Shloka 18
Mucukunda’s Departure; Jarāsandha’s Pursuit; Prelude to Rukmiṇī’s Abduction
Rukmiṇī’s Message Begins
श्रीराजोवाच भगवान् भीष्मकसुतां रुक्मिणीं रुचिराननाम् । राक्षसेन विधानेन उपयेम इति श्रुतम् ॥ १८ ॥
śrī-rājovāca bhagavān bhīṣmaka-sutāṁ rukmiṇīṁ rucirānanām rākṣasena vidhānena upayema iti śrutam
King Parīkṣit said: I have heard that the Supreme Lord married Rukmiṇī, the beautiful-faced daughter of Bhīṣmaka, by the Rākṣasa rite.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes the following smṛti statement: rākṣaso yuddha-haraṇāt. “A Rākṣasa marriage takes place when the bride is stolen from one’s rival suitors by force.” Similarly, Śukadeva Gosvāmī himself has already said, rājñaḥ pramathya: Kṛṣṇa had to beat down opposing kings to take Rukmiṇī.
FAQs
In this verse, King Parikshit states he has heard that Krishna took Rukmini, Bhishmaka’s daughter, according to the rākṣasa method—i.e., carrying away the bride—introducing the narration of Rukmini-haraṇa.
Parikshit is eager to understand the details of Krishna’s līlā and the circumstances of Rukmini’s marriage, so he frames his question based on what he has heard about the rākṣasa-style taking of the bride.
Approach sacred narratives with sincere inquiry—like Parikshit—seeking clarity and deeper meaning rather than rumor, so devotion is grounded in attentive listening and understanding.