KRISHNA KIDNAPS RUKMINI
Artist: Bharadwaja Dasa
The beautiful princess Rukmini had heard about the glory of Lord Krishna from the sage Narada. She fixed Krishna in her heart
and wanted to marry Him. However, her brother Rukmi wanted her to marry Sishupala. Not accepting this proposal, Rukmini sent
a message to Krishna to kidnap her. Lord Krishna showed up at the right time and took the beautiful princess onto His chariot
and drove away. This angered the warriors who were supporting Sishupala. They fought with Krishna but were defeated by Balarama
and His forces. Rukmi then attacked Lord Krishna, fought with Him and was defeated. With His sword Krishna shaved Rukmi's
hair and beard in a humorous way, but didn't kill him. Later Rukmi was killed by Balarama in a chess match. Rukmini was
the first queen of Lord Krishna's 16,108 queens. Krishna built a palace for each queen in Dwaraka and expanded Himself
to be with each queen. Each queen thought that Krishna had favored her amongst all the queens. God, and only God, can exhibit
such mystic potency. This pastime is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10th canto,
53rd chapter.