SB 10.61.27 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तस्मिन् निवृत्त उद्वाहे कालिङ्गप्रमुखा नृपा: । द‍ृप्तास्ते रुक्‍मिणं प्रोचुर्बलमक्षैर्विनिर्जय ॥ २७ ॥ अनक्षज्ञो ह्ययं राजन्नपि तद्‌व्यसनं महत् । इत्युक्तो बलमाहूय तेनाक्षैर्रुक्‍म्यदीव्यत ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

tasmin nivṛtta udvāhe kāliṅga-pramukhā nṛpāḥ dṛptās te rukmiṇaṁ procur balam akṣair vinirjaya anakṣa-jṣo hy ayaṁ rājann api tad-vyasanaṁ mahat ity ukto balam āhūya tenākṣair rukmy adīvyata

Synonyms

tasmin — when that ; nivṛtte — was finished ; udvāhe — the marriage ceremony ; kāliṅga — pramukhāḥ — headed by the ruler of Kaliṅga ; nṛpāḥ — kings ; dṛptāḥ — arrogant ; te — they ; rukmiṇam — to Rukmī ; procuḥ — spoke ; balam — Balarāma ; akṣaiḥ — with dice ; vinirjaya — you should defeat ; anakṣa — jṣaḥ — not expert in gambling with dice ; hi — indeed ; ayam — He ; rājan — O King ; api — although ; tat — with that ; vyasanam — His fascination ; mahat — great ; iti — thus ; uktaḥ — addressed ; balam — Lord Balarāma ; āhūya — inviting ; tena — with Him ; akṣaiḥ — at dice ; rukmī — Rukmī ; adīvyata — played .

Translation

After the wedding, a group of arrogant kings headed by the King of Kaliṅga told Rukmī, “You should defeat Balarāma at dice. He’s not expert at dice, O King, but still He’s quite addicted to it.” Thus advised, Rukmī challenged Balarāma and began a gambling match with Him.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

After the wedding, a group of arrogant kings headed by the King of Kaliṅga told Rukmī, "You should defeat Balarāma at dice. He's not expert at dice, O King, but still He's quite addicted to it." Thus advised, Rukmī challenged Balarāma and began a gambling match with Him. KB 10.61.27-28 The King of Kaliṅga was a friend of Rukmī's and gave him the ill advice to play chess with Balarāma and thus defeat Him in a bet. Among kṣatriya kings, gambling on chess was not uncommon. If someone challenged a kṣatriya to play on the chessboard, the kṣatriya could not refuse the challenge. Śrī Balarāmajī was not a very expert chess player, and this was known to the King of Kaliṅga. So Rukmī was advised to retaliate against the family members of Kṛṣṇa by challenging Balarāma to play chess. Although not an expert chess player, Śrī Balarāmajī was very enthusiastic in sporting activities. He accepted Rukmī’s challenge and sat down to play.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Deciding that it would be difficult to defeat Krsna at dice, they told Rukmi to invite Balarama to a game of dice. First the wager was a hundred gold coins, and then a thousand gold coins, then ten thousand gold coins. Balarama became angry within, when Rukmi laughed and showed his teeth.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Hari-vaṁśa describes this: saṁyuktā jñātayaś caiva rukmiṇaḥ suhṛdaś ca ye / āhūtā rukmiṇā te 'pi tatrājagmur narādhipāḥ // Kings who were relatives and friends of Rukmī, called by Rukmī, came there. Defeat him because (hi) he is not expert. They encouraged Rukmī. O king, as a king you know very well the game of dice. te śubhāṁ kāñcana-stambhāṁ kusumair bhūṣitājirām / sabhām āviviśur hṛṣṭāḥ siktāṁ candana-vāriṇā // nikṛtyā taṁ jigīṣanto dākṣiṇātyā narādhipāḥ / maṇimuktāḥ suvarṇaṁ ca tatrāninyuḥ sahasraśaḥ // tataḥ prāvartata dyūtaṁ teṣām arati-nāśanam / kalahāyāspadaṁ ghoraṁ durmatīnāṁ kṣayāvaham // Joyfully they entered the auspicious assembly hall with gold pillars, sprinkled with sandal wood water, decorated with flowers. The southern kings, desiring that Rukmī win over Balarāma and defeat him, brought gems, pearls, and gold pieces by the thousands. The game started, destroying their anxiety. The game was filled with commotion, frightening and destructive to the wicked.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The kings were mostly from the south, and were friends of Rukmī. Hari-vaṁśa describes this: saṁyuktā jñātayaś caiva rukmiṇaḥ suhṛdaś ca ye āhūtā rukmiṇā te 'pi tatrājagmur narādhipāḥ Kings who were relatives and friends of Rukmī, called by Rukmī, came there. The proud kings instigated Rukmī against Balarāma who was very strong (balam). Defeat him decisively (vi) and take away everything (ni). As a king (rājan) you have great knowledge of dice. He has no knowledge. They gambled in the assembly. te śubhāṁ kāñcana-stambhāṁ kusumair bhūṣitājirām / sabhām āviviśur hṛṣṭāḥ siktāṁ candana-vāriṇā // nikṛtyā taṁ jigīṣanto dākṣiṇātyā narādhipāḥ / maṇimuktāḥ suvarṇaṁ ca tatrāninyuḥ sahasraśaḥ // tataḥ prāvartata dyūtaṁ teṣām arati-nāśanam / kalahāyāspadaṁ ghoraṁ durmatīnāṁ kṣayāvaham // Joyfully they entered the auspicious assembly hall with gold pillars, sprinkled with sandal wood water, decorated with flowers. The southern kings, desiring that Rukmī win over Balarāma and defeat him, brought gems, pearls, and gold pieces by the thousands. The game started, destroying their anxiety. The game was filled with commotion, frightening and destructive to the wicked. Hari-vaṁśa