After hearing Rukmini’s statement, Lord Krishna was very much pleased. He immediately shook hands with the brähmaëa and said, “My dear brähmaëa, I am very glad to hear that Rukmini is anxious to marry Me, since I am also anxious to get her hand. My mind is always absorbed in thoughts of the daughter of Bhéñmaka, and sometimes I cannot sleep at night because I am thinking of her. I can understand that the marriage of Rukmiëé with Çiçupäla has been arranged by her elder brother in a spirit of animosity toward Me; so I am determined to give a good lesson to all of these princes. Just as one extracts and uses fire after manipulating ordinary wood, after dealing with these demoniac princes I shall bring forth Rukmiëé, like fire, from their midst.”

Krishna, upon being informed of the specific date of Rukmiëé’s marriage, was anxious to leave immediately. He asked His driver, Däruka, to harness the horses for His chariot and prepare to go to the kingdom of Vidarbha. After hearing this order, the driver brought Krishna’s four special horses. The names and descriptions of these horses are mentioned in the Padma Puräëa. The first one, Çaibya, was greenish; the second, Sugréva, was grayish like ice; the third, Meghapuñpa, was the color of a new cloud; and the last, Balähaka, was of ashen color. When the horses were yoked and the chariot was ready to go, Krishna helped the brähmaëa up and gave him a seat by His side. Immediately they started from Dvärakä and within one night arrived at the province of Vidarbha. The kingdom of Dvärakä is situated in the western part of India, and Vidarbha is situated in the northern part. They are separated by a distance of not less than one thousand miles, but the horses were so fast that they reached their destination, a town called Kuëòina, within one night or, at most, twelve hours.

King Bhéñmaka was not enthusiastic about handing his daughter over to Çiçupäla, but he was obliged to accept the marriage settlement due to his affectionate attachment for his eldest son, who had negotiated it. As a matter of duty, the King was decorating the city for the marriage ceremony and acting in great earnestness to make it very successful. Water was sprinkled all over the streets, and the city was cleansed very nicely. Since India is situated in the tropical zone, the atmosphere is always dry. Dust always accumulates on the streets and roads, so they must be sprinkled with water at least once a day, and in big cities like Calcutta twice a day. The roads of Kuëòina were arranged with colored flags and festoons, and gates were constructed at particular crossings. The whole city was decorated very nicely. The beauty of the city was enhanced by the inhabitants, both men and women, who were dressed in fresh, washed clothes and decorated with sandalwood pulp, pearl necklaces and flower garlands. Incense burned everywhere, and fragrances like aguru scented the air. Priests and brähmaëas were sumptuously fed and, according to ritualistic ceremony, were given sufficient wealth and cows in charity. In this way, they were engaged in chanting Vedic hymns. The King’s daughter, Rukmiëé, was exquisitely beautiful. She was very clean and had beautiful teeth. The auspicious sacred thread was tied on her wrist. She was given various types of jewelry to wear and long silken cloth to cover the upper and lower parts of her body. Learned priests gave her protection by chanting mantras from the Säma Veda, Åg Veda and Yajur Veda. Then they chanted mantras from the Atharva Veda and offered oblations in the fire to pacify the influence of different stars.

King Bhéñmaka was experienced in dealing with brähmaëas and priests when such ceremonies were held. He specifically honored the brähmaëas by giving them large quantities of gold and silver, grain mixed with molasses, and cows decorated with cloth and ornaments. Damaghoña, Çiçupäla’s father, executed all kinds of ritualistic performances to invoke good fortune for his son. Çiçupäla’s father was known as Damaghoña due to his superior ability to cut down unregulated citizens. Dama means curbing down, and ghoña means famous; so he was famous for controlling the citizens. Damaghoña thought that if Krishna came to disturb the marriage ceremony, he would certainly cut Him down with his military power. Therefore, after performing the various auspicious ceremonies, Damaghoña gathered his military divisions. He took many elephants, garlanded with golden necklaces, and many similarly decorated chariots and horses. It appeared that Damaghoña, along with his son and other companions, was going to Kuëòina not exactly to get Çiçupäla married but mainly to fight.

When King Bhéñmaka learned that Damaghoña and his party were arriving, he left the city to receive them. Outside the city gate were many gardens where guests were welcome to stay. In the Vedic system of marriage, the bride’s father receives the large party of the bridegroom and accommodates them in a suitable place for two or three days until the marriage ceremony is performed. The party led by Damaghoña contained thousands of men, among whom the prominent kings and personalities were Jaräsandha, Dantavakra, Vidüratha and Pauëòraka. It was an open secret that Rukmiëé was meant to be married to Krishna but that her elder brother Rukmé had arranged her marriage to Çiçupäla. There was also some whispering about a rumor that Rukmiëé had sent a messenger to Krishna; therefore the soldiers suspected that Krishna might cause a disturbance by attempting to kidnap Rukmiëé. Even though they were not without fear, they were all prepared to give Krishna a good fight to prevent the girl from being taken away. Çré Balaräma received the news that Krishna had left for Kuëòina accompanied only by a brähmaëa and that Çiçupäla was there with a large number of soldiers. Balaräma suspected that they would attack Krishna, and thus out of great affection for His brother He took strong military divisions of chariots, infantry, horses and elephants and went to the precincts of Kuëòina.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Rukmiëé was expecting Krishna to arrive, but when neither He nor the brähmaëa who took her message appeared, she was full of anxiety and began to think how unfortunate she was. “There is only one night between today and my marriage day, and still neither the brähmaëa nor Çyämasundara has returned. I cannot ascertain any reason for this.” Having little hope, she thought that perhaps Krishna had found reason to become dissatisfied and had rejected her fair proposal. As a result, the brähmaëa might have become disappointed and not come back. Although she was thinking of various causes for the delay, she expected them both at any moment.

Rukmiëé further thought that demigods such as Lord Brahmä, Lord Çiva and goddess Durgä might have been displeased. It is generally said that the demigods become angry when not properly worshiped. For instance, when Indra found that the inhabitants of Våndävana were not worshiping him (Krishna having stopped the Indra-yajïa), he became angry and wanted to chastise them. Thus Rukmiëé thought that since she did not worship Lord Çiva or Lord Brahmä very much, they might have become angry and tried to frustrate her plan. Similarly she thought that goddess Durgä, the wife of Lord Çiva, might have taken the side of her husband. Lord Çiva is known as Rudra, and his wife is known as Rudräëé. Rudräëé and Rudra refer to those who are accustomed to putting others in distress to cry forever. Rukmiëé was thinking of goddess Durgä as Girijä, the daughter of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan Mountains are very cold and hard, and she thought of goddess Durgä as hardhearted and cold. In her anxiety to see Krishna, Rukmiëé, who was after all still a child, thought this way about the different demigods. The Gopis worshiped goddess Kätyäyané to get Krishna as their husband; similarly Rukmiëé was thinking of the various types of demigods not for material benefit but in respect to Krishna. Praying to the demigods to achieve the favor of Krishna is not irregular, and Rukmiëé was fully absorbed in thoughts of Krishna.

Even though she pacified herself by thinking that the time for Govinda to arrive had not yet expired, Rukmiëé felt that she was hoping against hope. Not expressing her mind to anyone, she simply shed tears, unobserved by others, and when her tears became more forceful, she closed her eyes in helplessness. While Rukmiëé was in such deep thought, auspicious symptoms appeared in different parts of her body. Trembling began to occur in her left eyelid, arm and thigh. When trembling occurs in these parts of the body, it is an auspicious sign indicating that something lucrative can be expected.

Just then, Rukmiëé, full of anxiety, saw the brähmaëa messenger. Krishna, being the Supersoul of all living beings, could understand Rukmiëé’s anxiety; therefore He sent the brähmaëa inside the palace to let her know that He had arrived. When Rukmiëé saw the brähmaëa, she could understand the auspicious trembling of her body and immediately became elated. She smiled and inquired whether Krishna had already come. The brähmaëa replied that the son of the Yadu dynasty, Çré Krishna, had arrived; he further encouraged her by saying that Krishna had promised to carry her away without fail. Rukmiëé was so elated by the brähmaëa’s message that she wanted to give him in charity everything she possessed. However, finding nothing suitable for presentation, she simply offered him her respectful obeisances. The significance of offering respectful obeisances to a superior is that the one offering obeisances is obliged to the respected person. In other words, Rukmiëé implied that she would remain ever grateful to the brähmaëa. Anyone who gets the favor of the goddess of fortune, as did this brähmaëa, is without a doubt always happy in material opulence.

When King Bhéñmaka heard that Krishna and Balaräma had come, he invited Them to see the marriage ceremony of his daughter. Immediately he arranged to receive Them, along with Their soldiers, in a suitable garden house. As was the Vedic custom, the King offered Krishna and Balaräma honey and fresh, washed clothes. He was hospitable not only to Krishna, Balaräma and kings such as Jaräsandha but also to many other kings and princes according to their personal strength, age and material possessions. Out of curiosity and eagerness, the people of Kuëòina assembled before Krishna and Balaräma to drink the nectar of Their beauty. With tearful eyes, they offered Krishna and Balaräma their silent respects. They were very much pleased, considering Lord Krishna the suitable match for Rukmiëé. They were so eager to unite Krishna and Rukmiëé that they prayed to the Personality of Godhead: “Our dear Lord, if we have performed any pious activities with which You are satisfied, kindly be merciful upon us and accept the hand of Rukmiëé.” It appears that Rukmiëé was a very popular princess, and all the citizens, out of intense love for her, prayed for her best fortune. In the meantime, Rukmiëé, being very nicely dressed and protected by bodyguards, came out of the palace to visit the temple of Ambikä, goddess Durgä.

Deity worship in the temple has been in existence since the beginning of Vedic culture. There is a class of men described in the Bhagavad-gétä as veda-väda-rata: they believe only in the Vedic ritualistic worship. Such foolish people may here take note that although this marriage of Krishna and Rukmiëé took place more than five thousand years ago, there were arrangements for temple worship. In the Bhagavad-gétä the Lord says, yänti deva-vratä devän: [Bg. 9.25] “The worshipers of the demigods attain the abodes of the demigods.” There were many people who worshiped the demigods and many who directly worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The system of demigod worship was directed mainly to Lord Brahmä, Lord Çiva, Lord Gaëeça, the sun-god and goddess Durgä. Lord Çiva and goddess Durgä were worshiped even by the royal families; other, minor demigods were worshiped by silly, lower-class people. As far as the brähmaëas and Vaiñëavas are concerned, they simply worship Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gétä the worship of demigods is condemned but not forbidden; there it is clearly stated that less intelligent men worship the demigods for material benefit. On the other hand, even though Rukmiëé was the goddess of fortune, she went to the temple of goddess Durgä because the family deity was worshiped there. In Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is stated that as Rukmiëé proceeded towards the temple of goddess Durgä, within her heart she always thought of the lotus feet of Krishna. Therefore when Rukmiëé went to the temple it was not with the intention of an ordinary person, who goes to beg for material benefits; her only goal was Krishna.

As Rukmiëé proceeded toward the temple, she was silent and grave. Her mother and her girlfriends were by her side, and the wife of a brähmaëa was in the center; surrounding her were royal bodyguards. (This custom of a would-be bride’s going to the temple of a demigod is still practiced in India.) As the procession continued, various musical sounds were heard. Conchshells, paëavas and other drums, and bugles of different sizes, such as türyas and bherés, combined to make a sound which was not only auspicious but very sweet to hear. Thousands of wives of respectable brähmaëas were present, all dressed very nicely with suitable ornaments. They presented Rukmiëé with flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and a variety of colorful garments to assist her in worshiping Lord Çiva and goddess Durgä. Some of these ladies were very old and knew perfectly well how to chant prayers to goddess Durgä and Lord Çiva; so, followed by Rukmiëé and others, they led these prayers before the deity.

Rukmiëé offered her prayers to the deity by saying, “My dear goddess Durgä, I offer my respectful obeisances unto you as well as to your children.” Goddess Durgä has four famous children: two daughters—the goddess of fortune, Lakñmé, and the goddess of learning, Sarasvaté—and two famous sons, Lord Gaëeça and Lord Kärttikeya. They are all considered to be demigods and goddesses. Since goddess Durgä is always worshiped with her famous children, Rukmiëé specifically offered her respectful obeisances to the deity in that way; however, her prayers were special. Ordinary people pray to goddess Durgä for material wealth, fame, profit, strength and so on; Rukmiëé, however, desired to have Krishna for her husband and therefore prayed that the deity be pleased with her and bless her with that benediction. Since she desired only Krishna, her worship of the demigods is not condemned. While Rukmiëé was praying, she presented a variety of items before the deity, chief of which were water, different kinds of flames, incense, garments, garlands and various foods prepared with ghee, such as purés and kachoris. She also offered fruits, sugarcane, betel nuts and spices. With great devotion, Rukmiëé offered them to the deity according to the regulative principles, directed by the old brähmaëa ladies. After this ritualistic ceremony, the ladies offered the remnants of the food to Rukmiëé as prasädam, which she accepted with great respect. Then Rukmiëé offered her obeisances to the ladies and to goddess Durgä. After the business of deity worship was finished, Rukmiëé caught hold of the hand of one of her girlfriends in her own hand, which was decorated with a jeweled ring, and left the temple in the company of the others.

All the princes and visitors who came to Kuëòina for the marriage had assembled outside the temple to see Rukmiëé. The princes were especially eager to see her because they all actually thought that they would have Rukmiëé as their wife. Struck with wonder upon seeing Rukmiëé, they thought she was especially manufactured by the Creator to bewilder all the great chivalrous princes. Her body was well constructed, the middle portion being thin. Her high hips were adorned with a jeweled locket, she had pink lips, and the beauty of her face was enhanced by her slightly scattered hair and by different kinds of earrings. The bodily luster and beauty of Rukmiëé appeared as if painted by an artist perfectly presenting beauty following the descriptions of great poets. Rukmiëé’s breasts are described as being somewhat high, indicating that she was just a youth not more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Her beauty was specifically intended to attract the attention of Krishna. Although the princes gazed upon her beautiful features, she was not at all proud. Her eyes moved restlessly, and when she smiled very simply, like an innocent girl, her teeth appeared just like jasmine buds. Expecting Krishna to take her away at any moment, she proceeded slowly towards her home. Her legs moved just like a full-grown swan, and her ankle bells tinkled mildly.

The chivalrous princes assembled there were so overwhelmed by Rukmiëé’s beauty that they almost became unconscious and fell from their horses and elephants. Full of lust, they hopelessly desired Rukmiëé’s hand, comparing their own beauty to hers. Çrématé Rukmiëé, however, was not interested in any of them; in her heart she was simply expecting Krishna to come and carry her away. As she was adjusting the ornaments on a finger of her left hand, she happened to look upon the princes and suddenly saw that Krishna was present amongst them. Although Rukmiëé had never before seen Krishna, she was always thinking of Him; thus she had no difficulty recognizing Him amongst the princely order. Krishna, unconcerned with the other princes, immediately took the opportunity to place Rukmiëé on His chariot, marked by a flag bearing an image of Garuòa. He then proceeded slowly, without fear, taking Rukmiëé away exactly as a lion takes a deer from the midst of jackals. Meanwhile, Balaräma appeared on the scene with the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty.

Jaräsandha, who had many times experienced defeat by Krishna, roared, “How is this? Krishna is taking Rukmiëé away from us without opposition! What is the use of our being chivalrous fighters with arrows? My dear princes, just look! We are losing our reputation. He is just like a jackal taking booty from a lion.”