Shloka 27
Kṛṣṇa’s Queens, Their Sons, and Balarāma’s Victory over Rukmī at Dice
Aniruddha–Rocanā Marriage Context
तस्मिन् निवृत्त उद्वाहे कालिङ्गप्रमुखा नृपा: । दृप्तास्ते रुक्मिणं प्रोचुर्बलमक्षैर्विनिर्जय ॥ २७ ॥ अनक्षज्ञो ह्ययं राजन्नपि तद्व्यसनं महत् । इत्युक्तो बलमाहूय तेनाक्षैर्रुक्म्यदीव्यत ॥ २८ ॥
tasmin nivṛtta udvāhe kāliṅga-pramukhā nṛpāḥ dṛptās te rukmiṇaṁ procur balam akṣair vinirjaya
Wahai Raja, setelah pernikahan usai, para raja congkak yang dipimpin raja Kaliṅga berkata kepada Rukmī, “Kalahkan Balarāma dalam permainan dadu. Ia tidak mahir, namun sangat kecanduan.” Dinasehati demikian, Rukmī menantang Balarāma dan mulai berjudi dadu dengan-Nya.
FAQs
In this verse, the proud kings provoke Rukmī to challenge Balarāma at dice, showing how arrogance pushes people into reckless, offensive acts that invite ruin.
They were intoxicated with pride after the wedding events and sought to mock or humiliate Balarāma by drawing Him into a dice match through Rukmī.
Avoid making decisions under ego or group-provocation; prideful “one-upmanship” often escalates conflict and damages relationships.