FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.61.40

ततोऽनिरुद्धं सह सूर्यया वरं रथं समारोप्य ययु: कुशस्थलीम् । रामादयो भोजकटाद् दशार्हा: सिद्धाखिलार्था मधुसूदनाश्रया: ॥ ४० ॥
tato ’niruddhaṁ saha sūryayā varaṁ
[tato ’niruddham saha sooryayaa varam]
rathaṁ samāropya yayuḥ kuśasthalīm
[ratham samaaropya yayuh kushasthaleem]
rāmādayo bhojakaṭād daśārhāḥ
[raamaadayo bhojakataad dashaarhaah]
siddhākhilārthā madhusūdanāśrayāḥ
[siddhaakhilaarthaa madhusoodanaashrayaah]
tataḥ — then aniruddham — Aniruddha saha — together with sūryayā — His bride varam — the groom ratham — on His chariot samāropya — placing yayuḥ — they went kuśasthalīm — to Kuśasthalī (Dvārakā) rāma - ādayaḥ — headed by Lord Balarāma bhojakaṭāt — from Bhojakaṭa daśārhāḥ — the descendants of Daśārha siddha — fulfilled akhila — all arthāḥ — whose purposes madhusūdana — of Lord Kṛṣṇa āśrayāḥ — under the shelter .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tato ’niruddhaṁ saha sūryayā varaṁ
tataḥ
then
rathaṁ samāropya yayuḥ kuśasthalīm
rāmādayo bhojakaṭād daśārhāḥ
siddhākhilārthā madhusūdanāśrayāḥ
aniruddham
Aniruddha
saha
together with
sūryayā
His bride
varam
the groom
ratham
on His chariot
samāropya
placing
yayuḥ
they went
kuśasthalīm
to Kuśasthalī (Dvārakā)
rāma - ādayaḥ
headed by Lord Balarāma
bhojakaṭāt
from Bhojakaṭa
daśārhāḥ
the descendants of Daśārha
siddha
fulfilled
akhila
all
arthāḥ
whose purposes
madhusūdana
of Lord Kṛṣṇa
āśrayāḥ
under the shelter .
  • aniruddham — Aniruddha
    Accusative of Aniruddha. The grandson whose marriage occasioned everything — the fourth vyūha now setting out for Dvārakā. His name 'unobstructed' rings as the procession finally leaves Bhojakaṭa without further obstruction, but Canto 10.62 will test that name severely.
  • kuśasthalīm — to Kuśasthalī
    Old name for Dvārakā, 'place of kuśa grass.' Bhāgavata varies the city's names — Dvārakā, Kuśasthalī, Dvāravatī — each carrying different aśraya-flavor. Kuśasthalī recalls the city's pre-Kṛṣṇa antiquity.
  • siddha-akhila-arthāḥ — whose purposes were all fulfilled
    siddha (accomplished) + akhila (entire) + artha (purpose). Bhāgavata-formula for the fruit of bhakti: when one shelters in Bhagavān, all artha is automatic. The verse ends the chapter on this signature note.
  • madhusūdana — Lord Kṛṣṇa, slayer of Madhu
    madhu (the demon, also 'honey') + sūdana (slayer). In Gauḍīya reading, Kṛṣṇa kills the false sweetness of asurika life so that the real madhu — the mādhurya of His own love — can rise. The chapter's closing word is itself a doctrine.
  • āśrayāḥ — under the shelter
    From ā + √śri, 'taking shelter.' The same word as āśraya — the central Gauḍīya category. Rūpa Gosvāmī organises bhakti around āśrayālambana (the devotee who takes shelter) and viṣayālambana (Kṛṣṇa as the shelter). The chapter's last word names the relationship: madhusūdana-āśrayāḥ, sheltered in Madhusūdana.
Then the descendants of Daśārha, headed by Lord Balarāma, seated Aniruddha and His bride on a fine chariot and set off from Bhojakaṭa for Dvārakā. Having taken shelter of Lord Madhusūdana, they had fulfilled all their purposes.

Even though Rukmiṇī was very dear to all the Dāśārhas, her brother Rukmī had constantly opposed and insulted Kṛṣṇa since Rukmiṇī’s wedding. Thus, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains, the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa could hardly lament Rukmī’s sudden demise. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Sixty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Balarāma Slays Rukmī.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Then the descendants of Daśārha, headed by Lord Balarāma, seated Aniruddha and His bride on a fine chariot and set off from Bhojakaṭa for Dvārakā. Having taken shelter of Lord Madhusūdana, they had fulfilled all their purposes.
Commentary

With all their desires fulfilled, they put Aniruddha on a chariot with his new bride (suryaya) and departed for Dvaraka. This includes Rukmini. It should be understood, that though Rukmi had been killed, Rukmini also was satisified within. Her affection for Rukmi was only external. The statement in verse 39 that Krsna was silent, fearing breaking his affectionate ties with Balarama and Rukmini, is based only upon her external affection for Rukmi.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

They placed the couple on the best chariot with music and singing (sam—āropya). For Balarāma particularly (mentioned first), all purposes were fulfilled because everyone approved of the killing of a wicked person and Kṛṣṇa maintained silence. The word Madhusudana (killer of Madhu) indicated for Balarāma that Kṛṣṇa approved of his killing Rukmī. Just as Kṛṣṇa killed Madhu with cleverness because of his receiving a boon, Balarāma cleverly killed Rukmī, while appearing to be unskillful at dice. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Sixty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Balarāma Slays Rukmī." 10.62: The Meeting of Ūṣā and Aniruddha verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18-19, 20, 21, 22, 23-24, 25-26, 27, 28, 29-30, 31, 32, 33 Chapter Summary This chapter recounts the meeting of Aniruddha and Ūṣā, and also Aniruddha's battle with Bāṇāsura. Of the one hundred sons of King Bali, the oldest was Bāṇāsura. He was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, who favored Bāṇa so much that even demigods like Indra would serve him. Bāṇāsura once satisfied Śiva by playing musical instruments with his one thousand hands while Śiva danced his tāṇḍava-nṛtya. In response, Śiva offered Bāṇa whatever benediction he chose, and Bāṇa asked Śiva to become the guardian of his city. One day when Bāṇa was feeling an urge to do battle, he told Lord Śiva: "Except for you, in the whole world there is no warrior strong enough to fight me. Therefore these thousand arms you've given me are merely a heavy burden." Angered by these words, Lord Śiva replied, "Your pride will be crushed in battle when you meet my equal. Indeed, your chariot flag will fall to the ground, broken." Bāṇāsura's daughter, Ūṣā, once had an encounter with a lover in her sleep. Several nights in a row this occurred, until one night she failed to see Him in her dreams. She suddenly awoke, speaking aloud to Him in a state of agitation, but when she noticed her maidservants around her, she felt embarrassed. Ūṣā's companion Citralekhā asked her who she had been addressing, and Ūṣā told her everything. Hearing of Ūṣā's dreamlover, Citralekhā tried to relieve her friend's distress by drawing pictures of Gandharvas and other celestial personalities, as well as various men of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty. Citralekhā asked Ūṣā to pick out the man she had seen in her dreams, and Ūṣā pointed to the picture of Aniruddha. Citralekhā, who had mystic powers, knew at once that the young man her friend had pointed out was Lord Kṛṣṇa's grandson Aniruddha. Then, using her mystic powers, Citralekhā flew through the sky to Dvārakā, found Aniruddha and brought Him back with her to Śoṇitapura, Bāṇāsura's capital. There she presented Him to Ūṣā. Having obtained the man of her desires, Ūṣā began serving Him very affectionately within her private quarters, which were supposed to be strictly off limits to men. After some time the female guards of the inner palace noticed symptoms of sexual activity on Ūṣā's person, and they went to Bāṇāsura to inform him. Greatly disturbed, Bāṇāsura rushed to his daughter's apartments with many armed guards and, to his great surprise, saw Aniruddha there. As the guards attacked Him, Aniruddha took up His club and succeeded in killing a few before the powerful Bāṇa could capture Him with his mystic nāga-pāśa ropes, filling Ūṣā with lamentation.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
The Daśārhas seated Aniruddha and his bride on a chariot and returned to Dvārakā, all their purposes fulfilled by taking shelter of Madhusūdana. Whatever begins and ends in the shelter of Kṛṣṇa is finally a success, however bumpy the middle.
Reflection Questions
  • What unfinished project of mine needs to be re-anchored in the shelter of Kṛṣṇa?
  • How does taking shelter of the Lord redefine what counts as a successful outcome?

Like an ocean's tide returning to its shore after the storm, the Daśārha procession turns homeward with the bridegroom Aniruddha and his bride seated safe — fulfilled in purpose, sheltered by Madhusūdana, the violence of the wedding-hall already washed downstream.

Madhusūdana, slayer of Madhu

The epithet Madhusūdana points back to SB 6.15 and the Brahma-purāṇa account: in a previous yuga, Viṣṇu killed the asura Madhu, earning this name. Gauḍīyas read Madhu as the asuric ego that 'sweetens' material life — Madhusūdana is He who cuts that false sweetness.

The verse's closing — 'having taken shelter of Madhusūdana, all their purposes were fulfilled' — is a Bhāgavata-formula. Bhakti's promise compressed into a half-line: take shelter of the Madhu-slayer and all artha is siddha. The chapter that began with dynastic abundance and turned through the death of Rukmī ends not in grief but in the standard śaraṇāgati-conclusion.

📝 My note

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