398 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

and his wife is known as Rudrani. Rudrani and Rudra refer to those who
are very accustomed to putting others in a distressed condition so they
might cry forever. Rukmini was thinking of the goddess Durga as Girija,
the daughter of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan Mountains are
very cold and hard, and she thought of the goddess Durga as hardhearted
and cold. In her anxiety to see Krsna, Rukmini, who was after all still a
child, thought this way about the different demigods. The gopis worship
goddess Katyayani to get Krsna as their husband; similarly Rukmini was
thinking of the various types of demigods, not for material benefit, but in
respect to Krsna. Praying to the demigods to achieve the favor of Krsna is
not irregular, and Rukmini was fully absorbed in thoughts of Krsna.

Even though she pacified herself by thinking that the time for Govinda
to arrive had not yet expired, Rukmini felt that she was hoping against
hope. She began to shed tears, and when they became more forceful, she
closed her eyes in helplessness. While Rukmini was in such deep thought,
auspicious symptoms appeared in different parts of her body. Trembling
began to occur in her left eyelid and in her arms and thighs. When
trembling occurs in these parts of the body, it is an auspicious sign
indicating that something lucrative can be expected.

Just then, Rukmini, full of anxiety, saw the brahmana messenger.
Krsna, being the Supersoul of all living beings, could understand Rukmint1’s
anxiety; therefore he sent the brahmana inside the palace to let her know
that He had arrived. When Rukmini saw the brahmanea, she could under-
stand the auspicious trembling of her body and immediately became
elated. She smiled and inquired from him whether or not Krsna had
already come. The brahmana replied that the son of the Yadu dynasty,
Sri Krsna, had arrived; he further encouraged her by saying that Krsna
had promised to carry her away without fail. Rukmini was so elated by the
brahmana’s message that she wanted to give him in charity everything she
possessed. However, finding nothing suitable for presentation, she simply
offered him her respectful obeisances. The significance of offering respect-
ful obeisances to a superior is that the one offering obeisances is obliged
to the respected person. In other werds, Rukmini implied that she would
remain ever grateful to the brahmana. Anyone who gets the favor of the
goddess of fortune, as did this brahmana, is without a doubt always happy
in material opulence.

When King Bhismaka heard that Krsna and Balarama had come, he
invited Them to see the marriage ceremony of his daughter. Immediately
he arranged to receive Them, along with Their soldiers, in a suitable
garden house. As was the Vedic custom, the King offered Krsna and
