Shloka 25
Kṛṣṇa’s Queens, Their Sons, and Balarāma’s Victory over Rukmī at Dice
Aniruddha–Rocanā Marriage Context
दौहित्रायानिरुद्धाय पौत्रीं रुक्म्याददाद्धरे: । रोचनां बद्धवैरोऽपि स्वसु: प्रियचिकीर्षया । जानन्नधर्मं तद् यौनं स्नेहपाशानुबन्धन: ॥ २५ ॥
dauhitrāyāniruddhāya pautrīṁ rukmy ādadād dhareḥ rocanāṁ baddha-vairo ’pi svasuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā jānann adharmaṁ tad yaunaṁ sneha-pāśānubandhanaḥ
ഹരിയോടുള്ള കടുത്ത വൈരം ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നിട്ടും റുക്മി തന്റെ കൊച്ചുമകൾ രോചനയെ മകളുടെ മകനായ അനിരുദ്ധനു നൽകി. ഈ വിവാഹം അധർമ്മമാണെന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടും, സഹോദരിയെ സന്തോഷിപ്പിക്കണമെന്ന ആഗ്രഹത്തിൽ സ്നേഹബന്ധത്തിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയിരുന്നു।
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that according to worldly standards one should not give one’s beloved granddaughter to the grandson of one’s bitter enemy. Thus we find the following injunction: dviṣad-annaṁ na bhoktavyaṁ dviṣantaṁ naiva bhojayet. “One should not eat an enemy’s food or feed an enemy.” There is also the following prohibition: asvargyaṁ loka-vidviṣṭaṁ dharmam apy ācaren na tu. “One should not execute religious injunctions if they will obstruct one’s journey to heaven, or if they are odious to human society.”
FAQs
This verse shows that even when one knows an act is adharmic, strong family affection can bind the mind and push one to act for relatives’ pleasure rather than for righteousness.
Though hostile toward Kṛṣṇa’s family, Rukmī consented to the marriage to please his sister, revealing how social and familial pressures can override personal grudges—and even one’s sense of propriety.
Before making major decisions for the sake of family approval, examine whether the choice aligns with dharma and long-term well-being; affection is valuable, but it should not become a binding rope that leads to unethical compromises.