Shloka 8
रुक्मिणी-हरणम्, विरोधि-राजगणः, रुक्मी-प्रतिज्ञा-पराजयः, प्रद्युम्न-जन्म
कुपितास् ते हरिं हन्तुं चक्रुर् उद्योगम् उत्तमम् निर्जिताश् च समागम्य रामाद्यैर् यदुपुंगवैः
kupitās te hariṃ hantuṃ cakrur udyogam uttamam nirjitāś ca samāgamya rāmādyair yadupuṃgavaiḥ
Enraged, they made their finest preparations to slay Hari; yet, defeated, they returned and gathered before the foremost of the Yadus—Balarāma and the others.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To subdue adharmic rulers who seek to destroy Hari and to protect the Yadu line through decisive victory.
Leela: Yuddha
Dharma Restored: Protection of the righteous and the stability of Yadu rule aligned with dharma.
Concept: Hostility to Hari, even when backed by ‘best preparations,’ culminates in defeat because adharma lacks lasting power.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Channel anger into self-discipline and dharmic action; do not let ego make you oppose what is sacred and just.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s protective governance operates through His devotees/kin (Yadupuṃgavas), showing divine agency within history.
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
It highlights the recurring pattern that opposition to Hari (Vishnu/Krishna) arises from anger and ego, yet collapses before divine sovereignty—reinforcing Vishnu’s inviolability within the narrative order.
He frames it as a narrative reversal: the aggressors, though initially mobilized, are decisively overcome and then regroup—showing how events move under the superior force aligned with Hari and the Yadu champions.
Hari is presented as the unassailable center of power: even when targeted for destruction, the outcome affirms Vishnu’s supreme protection and governance, consistent with Vaishnava readings of Krishna as the highest reality.