cailena -- with a strip of cloth; baddhva -- tying up; tam -- him; asadhu-karinam -- the evil-doer; sa-smasru-kesam -- leaving some of his mustache and hair remaining; pravapan -- by shaving him; vyarupayat -- made him disfigured; tavat -- by then; mamarduh -- they had crushed; para -- opposing; sainyam -- the army; adbhutam -- extraordinary; yadu-pravirah -- the heroes of the Yadu dynasty; nalinim -- a lotus flower; yatha -- as; gajah -- elephants.

Lord Krishna tied up the evil-doer with a strip of cloth. He then proceeded to disfigure Rukmi by comically shaving him, leaving parts of his mustache and hair. By that time the Yadu heroes had crushed the extraordinary army of their opponents, just as elephants crush a lotus flower.