rāma-patnyaś ca tad-deham
upaguhyāgnim āviśan
vasudeva-patnyas tad-gātraḿ
pradyumnādīn hareḥ snuṣāḥ
kṛṣṇa-patnyo 'viśann agniḿ
rukmiṇy-ādyās tad-ātmikāḥ
rama-patnyah -- the wives of Lord Balarama; ca -- and; tat-deham -- His body; upaguhya -- embracing; agnim -- the fire; avisan -- entered; vasudeva-patnyah -- the wives of Vasudeva; tat-gatram -- his body; pradyumna-adin -- Pradyumna and the others; hareh -- of Lord Hari; snushah -- the daughters-in-law; krishna-patnyah -- the wives of Lord Krishna; avisan -- entered; agnim -- the fire; rukmini-adyah -- led by Queen Rukmini; tat-atmikah -- whose consciousness was completely absorbed in Him.
The wives of Lord Balarama also entered the fire and embraced His body, and Vasudeva's wives entered his fire and embraced his body. The daughters-in-law of Lord Hari entered the funeral fires of their respective husbands, headed by Pradyumna. And Rukmini and the other wives of Lord Krishna -- whose hearts were completely absorbed in Him -- entered His fire.
It is understood that the anguished scene described here is a display of the Lord's illusory potency, adding a final dramatic note to Lord Krishna's pastimes on the earth. In reality, Lord Krishna returned to His eternal abode in His original body, and His eternal associates returned with Him. This final heartbreaking scene of the Lord's pastimes is a creation of the Lord's internal potency that brings the Lord's manifest pastimes to a perfect dramatic end.
