Adhyaya 248

The chapter recounts Kṛṣṇa’s return to Dvārakā and the solemn wedding of Rukmiṇī performed in accordance with Vedic rule. Celestial omens—divine kettledrums and showers of flowers—proclaim the marriage’s cosmic auspiciousness. Yādava elders and leaders such as Balabhadra, Vasudeva, Ugrasena, and Akrūra assemble, and the Vraja elders Nanda and Yaśodā arrive with gopas and women. Brāhmaṇas officiate and bless the couple; gifts, hospitality, and the honoring of guests highlight dharmic kingship and household virtue. The rite culminates in reverence to Jātavedas, the sacred fire, and obeisance to elders and brāhmaṇas, followed by the orderly dismissal of visiting kings and priests. Thereafter Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī dwell at ease in a divine palace, likened to Nārāyaṇa with Śrī, praised by sages and gods.