CHAPTER 61
SOIXANTE-ET-UNIÈME CHAPITRE
The Genealogy of the Family of Kṛṣṇa
L’arbre généalogique de la famille de Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 wives, and in each of them He begot ten sons, all of them equal to their father in the opulences of strength, beauty, wisdom, fame, wealth and renunciation. “Like father, like son.” All the 16,108 wives of Kṛṣṇa were princesses, and when each saw that Kṛṣṇa was always present in her respective palace and did not leave home, she considered Kṛṣṇa a henpecked husband who was very much attached to her. Every one of them thought that Kṛṣṇa was her very obedient husband, but actually Kṛṣṇa had no attraction for any of them. Although each thought that she was the only wife of Kṛṣṇa and was very, very dear to Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa, being ātmārāma, self-sufficient, felt neither attraction nor enmity toward any one of them; He was equal to all the wives and treated them as a perfect husband would, just to please them. For Him, there was no need of even a single wife. In fact, since they were women, the wives could not understand the exalted position of Kṛṣṇa, nor the truths about Him.
À chacune de ses 16 108 épouses, Kṛṣṇa donna dix fils, tous égaux à leur père en puissance, beauté, sagesse, renom, richesse, et renoncement ; « Tel père tel fils », dit le proverbe. Chacune des 16 108 épouses de Kṛṣṇa, voyant le Seigneur toujours présent chez elle, sans jamais la quitter, tenait Kṛṣṇa pour un époux très attaché qu’elle menait à sa guise. Chacune pensait de Kṛṣṇa comme d’un époux très soumis et d’elle-même comme de son unique épouse, mais en vérité Il n’avait d’attirance pour aucune. Śrī Kṛṣṇa est ātmārāma, satisfait en Lui-même, c’est pourquoi elles ne lui inspiraient ni attachement ni inimitié ; Il Se montrait égal envers toutes, Il les traitait comme un parfait époux, à seule fin de leur plaire. Lui n’avait besoin pas même d’une seule femme ; et elles, à cause de leur nature féminine, ne pouvaient comprendre Sa position suprême ou les vérités sur Sa nature.
All the princesses who were wives of Kṛṣṇa were exquisitely beautiful, and each one of them was attracted by Kṛṣṇa’s eyes, which were just like lotus petals, and by His beautiful face, long arms, beautiful ears, pleasing smile, humorous talk and sweet words. Influenced by these features of Kṛṣṇa, they all used to dress themselves very attractively, desiring to attract Him by their feminine bodily appeal. They exhibited their feminine characteristics by smiling and moving their eyebrows, thus shooting sharp arrows of conjugal love just to awaken Kṛṣṇa’s lusty desires for them. Still, they could not arouse Kṛṣṇa’s mind or His sexual appetite. This means that Kṛṣṇa never had any sexual relations with any of His many wives, save and except to beget children.
Toutes les reines de Kṛṣṇa resplendissaient d’une exquise beauté, et chacune sentait en elle une attirance pour les yeux de Kṛṣṇa, semblables aux pétales du lotus, pour Son visage merveilleux, Ses longs bras, Ses larges oreilles, Son sourire charmeur, Son humeur et Ses douces paroles. Charmées par ces traits du Seigneur, elles aimaient se vêtir de façon séduisante, pour attirer Kṛṣṇa. Souriant, battant des cils, elles usaient de leurs traits féminins, lançant les flèches acérées de l’amour conjugal pour éveiller en Lui désirs et convoitises. Mais elles voyaient leurs efforts impuissants à troubler le mental de Kṛṣṇa, à éveiller Son appétit sexuel. Ainsi Kṛṣṇa n’eut-Il jamais avec aucune d’entre Ses nombreuses épouses d’autres relations sexuelles que celles destinées à mettre au monde des enfants.
The queens of Dvārakā were so fortunate that they got Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their husband and personal companion, although He is not approachable by exalted demigods like Brahmā. Lord Kṛṣṇa and His queens remained together as husband and wife, and Kṛṣṇa, as an ideal husband, treated them in such a way that at every moment there was an increase of transcendental bliss in their smiling exchanges, talking and mixing together. Each and every wife had hundreds and thousands of maidservants, yet when Kṛṣṇa entered the palaces of His thousands of wives, each one of them used to receive Kṛṣṇa personally by seating Him in a nice chair, worshiping Him with all requisite paraphernalia, personally washing His lotus feet, offering Him betel nuts, massaging His legs to relieve them of fatigue, fanning Him to make Him comfortable, offering all kinds of scented sandalwood pulp, oils and aromatics, putting flower garlands on His neck, dressing His hair, getting Him to lie down on the bed and assisting Him in taking His bath. Thus they served Kṛṣṇa always in every respect, especially when Kṛṣṇa was eating. They always engaged in the service of the Lord.
Grande était la fortune des reines de Dvārakā, elles qui avaient obtenu Śrī Kṛṣṇa pour époux et compagnon personnel, quand ne peuvent l’approcher des devas aussi élevés que Brahmā. Ils demeurèrent unis, mari et femme, et le Seigneur, en tant qu’époux idéal, vécut avec elles de manière à ce que chaque instant voie s’accroître, dans leurs échanges de sourires, leur conversation et leur compagnie, une félicité toute spirituelle. Chacune des épouses du Seigneur avait par centaines, par milliers, des servantes, mais quand Kṛṣṇa rentrait au palais, c’était chacune d’elles qui Le recevait personnellement – en Lui offrant un siège agréable, en Lui rendant un culte avec tout le faste requis, en lavant Ses pieds pareils-au-lotus, en Lui offrant des noix de bétel, en massant Ses jambes pour les soulager de la fatigue, en L’éventant pour qu’Il Se sente à l’aise, en Lui offrant toutes sortes de pulpe de santal, d’huiles et d’aromates aux délicieux parfums, en Le parant de guirlandes de fleurs, en Le coiffant, en Lui demandant de S’allonger sur un lit et en L’aidant à prendre Son bain. Chacune servait donc constamment et en tous points le Seigneur, et surtout lorsqu’Il mangeait.
Each of Kṛṣṇa’s 16,108 queens had ten sons. The sons of the first eight queens are listed as follows. By Rukmiṇī, Kṛṣṇa had the following ten sons: Pradyumna, Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Cārudeha, Sucāru, Cārugupta, Bhadracāru, Cārucandra, Vicāru and Cāru. None of them were inferior in their qualities to their divine father, Lord Kṛṣṇa. The names of Satyabhāmā’s ten sons are as follows: Bhānu, Subhānu, Svarbhānu, Prabhānu, Bhānumān, Candrabhānu, Bṛhadbhānu, Atibhānu, Śrībhānu and Pratibhānu. The ten sons of the next queen, Jāmbavatī, were headed by Sāmba. Their names are as follows: Sāmba, Sumitra, Purujit, Śatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasumān, Draviḍa and Kratu. Lord Kṛṣṇa was specifically very affectionate to the sons of Jāmbavatī. The ten sons Lord Kṛṣṇa had by His wife Satyā, the daughter of King Nagnajit, were as follows: Vīra, Candra, Aśvasena, Citragu, Vegavān, Vṛṣa, Āma, Śaṅku, Vasu and Kunti. Amongst all of them, Kunti was very powerful. Kṛṣṇa’s ten sons by Kālindī were as follows: Śruta, Kavi, Vṛṣa, Vīra, Subāhu, Bhadra, Śānti, Darśa, Pūrṇamāsa and Somaka, the youngest son. The ten sons Lord Kṛṣṇa begot in His next wife, Lakṣmaṇā, the daughter of the king of Madras Province, were named Praghoṣa, Gātravān, Siṁha, Bala, Prabala, Ūrdhaga, Mahāśakti, Saha, Oja and Aparājita. The ten sons of His next wife, Mitravindā, were as follows: Vṛka, Harṣa, Anila, Gṛdhra, Vardhana, Unnāda, Mahāṁsa, Pāvana, Vahni and Kṣudhi. The ten sons of His next wife, Bhadrā, were named Saṅgrāmajit, Bṛhatsena, Śūra, Praharaṇa, Arijit, Jaya, Subhadra, Vāma, Āyur and Satyaka. Besides these eight chief queens, Kṛṣṇa had 16,100 other wives, and all of them also had ten sons each.
Voici la liste des fils que les huit premières reines de Kṛṣṇa Lui donnèrent : Rukmiṇī donna à Kṛṣṇa dix fils ; Pradyumna, Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa, Cārudeha, Sucāru, Cārugupta, Bhadracāru, Cārucandra, Vicāru et Cāru. Aucun d’entre eux n’était inférieur à son Père Divin, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Les dix fils de Satyabhāmā : Bhānu, Subhānu, Svarbhānu, Prabhānu, Bhānumān, Candrabhānu, Bṛhadbhānu, Atibhānu, Śrībhānu et Pratibhānu. Les dix fils de Jāmbavatī, pour lesquels Śrī Kṛṣṇa nourrissait une affection toute particulière : Sāmba, Sumitra, Purujit, Śatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasumān, Draviḍa et Kratu. Les dix fils de Satyā, la fille du roi Nagnajit : Vīra, Candra, Aśvasena, Citragu, Vegavān, Vṛṣa, Āma, Śaṅku, Vasu et Kunti, lequel jouissait de la plus grande puissance. Les dix fils de Kālindī : Śruta, Kavi, Vṛṣa, Vīra, Subāhu, Bhadra, Śānti, Darśa, Pūrṇamāsa et Somaka, le plus jeune. Les dix fils de Lakṣmaṇā, la fille du roi de la province de Madras : Praghoṣa, Gātravān, Siṁha, Bala, Prabala, Ūrdhvaga, Mahāśakti, Saha, Oja et Aparājita. Les dix fils de Mitravindā : Vṛka, Harṣa, Anila, Gṛdhra, Vardhana, Unnāda, Mahāṁsa, Pāvana, Vahni et Kṣudhi. Les dix fils de Bhadrā : Saṅgrāmajit, Bṝhatsena, Sūra, Praharaṇa, Arijit, Jaya, Subhadra, Vāma, Āyur et Satyaka. Outre ces huit reines principales, chacune des 16 100 autres épouses de Kṛṣṇa donna également le jour à dix fils.
The eldest son of Rukmiṇī, Pradyumna, was married with Māyāvatī from his very birth, and afterwards he married Rukmavatī, the daughter of his maternal uncle, Rukmī. From Rukmavatī, Pradyumna had a son named Aniruddha. In this way, Kṛṣṇa’s family – Kṛṣṇa and His wives, along with their sons and grandsons and even great-grandsons – all combined together to include very nearly one billion family members.
Le fils aîné de Rukmiṇī, Pradyumna, avait dès sa naissance Māyāvatī pour épouse, puis il se maria à nouveau, avec Rukmavatī, la fille de son oncle maternel, Rukmī. D’elle, Pradyumna eut un fils du nom d’Aniruddha. Au total, la famille de Kṛṣṇa – Kṛṣṇa et Ses épouses, leurs fils, petit-fils et même arrière-petits-fils – comprenait près de dix millions de membres.
Rukmī, the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa’s first wife, Rukmiṇī, was greatly harassed and insulted in his fight with Kṛṣṇa, but on the request of Rukmiṇī his life was spared. Since then Rukmī held a great grudge against Kṛṣṇa and was always inimical toward Him. Nevertheless, his daughter married Kṛṣṇa’s son, and his granddaughter married Kṛṣṇa’s grandson Aniruddha. This fact appeared a little astonishing to Mahārāja Parīkṣit when he heard it from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and the king addressed him as follows: “I am surprised that Rukmī and Kṛṣṇa, who were so greatly inimical to one another, could again be united by marital relationships between their descendants.” Parīkṣit Mahārāja was curious about the mystery of this incident, and therefore he inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Because Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a perfect yogī, nothing was hidden from his power of insight. A perfect yogī like Śukadeva Gosvāmī can see past, present and future in all details. Therefore, from such yogīs or mystics nothing can be concealed. When Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered as follows.
On se souvient que Rukmī, le frère aîné de Rukmiṇī, la première épouse de Kṛṣṇa, avait été fort harcelé et insulté lors de son combat avec Kṛṣṇa, mais qu’à la demande de Rukmiṇī, sa vie avait été épargnée. Depuis, Rukmī avait gardé une profonde rancune à l’égard de Kṛṣṇa et se montrait toujours hostile envers Lui. Sa fille fut toutefois mariée au fils de Kṛṣṇa, et sa petite-fille au petit-fils du Seigneur, Aniruddha. Mahārāja Parīkṣit s’en étonna lorsqu’il l’entendit des lèvres de Śukadeva Gosvāmī : « Je suis surpris que Rukmī et Kṛṣṇa, toujours si hostiles l’un envers l’autre, aient pu de nouveau se trouver réunis à travers le mariage de leurs descendants. » Parīkṣit Mahārāja, désireux de pénétrer ce mystère, s’en enquit auprès de Śukadeva Gosvāmī, car celui-ci étant un véritable yogī, rien n’échappait à son pouvoir de pénétration. Un yogī parfait comme Śukadeva Gosvāmī peut voir le passé, le présent et le futur dans les moindres détails. Rien ne peut lui être caché. Voici quelle fut la réponse de Śukadeva Gosvāmī aux questions de Parīkṣit Mahārāja.
Pradyumna, the eldest son of Kṛṣṇa, born of Rukmiṇī, was Cupid himself. He was so beautiful and attractive that the daughter of Rukmī, namely Rukmavatī, could not select any husband other than Pradyumna during her svayaṁvara. Therefore, in that selection meeting she garlanded Pradyumna in the presence of all the other princes. When there was a fight among the princes, Pradyumna came out victorious, and therefore Rukmī was obliged to offer his beautiful daughter to Pradyumna. Although enmity always blazed in Rukmī’s heart because of his having been insulted by Kṛṣṇa’s kidnapping of his sister, Rukmiṇī, Rukmī could not resist consenting to the marriage ceremony just to please Rukmiṇī when his daughter selected Pradyumna as her husband. And so Pradyumna became the son-in-law as well as the nephew of Rukmī. Besides the ten sons described above, Rukmiṇī had one beautiful daughter with big eyes, and she was married to Kṛtavarmā’s son, whose name was Balī.
Pradyumna, le fils aîné de Kṛṣṇa, né de Rukmiṇī, était Cupidon en personne, et si beau, si fascinant, que la fille de Rukmī, Rukmavatī, ne put vraiment choisir d’autre époux lors de son svayaṁvara. C’est donc à lui qu’elle offrit, en présence de tous les autres princes, la guirlande de fleurs. Aussitôt une bataille éclata entre les princes, dont Pradyumna sortit victorieux. Rukmī fut donc contraint de lui offrir sa fille à la beauté merveilleuse. L’ancienne hostilité brûlait encore dans le cœur de Rukmī, mais lorsque sa fille choisit Pradyumna comme époux, il ne put résister à y consentir, pour plaire à Rukmiṇī. C’est ainsi que Pradyumna devint le gendre de Rukmī. Outre les dix fils dont le nom est donné plus haut, Rukmiṇī eut une fille fort belle, aux grands yeux, mariée plus tard au fils de Kṛtavarmā, Bali.
Although Rukmī was a veritable enemy of Kṛṣṇa, he had great affection for his sister, Rukmiṇī, and wanted to please her in all respects. On this account, when Rukmiṇī’s grandson Aniruddha was to be married, Rukmī offered his granddaughter Rocanā to Aniruddha. Such a marriage between immediate cousins is not very much sanctioned by the Vedic culture, but in order to please Rukmiṇī, Rukmī offered his daughter and granddaughter to the son and grandson of Kṛṣṇa, respectively. In this way, when the negotiation of the marriage of Aniruddha with Rocanā was complete, a big marriage party accompanied Aniruddha and started from Dvārakā. They traveled until they reached Bhojakaṭa, which Rukmī had colonized after his sister had been kidnapped by Kṛṣṇa. This marriage party was led by the grandfather, namely Lord Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by Lord Balarāma, and it included Kṛṣṇa’s first wife, Rukmiṇī, His son Pradyumna, Jāmbavatī’s son Sāmba and many other relatives and family members. They reached the town of Bhojakaṭa, and the marriage ceremony was peacefully performed.
On a pu voir que si Rukmī nourissait une véritable hostilité à l’égard de Kṛṣṇa, il portait une grande affection à sa sœur, Rukmiṇī, et désirait lui plaire en tous points. Ainsi lorsque le petit-fils de Rukmiṇī, Aniruddha, fut en état de se marier, Rukmī lui offrit-il sa petite-fille Rocanā. Un tel mariage, entre cousins germains, est plutôt déconseillé dans la culture védique, mais Rukmī, afin de satisfaire Rukmiṇī, contribua à le réaliser, d’abord en offrant sa fille au fils de Kṛṣṇa, puis sa petite-fille au petit-fils du Seigneur. Lorsque s’achevèrent les négociations pour le mariage d’Aniruddha et de Rocanā, le futur marié quitta Dvārakā escorté par une foule de proches. Ils voyagèrent jusqu’à atteindre Bhojakaṭa, que Rukmī avait colonisé après l’enlèvement de sa sœur. L’escorte nuptiale était conduite par le grand-père, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, qu’accompagnaient Śrī Balarāma, Rukmiṇī – la première épouse du Seigneur –, son fils Pradyumna, le fils de Jāmbavatī – Sāmba –, et de nombreux autres proches. À Bhojakaṭa, la cérémonie du mariage se déroula dans la paix.
The king of Kaliṅga was a friend of Rukmī’s and gave him the ill advice to play chess with Balarāma and thus defeat Him in a bet. Among kṣatriya kings, gambling on chess was not uncommon. If someone challenged a kṣatriya to play on the chessboard, the kṣatriya could not refuse the challenge. Śrī Balarāmajī was not a very expert chess player, and this was known to the king of Kaliṅga. So Rukmī was advised to retaliate against the family members of Kṛṣṇa by challenging Balarāma to play chess. Although not an expert chess player, Śrī Balarāmajī was very enthusiastic in sporting activities. He accepted Rukmī’s challenge and sat down to play. Betting was with gold coins, and Balarāma first of all challenged with one hundred coins, then one thousand coins, then ten thousand coins. Each time, Balarāma lost, and Rukmī was victorious.
Le roi de Kaliṅga, ami de Rukmī, lui donna le fâcheux conseil de défier au jeu Balarāma pour tenter de Le vaincre. Le jeu d’échecs était une pratique en honneur chez les rois kṣatriyas, si bien qu’on ne pouvait, défié, refuser de se prêter au jeu. Śrī Balarāmajī n’était pas des plus habiles à ce jeu, et le roi Kaliṅga le savait. C’était l’occasion pour Rukmī de se venger des membres de la famille de Kṛṣṇa. S’Il n’était pas très habile aux échecs, Śrī Balarāmajī n’en éprouvait pas moins beaucoup d’enthousiasme pour les jeux et les sports. Il releva le défi de Rukmī et prit place à la table de jeu. La mise se constituait de pièces d’or ; Balarāma ouvrit avec cent pièces, puis mille, puis dix mille. Chaque fois, Il perdit, donnant à Rukmī la victoire.
Śrī Balarāma’s losing the game was an opportunity for the king of Kaliṅga to criticize Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Thus the king of Kaliṅga was talking jokingly while purposefully showing his teeth to Balarāma. Because Balarāma was the loser in the game, He was a little intolerant of the sarcastic joking words and became somewhat agitated. Rukmī again challenged Balarāma and made a bet of a hundred thousand gold coins, but fortunately this time Balarāma won. Nonetheless, out of cunningness Rukmī claimed that Balarāma was the loser and that he himself had won. Because of this lie, Balarāmajī became most angry with Rukmī. His agitation was so sudden and great that it appeared like a tidal wave in the ocean on a full-moon day. Balarāma’s eyes are naturally reddish, and when He became agitated and angry His eyes became more reddish. This time He challenged and made a bet of a hundred million coins.
Le roi de Kaliṅga profita de la situation pour critiquer à la fois Balarāma et Kṛṣṇa. Il se prêtait à des plaisanteries montrant exprès ses dents à Balarāma. Ce dernier, perdant au jeu, avait quelque mal à supporter les sarcasmes, qui commençaient à agiter Son esprit. Sur un nouveau défi de Rukmī, cent mille pièces d’or furent engagées. Par fortune, Balarāma fut cette fois le vainqueur ; malgré quoi le sournois Rukmī déclara qu’il l’avait emporté. Ce mensonge emplit Balarāmajī d’un courroux extrême. Si soudaine, si grande Son agitation, qu’Il rappelait un raz-de-marée un soir de pleine lune. Les yeux de Balarāma sont naturellement un peu rouges : envahis par la colère, ils le devinrent encore plus. Il relança le défi avec un enjeu de cent millions de pièces.
Again Balarāma was the winner according to the rules of chess, but Rukmī again cunningly claimed that he had won. Rukmī appealed to the princes present, and he especially mentioned the name of the king of Kaliṅga. During the dispute there was a voice from the sky, and it announced that for all honest purposes Balarāma was the actual winner of this game, that He was being abused, and that the statement of Rukmī that he had won was absolutely false.
À nouveau, Balarāma sortit vainqueur selon les règles, à nouveau Rukmī eut la malice de s’affirmer victorieux, faisant appel pour en témoigner aux princes présents, dont notamment le roi de Kaliṅga. Alors, une voix venue du ciel interrompit la querelle pour annoncer qu’aux yeux de tous ceux dont les fins sont honnêtes, Balarāma, le vrai vainqueur, Se trouvait victime d’une tricherie et que les dires de Rukmī n’étaient que mensonges.
In spite of this divine voice, Rukmī insisted that Balarāma had lost, and by his persistence it appeared that he had death upon his head. Falsely puffed up by the ill advice of his friend, he did not give much importance to the oracle, and he began to criticize Balarāmajī. He said, “My dear Balarāmajī, You two brothers, cowherd boys only, may be very expert in tending cows, but how can You be expert in playing chess or shooting arrows on the battlefield? These arts are well known only to the princely order.” Hearing this kind of pinching talk by Rukmī and hearing the loud laughter of all the other princes present there, Lord Balarāma became as agitated as burning cinders. He immediately took His club in His hand and, without further talk, struck Rukmī on the head. From that one blow, Rukmī fell down immediately and was dead and gone. Thus Rukmī was killed by Balarāma on that auspicious occasion of Aniruddha’s marriage. These things are not very uncommon in kṣatriya society.
Nonobstant cette voix divine, Rukmī persistait à affirmer sa victoire : cette distinction montrait planer la mort au-dessus de sa tête. Flatté dans son orgueil par les mauvais conseils de son ami, il négligea l’oracle et se mit à invectiver Balarāmajī : « Mon cher Balarāma, toi et ton frère, les jeunes pâtres, vous êtes sans doute versés dans l’art de garder les vaches, mais où auriez-vous appris l’art de jouer aux échecs ou de tirer à l’arc sur le champ de bataille ? Ce sont les privilèges de l’ordre royal. » Entendant ces provocations, et les éclats de rire des princes présents, Śrī Balarāma devint comme de la braise ardente. Sur l’instant, Il prit une masse et, sans un mot de plus, frappa Rukmī à la tête, d’un coup unique qui le fit tomber raide mort. C’est ainsi qu’il fut tué par Balarāma, à l’heureuse occasion du mariage d’Aniruddha.
The king of Kaliṅga, afraid that he would be the next one attacked, fled from the scene. Before he could escape even a few steps, however, Balarāmajī immediately captured him, and because the king had always shown his teeth while criticizing Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma broke all the king’s teeth with His club. The other princes supporting the king of Kaliṅga and Rukmī were also captured, and Balarāma beat them with His club, breaking their legs and hands. They did not try to retaliate but thought it wise to run away from the bloody scene.
Au sein de la société kṣatriya, de tels incidents ne sont pas rares, et le roi de Kaliṅga, de peur d’être à son tour attaqué, décida de quitter les lieux. Mais avant même qu’il ait pu faire quelques enjambées, Balarāmajī le rattrapa, et de Sa masse brisa les dents qu’on Lui avait montrées, à Lui et à Kṛṣṇa, avec tant d’insolence. Les autres princes du parti de Rukmī et de Kaliṅga furent aussi capturés ; Balarāma, de Sa masse, leur brisa bras et jambes : ils jugèrent plus sage d’abandonner le combat.
During this strife between Balarāma and Rukmī, Lord Kṛṣṇa did not utter a word, for He knew that if He supported Balarāma, Rukmiṇī would be unhappy, and if He said that the killing of Rukmī was unjust, then Balarāma would be unhappy. Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa was silent on the death of His brother-in-law Rukmī on the occasion of His grandson’s marriage. He did not disturb His affectionate relationship with either Balarāma or Rukmiṇī. After this, the bride and bridegroom were ceremoniously seated on the chariot, and they started for Dvārakā, accompanied by the bridegroom’s party. The bridegroom’s party was always protected by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the killer of the Madhu demon. Thus they left Rukmī’s kingdom, Bhojakaṭa, and happily started for Dvārakā.
Tout au long des affrontements entre Balarāma et Rukmī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa ne prononça pas un mot, sachant bien que s’Il soutenait Balarāma, Rukmiṇī serait malheureuse, et que s’Il déclarait injuste la mort de Rukmī, Balarāma en concevrait de la tristesse. Voilà pourquoi Śrī Kṛṣṇa garda le silence devant la mort de son beau-frère, au mariage de son petit-fils. Ce qui Lui permit de ne point altérer l’affection qui L’unissait d’un côté à Balarāma et de l’autre à Rukmiṇī. Puis, les jeunes mariés prirent place sur le char de cérémonie et partirent pour Dvārakā, escortés des proches d’Aniruddha, et toujours sous la protection de Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Vainqueur de l’asura Madhu. C’est ainsi qu’ils quittèrent le royaume de Rukmī, Bhojakaṭa, pour prendre dans l’allégresse le chemin de Dvārakā.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the sixty-first chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “The Genealogy of the Family of Kṛṣṇa.”
Ainsi s’achèvent les enseignements de Bhaktivedanta pour le soixante-et-unième chapitre du Livre de Kṛṣṇa, intitulé : « L’arbre généalogique de la famille de Kṛṣṇa ».