Chapter Eight Sarva-mahiṣy-udvahaḥ The Marriages of All the Queens

O king of Mithilā, please hear the auspicious story of Lord Kṛṣṇa's other queens, a sacred story that removes all sins and increases the span of one's life.

When the sun-god gave the Syamantaka jewel to Satrājit, Lord Kṛṣṇa asked that the jewel be given to King Ugrasena.

O king of Mithilā, out of greed King Satrājit did not give away the jewel, which daily created eight bhāras of gold.

Then, placing the jewel on his neck, Satrājit's brother Prasena mounted a sindhu horse and went hunting in the forest.

A lion killed Prasena. Then Jāmbavān killed the lion and took the jewel to his cave.

Satrājit said: When my brother, wearing the jewel around his neck, went to the forest, Kṛṣṇa killed him. That is why my brother has not returned to his people.

O noble-hearted one, Lord Kṛṣṇa, His good reputation tainted by the rumor, went with some people of the city to the forest. There He saw Prasena, the horse, and the lion, all of them dead.

Entering Jāmbavān's cave to recover the jewel, for 28 days Lord Kṛṣṇa fought with Jāmbavān, the king of the ṛkṣas.

O king of kings, Jāmbavān gave the jewel and his beautiful daughter, Jāmbavatī, to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Then the Lord returned to Dvārakā.

gṛhītvāpi punas tasmai śrī-kṛṣṇāya mahātmane satyabhāmāṁ sutāṁ prādāc chānty-arthaṁ maithileśvara satrājitāya—to satrajit; pradadau—gave; maṇim—the jewel; nirlāñchanaḥ—free from infamy; prabhuḥ—the Lord; vrīḍitaḥ—embarrassed; avāk—without words; mukhaḥ—in his mouth; bhītaḥ—frightened; rājā—King; satrājitaḥ—Satrajit; maṇim—the jewel; gṛhītvā—taking; api—also; punaḥ—again; tasmai—to Him; śrī-kṛṣṇāya—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; mahātmane—noble-hearted; satyabhāmām—Satyabhāmā; sutām—his daughter; prādāt—gave; chānty-artham—to appease the Lord; maithileśvara—O king of Mithilā. His good reputation restored, Lord Kṛṣṇa gave the Jewel to Satrājit. Embarrassed, frightened, and speechless, Satrājit gave his daughter, Satyabhāmā, in marriage to Lord Kṛṣṇa to pacify Him.

gṛhītvāpi punas tasmai śrī-kṛṣṇāya mahātmane satyabhāmāṁ sutāṁ prādāc chānty-arthaṁ maithileśvara satrājitāya—to satrajit; pradadau—gave; maṇim—the jewel; nirlāñchanaḥ—free from infamy; prabhuḥ—the Lord; vrīḍitaḥ—embarrassed; avāk—without words; mukhaḥ—in his mouth; bhītaḥ—frightened; rājā—King; satrājitaḥ—Satrajit; maṇim—the jewel; gṛhītvā—taking; api—also; punaḥ—again; tasmai—to Him; śrī-kṛṣṇāya—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; mahātmane—noble-hearted; satyabhāmām—Satyabhāmā; sutām—his daughter; prādāt—gave; chānty-artham—to appease the Lord; maithileśvara—O king of Mithilā. His good reputation restored, Lord Kṛṣṇa gave the Jewel to Satrājit. Embarrassed, frightened, and speechless, Satrājit gave his daughter, Satyabhāmā, in marriage to Lord Kṛṣṇa to pacify Him.

Then Lord Kṛṣṇa, who dearly loves His relatives, went to Hastināpura and stayed there for the months of the monsoon to help the Pāṇḍavas.

One day Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna went hunting on the shore of the beautiful Yamunā.

There Arjuna found Kālindī, who had been performing austerities to attain Lord Kṛṣṇa as her husband. Arjuna showed her to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and He accepted her and took her with Him.

Returning to Dvārakā, Lord Kṛṣṇa married beautiful Kālindī, the sun-god's daughter, in a proper and auspicious ritual.

Then, as He had kidnapped Rukmiṇī, Lord Kṛṣṇa kidnapped beautiful Mitravindā, the princess of Avantya-deśa, at the time of her svayamvara.

Then, after subduing seven bulls as all the people watched, Lord Kṛṣṇa married Satyā, the daughter of KIng Nagnajit.

Then, as He had married Kālindī, Lord Kṛṣṇa married Bhadrā, the princess of Kaikeya, in a proper ritual.

O king, after piercing a fish and defeating many rivals, Lord Kṛṣṇa took virtuous Lakṣmaṇā, the daughter of King Bṛhatsena.

Then Lord Kṛṣṇa killed the demon Bhaumāsura and released from his prison 16,100 beautiful princesses.

By the arrangement of His yogamāyā potency expanding into many forms, Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted the hands of all these girls in many different rooms in a single moment.

Each wife gave birth to ten exalted sons, each son having all his father's virtues.

From Rukmiṇī was born the first son, Pradyumna, who had all the transcendental qualities of His father, and who was an incarnation of Kāmadeva.

Then merciless Śambara kidnapped the infant Pradyumna and threw him in the ocean. Lord Kṛṣṇa's son Pradyumna entered the belly of a great fish and did not die.

Taken from the fish's belly, and carefully protected by his wife, Pradyumna suddenly grew to become a young man. Then he understood what his enemy had done.

O king, after killing his enemy Śambara, Pradyumna went with his beautiful wife to Dvārakā. His deeds are certainly very wonderful.

The great chariot-fighter Pradyumna also kidnapped Rukmī's daughter from the place of her svayamvara in Bhojakaṭa City and married her.

From Pradyumna was born a son, Aniruddha, who was strong as ten thousand elephants and glorious as a blue autumn lotus. He was an incarnation of the first of the demigods.

This is the wonderful and auspicious story of the marriages of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the origin of the catur-vyūha expansions of the Lord.

O king, now I have spoken to you this sacred story, which removes all sins and increases one's span of life. What more do you wish to hear?