FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.52.41

శ్వోభావిని త్వమజితోద్వహనే విదర్భాన్ గుప్త: సమేత్య పృతనాపతిభి: పరీత: । నిర్మథ్య చైద్యమగధేన్ద్రబలం ప్రసహ్య మాం రాక్షసేన విధినోద్వహ వీర్యశుల్కామ్ ॥ ౪౧ ॥
śvo bhāvini tvam ajitodvahane vidarbhān
[shvo bhaavini tvam ajitodvahane vidarbhaan]
guptaḥ sametya pṛtanā-patibhiḥ parītaḥ
[guptah sametya pritanaa-patibhih pareetah]
nirmathya caidya-magadhendra-balaṁ prasahya
[nirmathya chaidya-magadhendra-balam prasahya]
māṁ rākṣasena vidhinodvaha vīrya-śulkām
[maam raakshasena vidhinodvaha veerya-shulkaam]
śvaḥ bhāvini — tomorrow tvam — You ajita — O unconquerable one udvahane — at the time of the marriage ceremony vidarbhān — to Vidarbha guptaḥ — unseen sametya — coming pṛtanā — of Your army patibhiḥ — by the leaders parītaḥ — surrounded nirmathya — crushing caidya — of Caidya, Śiśupāla magadha - indra — and the King of Magadha, Jarāsandha balam — the military strength prasahya — by force mām — me rākṣasena vidhinā — in the Rākṣasa style udvaha — take in marriage vīrya — Your prowess śulkām — the payment for whom .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śvo bhāvini tvam ajitodvahane vidarbhān
śvaḥ bhāvini
tomorrow
tvam
You
ajita
O unconquerable one
udvahane
at the time of the marriage ceremony
vidarbhān
to Vidarbha
guptaḥ sametya pṛtanā-patibhiḥ parītaḥ
guptaḥ
unseen
sametya
coming
pṛtanā
of Your army
patibhiḥ
by the leaders
parītaḥ
surrounded
nirmathya caidya-magadhendra-balaṁ prasahya
nirmathya
crushing
caidya
of Caidya, Śiśupāla
magadha - indra
and the King of Magadha, Jarāsandha
balam
the military strength
prasahya
by force
māṁ rākṣasena vidhinodvaha vīrya-śulkām
mām
me
rākṣasena vidhinā
in the Rākṣasa style
udvaha
take in marriage
vīrya
Your prowess
śulkām
the payment for whom .
  • ajita — O unconquerable one
    Vocative of a-jita (not-conquered). One of Bhagavān's principal names — even paired by Brahmā in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Rukmiṇī's choice of vocative for this verse is exact: she is asking the unconquerable to come and conquer the kings who would otherwise dispose of her.
  • guptaḥ — unseen, in secret
    Past participle of √gup (to protect, hide). The arrival is to be covert — a tactical concession to the political situation. Gauḍīyas note the contrast: Bhagavān, who is seen by all the gods, will arrive in human Vidarbha as guptaḥ for the sake of the prema-plan.
  • rākṣasena vidhinā — by the Rākṣasa style (of marriage)
    Phrase. The forceful-rescue form is here named by the bride herself — and by her invitation. The verse legitimizes the rākṣasa-vidhāna by Rukmiṇī's request, dissolving the ethical concern Parīkṣit raised in v. 18.
  • vīrya-śulkām — whose payment is (Your) prowess
    Compound: vīrya (prowess) + śulka (bride-price). Rukmiṇī inverts the standard marriage economy: the dowry flows the wrong way (Kṛṣṇa's vīrya pays for her). Sītā was won by Rāma's breaking the bow; Rukmiṇī will be won by Kṛṣṇa's breaking the Caidya-Magadhendra coalition.
O unconquerable one, tomorrow when my marriage ceremony is about to begin, You should arrive unseen in Vidarbha and surround Yourself with the leaders of Your army. Then crush the forces of Caidya and Magadhendra and marry me in the Rākṣasa style, winning me with Your valor.

As Śrīla Prabhupāda points out in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Rukmiṇī, being born of royal blood, certainly had a brilliant grasp of political affairs. She advised Śrī Kṛṣṇa to enter the city alone and unnoticed and then surround Himself with His military commanders so He could do what was needed. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares the coming fight to the Lord’s churning of the ocean to extract the goddess Lakṣmī. Gorgeous Rukmiṇī, the goddess of fortune, would be gained in the coming turbulence.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O unconquerable one, tomorrow when my marriage ceremony is about to begin, You should arrive unseen in Vidarbha and surround Yourself with the leaders of Your army. Then crush the forces of Caidya and Magadhendra and marry me in the Rākṣasa style, winning me with Your valor.
Commentary

"True I accept you according to your past pious actions, but what should I do, now that you are have been given to Sisupala in marriage? " Rukmini then shows him a method. "You cannot be defeated by anyone (ajita), and therefore at the upcoming wedding, first you should enter the city unseen, without troops, and having entered the city, you can surround yourself with your army to show your strength. If you do not do this, then it will be difficult to enter the city quickly, for outside the city troops will be ready to fight with you. After entering the city, however, you can say that you have come to see the spectacular wedding and the army will have no reason for fighting with you. Then at your leisure you can take me away. If the evil, fearsome troops agitate to fight with you (nirmanthya), you can show your bravery, just as you received Laksmi from the churning (nirmanthana) of the ocean. Suddenly snatch me away, the reward for your show of strength."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

In great distress, in two verses she gives her solution to the problem. You should be unknown, announcing yourself with a different province, name and language and come directly inside the assembly (sam--etya). Come surrounded by any leaders of armies. This indicates a huge army. She makes this description out of affection for Kṛṣṇa. She incites him boldly because he is unconquerable (ajita). Crush the forces of Śiśupāla and Jarāṣandha who has come to help him. The word nirmathya (crush or churn) suggests an ocean of armies. Just as you previously churned the Milk Ocean and delivered me (Lakṣmī) so you should churn the ocean of Śiśupāla’s armies and deliver me now. Suggesting the Rākṣasa type of marriage, she indicates his indifference to the enemy and suitability of her request. This act will be successful because you are unconquerable (ajita).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Enter within the city (sametya), surrounded by leaders of troops like Balarāma. There should be many leaders of troops. Though you are unconquerable (ajita), you should think of friends in danger. Agitate the enemy troops constantly or destroy them completely (nirmathya). Jarāsandha’s army should be destroyed because it assists Śiśupāla. The word nirmathya (churn) suggests that the armies are unlimited like the ocean. Moreover, just as pervious the ocean was churned, and you delivered me, now also deliver me from the inner city with its ocean of Śiśupāla’s army. In rākṣasa marriage there is no considerable of asking for the bride or qualification for marrying the bride. Or “Why do you encourage me to engage in a great battle?” You are famous at all times and places for victory. O unconquerable one!

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses

Rukmiṇī asks Kṛṣṇa to come tomorrow guptaḥ — unseen — and to win her with His own valor (vīrya-śulkām). The bride-price is His prowess; she will not be transferred by ritual but won by conquest. The Rākṣasa-style is here transfigured by her consent into a form of prema's gift: she is bought with His sword because His sword is itself a love-token.

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