Krsna Defeats All the Princes 363
camp began to fall from their horses, elephants and chariots. Within a very
short time, it was seen that millions of severed heads, decorated with
helmets and earrings, had fallen on the battlefield. The soldiers’ hands
were cut up along with their bows and arrows and clubs; one head was
piled upon another, and one horse was piled upon another. All the
infantry soldiers, as well as their camels, elephants and asses, fell down
with severed heads.

When the enemy, headed by Jarasandha, found that they were gradually
being defeated by the soldiers of Krsna, they thought it unwise to risk
losing in the battle for the sake of Sisupala. Sigupala himself should
have fought to rescue Rukmini from the hands of Krsna, but when the
soldiers saw that Sigupala was not competent enough to fight with Krsna,
they decided not to lose their strength unnecessarily; therefore they
ceased fighting and dispersed.

Some of the princes, as a matter of etiquette, appeared before Siéupala.
They saw that Sigupala was very much discouraged, like one who has lost
his wife. His face appeared to be dried up, he had lost all his energy, and
all the luster of his body had disappeared. They began to address Sigupala
thus: ‘““My dear Sisupala, don’t be discouraged in this way. You belong to
the royal order and are the chief amongst the fighters. There is no
question of distress or happiness for a person like you because neither of
these conditions is everlasting. Take courage. Don’t be disappointed by
this temporary reverse. After all, we are not the final actor; as puppets
dance in the hands of a magician, we are all dancing by the will of the
Supreme, and according to His grace only we suffer distress or enjoy
happiness, which therefore balance equally in all circumstances.”

The whole catastrophe of the defeat was due to the envious nature of
Rukmini’s elder brother, Rukmi. Having seen his sister forcibly taken
away by Krsna after he had planned to marry her with Sigupala, Rukmi
was frustrated. So he and Sisupala, his friend and intended brother-in-law,
returned to their respective homes. Rukmi, very much agitated, was
determined to personally teach Krsna a lesson. He called for his own
soldiers—a military phalanx consisting of several thousand elephants,
horses, chariots and infantry—and, equipped with this military strength,
he began to follow Krsna to Dvaraka. In order to show his prestige,
Rukmi began to promise before all the returning kings, “You could not
help Sigupala marry my sister Rukmini, but I cannot allow Rukmini to be
taken away by Krsna. I shall teach Him a lesson. Now I am going there.”
He presented himself as a big commander and vowed before all the princes
present, “Unless I kill Krsna in the fight and bring back my sister from
