄŤ was so elated by the brÄhmaášaâs message that she wanted to give him in charity everything she possessed. However, finding nothing suitable for presentation, she simply offered him her respectful obeisances. The significance of offering respectful obeisances to a superior is that the one offering obeisances is obliged to the respected person. In other words, RukmiášÄŤ implied that she would remain ever grateful to the brÄhmaáša. Anyone who gets the favor of the goddess of fortune, as did this brÄhmaáša, is without a doubt always happy in material opulence.
When King Bhčᚣmaka heard that KášášŁáša and BalarÄma had come, he invited Them to see the marriage ceremony of his daughter. Immediately he arranged to receive Them, along with Their soldiers, in a suitable garden house. As was the Vedic custom, the King offered KášášŁáša and BalarÄma honey and fresh, washed garments. He was hospitable not only to KášášŁáša, BalarÄma and kings such as JarÄsandha but also to many other kings and princes according to their personal strength, age and material possessions. Out of curiosity and eagerness, the people of Kuášá¸ina assembled before KášášŁáša and BalarÄma to drink the nectar of Their beauty. With tearful eyes, they offered KášášŁáša and BalarÄma their silent respects. They were very much pleased, considering Lord KášášŁáša the suitable match for RukmiášÄŤ. They were so eager to unite KášášŁáša and RukmiášÄŤ that they prayed to the Personality of Godhead: âOur dear Lord, if we have performed any pious activities with which You are satisfied, kindly be merciful upon us and accept the hand of RukmiášÄŤ.â It appears that RukmiášÄŤ was a very popular princess, and all the citizens, out of intense love for her, prayed for her best fortune. In the meantime, RukmiášÄŤ, being very nicely dressed and protected by bodyguards, came out of the palace to visit the temple of AmbikÄ, Goddess DurgÄ.
Deity worship in the temple has been in existence since the beginning of Vedic culture. There is a class of men described in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ as veda-vÄda-rata: they believe only in the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies but not in temple worship. Such foolish people may here take note that although this marriage of KášášŁáša and RukmiášÄŤ took place more than five thousand years ago, there were arrangements for temple worship. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ the Lord says, yÄnti deva-vratÄ devÄn: [Bg. 9.25] âThe worshipers of the demigods attain the abodes of the demigods.â There were many people who worshiped the demigods and many who directly worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The system of demigod worship was directed mainly to Lord BrahmÄ, Lord Ĺiva, Lord GaášeĹa, the sun-god and Goddess DurgÄ. Lord Ĺiva and Goddess DurgÄ were worshiped even by the royal families; other, minor demigods were worshiped by silly, lower-class people. As far as the brÄhmaášas and Vaiᚣášavas are concerned, they simply worship Lord Viᚣášu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ the worship of demigods is condemned but not forbidden; there it is clearly stated that less intelligent men worship the demigods for material benefit. On the other hand, even though RukmiášÄŤ was the goddess of fortune, she went to the temple of Goddess DurgÄ because the family deity was worshiped there. In ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam it is stated that as RukmiášÄŤ proceeded toward the temple of Goddess DurgÄ, within her heart she always thought of the lotus feet of KášášŁáša. Therefore when RukmiášÄŤ went to the temple it was not with the intention of an ordinary person, who goes to beg for material benefits; her only goal was KášášŁáša.
As RukmiášÄŤ proceeded toward the temple, she was silent and grave. Her mother and her girlfriends were by her side, and the wife of a brÄhmaáša was in the center; surrounding her were royal bodyguards. (This custom of a would-be brideâs going to the temple of a demigod is still practiced in India.) As the procession continued, various musical sounds were heard. Conchshells, drums such as paášavas, and bugles of different sizes, such as tĹŤryas and bherÄŤs, combined to make a sound which was not only auspicious but very sweet to hear. Thousands of wives of respectable brÄhmaášas were present, all dressed very nicely with suitable ornaments. They presented RukmiášÄŤ with flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and a variety of colorful garments to assist her in worshiping Lord Ĺiva and Goddess DurgÄ. Some of these ladies were very old and knew perfectly well how to chant prayers to Goddess DurgÄ and Lord Ĺiva; so, followed by RukmiášÄŤ and others, they led these prayers before the deity.
RukmiášÄŤ offered her prayers to the deity by saying, âMy dear Goddess DurgÄ, I offer my respectful obeisances unto you as well as to your children.â Goddess DurgÄ has four famous children: two daughtersâthe goddess of fortune, LakᚣmÄŤ, and the goddess of learning, SarasvatÄŤâand two sons, Lord GaášeĹa and Lord KÄrttikeya. They are all considered demigods and goddesses. Since Goddess DurgÄ is always worshiped with her famous children, RukmiášÄŤ specifically offered her respectful obeisances to the deity in that way; however, her prayers were special. Ordinary people pray to Goddess DurgÄ for material wealth, fame, profit, strength and so on; RukmiášÄŤ, however, desired to have KášášŁáša for her husband and therefore prayed that the deity be pleased with her and bless her with that benediction. Since she desired only KášášŁáša, her worship of the demigods is not condemned. While RukmiášÄŤ was praying, she presented a variety of items before the deity, chief of which were water, different kinds of flames, incense, garments, garlands and various foods prepared with ghee, such as purÄŤs and kachoris. She also offered fruits, sugarcane, betel nuts and spices. With great devotion, RukmiášÄŤ offered them to the deity according to the regulative principles, directed by the old brÄhmaáša ladies. After this ritualistic ceremony, the ladies offered the remnants of the food to RukmiášÄŤ as prasÄdam, which she accepted with great respect. Then RukmiÄŤ offered her obeisances to the ladies and to Goddess DurgÄ. After the business of deity worship was finished, RukmiášÄŤ caught hold of the hand of one of her girlfriends in her own hand, which was decorated with a jeweled ring, and left the temple in the company of the others.
All the princes and visitors who came to Kuášá¸ina for the marriage had assembled outside the temple to see RukmiášÄŤ. The princes were especially eager to see her because they all actually thought that they would have RukmiášÄŤ as their wife. Struck with wonder upon seeing RukmiášÄŤ, they thought she was especially manufactured by the Creator to bewilder all the great chivalrous princes. Her body was well constructed, the middle portion being thin. Her high hips were adorned with a jeweled locket, she had pink lips, and the beauty of her face was enhanced by her slightly scattered hair and by different kinds of earrings. The bodily luster and beauty of RukmiášÄŤ appeared as if painted by an artist perfectly presenting beauty following the descriptions of great poets. RukmiášÄŤâs breasts are described as being somewhat high, indicating that she was just a youth not more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Her beauty was specifically intended to attract the attention of KášášŁáša. Although the princes gazed upon her beautiful features, she was not at all proud. Her eyes moved restlessly, and when she smiled very simply, like an innocent girl, her teeth appeared just like jasmine buds. Expecting KášášŁáša to take her away at any moment, she proceeded slowly toward her home. Her legs moved just like a full-grown swan, and her ankle bells tinkled mildly.
The chivalrous princes assembled there were so overwhelmed by RukmiášÄŤâs beauty that they became almost unconscious and fell from their horses and elephants. Full of lust, they hopelessly desired RukmiášÄŤâs hand, comparing their own beauty to hers. ĹrÄŤmatÄŤ RukmiášÄŤ, however, was not interested in any of them; in her heart she was simply expecting KášášŁáša to come and carry her away. As she was adjusting the ornaments on a finger of her left hand, she happened to look upon the princes and suddenly saw that KášášŁáša was present amongst them. Although RukmiášÄŤ had never before seen KášášŁáša, she was always thinking of Him; thus she had no difficulty recognizing Him amongst the princely order. KášášŁáša, unconcerned with the other princes, immediately took the opportunity to place RukmiášÄŤ on His chariot, marked by a flag bearing an image of Garuá¸a. He then proceeded slowly, without fear, taking RukmiášÄŤ away exactly as a lion takes a deer from the midst of jackals. Meanwhile, BalarÄma appeared on the scene with the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty.
JarÄsandha, who had many times experienced defeat by KášášŁáša, roared, âHow is this? KášášŁáša is taking RukmiášÄŤ away from us without opposition! What is the use of our being chivalrous fighters with arrows? My dear princes, just look! We are losing our reputation. He is just like a jackal taking booty from a lion.â
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-third Chapter of KášášŁáša, âKášášŁáša Kidnaps RukmiášÄŤ.â