94
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 3]
the Supreme Lord, Rukmiṇī was actually meant for Lord Kṛṣṇa. But Śiśupāla was selected as her bridegroom by Rukmiṇī's elder brother, although King Bhīṣmaka wanted his daughter to be married to Kṛṣṇa. Rukmiṇī invited Kṛṣṇa to take her away from the clutches of Śiśupāla, so when the bridegroom, Śiśupāla, came there with his party with the desire to marry Rukmiṇī, Kṛṣṇa all of a sudden swept her from the scene, stepping over the heads of all the princes there, just as Garuḍa carried away nectar from the hands of the demons. This incident will be clearly explained in the Tenth Canto.
TEXT 4
ककुश्चिनोऽविद्धनसो दमित्वा 
  स्वयंवरे नाग्नजितीमुवाह । 
  तद्ध्यमानानपि गृध्यतोऽज्ञा- 
  अग्नेऽक्षतः शस्त्रभृतः स्वशस्त्रैः ॥ ४ ॥
kakudmino 'viddhanaso damitvā 
  svayamvare nāgnajitīm uvāha 
  tad-bhagnamānān api gṛdhyato jñāñ 
  jaghne 'kṣataḥ śastra-bhṛtaḥ sva-śastraiḥ
kakudminaḥ—bulls whose noses were not pierced; aviddhanasaḥ—pierced by the nose; damitvā—subduing; svayamvare—in the open competition to select the bridegroom; nāgnijitī—Princess Nāgnijitī; uvāha—married; tat-bhagnamānāḥ—in that way all who were disappointed; api—even though; gṛdhyaytaḥ—wanted; ajñān—fools; jaghne—killed and wounded; akṣataḥ—without being wounded; śastra-bhṛtaḥ—equipped with all weapons; sva-śastraiḥ—by His own weapons.
TRANSLATION
By subduing seven bulls whose noses were not pierced, the Lord achieved the hand of Princess Nāgnajitī in the open competition to select her bridegroom. Although the Lord was victorious, His competitors asked the hand of the Princess, and thus there was a fight. Well-equipped with weapons, the Lord killed or wounded all of them, but He was not hurt Himself.