93 / Krsna Defeats All the Princes
and Takes Rukmini Home to Dvaraka

All the princes led by Jarasandha became very angry at Krsna’s kid-
napping Rukmini. Struck by the beauty of Rukmini, they had fallen from
the backs of their horses and elephants, but now they began to stand up
and properly arm themselves. Picking up their bows and arrows, they
began to chase Krsna on their chariots, horses and elephants. To check
their progress, the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty turned and faced them.
Thus terrible fighting between the two belligerant groups began. The
princes opposing Krsna were led by Jarasandha, and they were all very
expert in fighting. They began to shoot their arrows at the soldiers of
Yadu just as a cloud splashes the face of a mountain with torrents of rain.
Gathered on the face of a mountain, a cloud does not move very much,
and therefore the force of rain is much more severe on a mountain than it
is anywhere else.

The opposing princes were determined to defeat Krsna and recapture
Rukmini from His custody, and they fought with Him as severely as
possible. Rukmini, seated by the side of Krsna, saw arrows raining from
the opposing party onto the faces of the soldiers of Yadu. In a fearful
attitude, she began to look on the face of Krsna, expressing her grateful-
ness that He had taken such a great risk forher sake only. Her eyes moving,
she appeared to be very sorry, and Krsna could immediately understand
her mind. He encouraged ‘her with these words: “My dear Rukmini, don’t
worry. Please rest assured that the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty will kill
all the opposing soldiers without delay.”

As Krsna was speaking with Rukmini, the commanders of the Yadu dy-
nasty’s soldiers, headed by Lord Balarama, who is also known as Sankarsana,
as well as by Gadadhara, not tolerating the defiant attitude of the
opposing soldiers, began to strike their horses, elephants, and chariots with
arrows. As the fighting progressed, the princes and soldiers of the enemy

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