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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 10 · Chapter 54: The Marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī

10.54.34 10.54.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.54.35

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.54.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

चैलेन बद्ध्वा तमसाधुकारीणं

सश्मश्रुकेशं प्रवपन् व्यरूपयत् ।

तावन्ममर्दु: परसैन्यमद्भ‍ुतं

यदुप्रवीरा नलिनीं यथा गजा: ॥ ३५ ॥

cailena baddhvā tam asādhu-kārīṇaṁ

sa-śmaśru-keśaṁ pravapan vyarūpayat

tāvan mamarduḥ para-sainyam adbhutaṁ

yadu-pravīrā nalinīṁ yathā gajāḥ

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa tied up the evil-doer with a strip of cloth. He then proceeded to disfigure Rukmī 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.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rukmī’s Defeat and Humiliation

1
Lord Kṛṣṇa tied the evil-doer Rukmī with a strip of cloth.
2
Using His same sharp sword, Kṛṣṇa gave Rukmī a peculiar haircut, leaving parts of his mustache and hair.
3
Meanwhile, the Yadu heroes crushed the extraordinary opposing army as elephants crush a lotus flower.

Key points from the purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa used His same sharp sword to give the wicked Rukmī a peculiar haircut.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Yearning and danger → Marriage and reciprocity. A wider range of divine relationships appears.

Chapters 50–59 of Canto 10: Dvārakā, Rukmiṇī and royal rescues. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 54: The Marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Lord Kṛṣṇa did not kill Rukmī, but with His sword He shaved off bits of Rukmī’s hair here and there, leaving him disfigured. Just then Lord Baladeva appeared on the scene with the Yādava army.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.54