SB 10.61.20 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीराजोवाच कथं रुक्‍म्यरीपुत्राय प्रादाद् दुहितरं युधि । कृष्णेन परिभूतस्तं हन्तुं रन्ध्रं प्रतीक्षते । एतदाख्याहि मे विद्वन् द्विषोर्वैवाहिकं मिथ: ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

śrī-rājovāca kathaṁ rukmy arī-putrāya prādād duhitaraṁ yudhi kṛṣṇena paribhūtas taṁ hantuṁ randhraṁ pratīkṣate etad ākhyāhi me vidvan dviṣor vaivāhikaṁ mithaḥ

Synonyms

śrī — rājā uvāca — the King said ; katham — how ; rukmī — Rukmī ; ari — of his enemy ; putrāya — to the son ; prādāt — gave ; duhitaram — his daughter ; yudhi — in battle ; kṛṣṇena — by Kṛṣṇa ; paribhūtaḥ — defeated ; tam — Him (Lord Kṛṣṇa) ; hantum — to kill ; randhram — the opportunity ; pratīkṣate — he was waiting for ; etat — this ; ākhyāhi — please explain ; me — to me ; vidvan — O learned one ; dviṣoḥ — of the two enemies ; vaivāhikam — the marital arrangement ; mithaḥ — between them .

Translation

King Parīkṣit said: How could Rukmī give his daughter to his enemy’s son? After all, Rukmī had been defeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in battle and was waiting for an opportunity to kill Him. Please explain this to me, O learned one — how these two inimical parties became united through marriage.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

King Parīkṣit said: How could Rukmī give his daughter to his enemy's son? After all, Rukmī had been defeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in battle and was waiting for an opportunity to kill Him. Please explain this to me, O learned one—how these two inimical parties became united through marriage. KB 10.61.20 Rukmī, the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa’s first wife, Rukmiṇī, was greatly harassed and insulted in his fight with Kṛṣṇa, but on the request of Rukmiṇī his life was spared. Since then Rukmī held a great grudge against Kṛṣṇa and was always inimical toward Him. Nevertheless, his daughter married Kṛṣṇa’s son, and his granddaughter married Kṛṣṇa’s grandson Aniruddha. This fact appeared a little astonishing to Mahārāja Parīkṣit when he heard it from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and the King addressed him as follows: “I am surprised that Rukmī and Kṛṣṇa, who were so greatly inimical to one another, could again be united by marital relationships between their descendants.” Parīkṣit Mahārāja was curious about the mystery of this incident, and therefore he inquired further from Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

What was the cause of marriage (vaivahikam) between mutual enemies?

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

How did Rukmī give his daughter to the son of his enemy? He was defeated by Kṛṣṇa. He was waiting or searching for an opportunity to kill Kṛṣṇa. O learned Śukadeva! You know the truth.