Shloka 13
वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः
सहस्रम् एकं निष्काणां रुक्मिणा विजितो बलः द्वितीये ऽपि पणे चान्यत् सहस्रं रुक्मिणा जितः
sahasram ekaṃ niṣkāṇāṃ rukmiṇā vijito balaḥ dvitīye 'pi paṇe cānyat sahasraṃ rukmiṇā jitaḥ
In a wager of a thousand niṣkas, Bala (Balarāma) was defeated by Rukmī; and in the second stake as well, Rukmī won another thousand.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: Repeated small injustices and humiliations accumulate into explosive conflict when unchecked by fairness and humility.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Address minor unfairness early—set clear rules, seek mediation, and avoid letting resentment compound.
Vishishtadvaita: Worldly fluctuations (jaya-apajaya) occur under the Lord’s overarching order; the devotee’s steadiness is tested amid reversals.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
It frames a kṣatriya-style contest of honor and rivalry, showing how pride and provocation can escalate conflict even among great heroes.
Parāśara reports the narrative fact of repeated defeat in the wager—Rukmī winning both rounds—setting up the moral and dramatic tension that follows in the chapter.
Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the Purana’s dynastic history situates such events within the larger divine order upheld by Vishnu, where dharma ultimately reasserts itself over arrogance and disorder.