Lord Balarāma Slays Rukmī SB 10.61

[Paramananda das]

some interesting stuff about Rukmi :
Rukmi - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rukmi
Mahabharata character
Rukmi
Miniature Painting, Krishna releases the defeated Rukmi, Guler style, 1770, Chamba Museum, Himachal Pradesh
In-universe information
Weapon Sword
Family Bhishmaka (father)
Rukmini (sister)
Relatives Pradyumna (son-in-law), Rukmavati (daughter), Aniruddha (grandson), Rochana (granddaughter)

Balarama kills Rukmi
Rukmi (Sanskrit: रुक्मी) is the ruler of Vidarbha according to the epic Mahabharata. He was the son of King Bhishmaka and the elder brother of Rukmini.[1] The Harivamsa mentions that Rukmi was trained in the arts of warfare by the Kimpurusha Druma. Krishna married Rukmini by eloping with her from Vidarbha, even though Rukmi wanted to give her as a bride to the Chedi king Shishupala. He fought with Krishna, but was defeated. When Krishna was about to kill him, Rukmini begged that he spare her brother's life. Krishna agreed and let Rukmi go free, but not before having his head shaved as a visible sign of a warrior's defeat.[2]
Rukmi never returned to his capital Kundinapuri in Vidarbha. Instead, he created another capital called Bhojakata to the west of Kundina and started ruling his kingdom from there. Rukmi’s daughter, Rukmavati, married Krishna’s son Pradyumna. Rukmavati and Pradyumna had a son, Aniruddha.[3]
Rukmi was not accepted by Arjuna or Duryodhana as an ally in the Kurukshetra War because of his boastfulness. Thus, Rukmi's Vidarbha army stayed away from the Kurukshetra War, becoming a neutral army in the encounter between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
The king was killed by Balarama because he cheated the deity in a game of dice, and insulted his Yadava heritage.[4]
References[edit]
^ Kisari Mohan Ganguli (1883–1896). The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose.
^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Kathiawar (Public Domain text). Vol. VIII. Printed at the Government Central Press, Bombay. 1884. p. 380.
^ Amar Chitra Katha Bhagawat Krishna Avatar
^ "Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10 - Chapter 61". bhagavata.org. Retrieved 11 July 2022.

I am not sure if this pastime of killing Rukmi took place after the Battle of Kuruksetra but Rukmis Army was not involved in that war
In case you like me wondering where the Videha Kingdom was in Maharastra
Vidarbha Kingdom - Wikipedia

Devotees of Lord Balarama can daily chant Balarama Kavacha :
Balarama Kavacha

This Balarama Kavacha (armor) will ensure one full protection against the onslaught of Maya. One should chant this mantra after having taken bath and worn clean cloth. This Kavacha had previously been given to the Vraja Gopis by Sri Garga Muni.

goloka-dhama-adhipatihparesvarah
paresu-mampatupavitrakirtanah
bhu-mandalam-sarsa-pava-dvilaksate
yan-murdhnimampatu-sa bhumi mandale (1)
O Master of Goloka who is always glorified by kirtan, kindly protect me from my enemies. O you who carries Bhumandala on His head like a mustard seed (Sesa), kindly protect me in Bhumandala.

sena-su-mam-raksa-tu-sir-panir
yuddhe-sada raksa-tu mam halich
durgesu chavyan-musali sada-mam
vanesu sankarsanaadi-devah (2 )
O Sir-Pani kindly protect me amongst the military forces. O Halich, kindly protect me in battle, O Musalidhara, kindly protect me in the fortress . O Sankarsana, kindly protect me in the forest.

kalinda ja vega haro jalesu
nilambaro raksa tu mam asda gnau
vayau ca ramo vatukhe balascha
maharnave anata vapu asda mam (3)
O controller of the Yamuna kindly protect me in the water. O Nilambar kindly protect me against fire. O Rama kindly protect me from the wind. O Balarama kindly protect me in the sky. O Anant Vapu kindly be my only protector in the ocean.

kamat sada raksa tu dhenukarin
krodhat sada mam devivida prahari
lobhat sada raksa tu balvalarir
mohat sada mam kil magadharih (5)
O Dhenukari kindly protect me from lust. O Dvivida Prahari kindly protect me against anger. O Balvalari kindly protect me from greed. O Magadhari kindly protect me against illusion.

pratah sada raksa tu vrsni dhuryah
prahne sada mam mathura purendrah
madhyam dine gopa sakhah prapatu
svarat parahne vatu mam sadaiva (6)
O Vrsni Dhurya kindly protect me in the morning . O Mathura Purendra kindly protect me in the eight periods of the day. O Gopa Sakhah kindly protect me in the middle of the day. O Svarat kindly protect me in the afternoon.

sayam phanindro vatu mam sadaiva
paratparo raksa tu mam pradose
purne nisithe ca duranata-viryah
pratyusa kale vatu mam sadaiva (7)
O Phanindra, kindly protect me in the evening. O Paratpara, kindly protect me in the frist part of of night. O Duranta-virya, kindly protect me the middle of the night. O Balarama, kindly protect me in the last part of the night.

vidiksu mam raksa tu revati-patir
diksu pralambari radha yadu-dvahah
urddhvam sada mam balabhadra arat
tatah samantad baladeva eva hi (8)
O Ravati-pati, kindly protect me from the four intermediate directions. O Parlambari, kindly protect me from the four directions. O Balabhadra, kindly protect me from above, O Baladeva, kindly protect me from below and on every side.

antah sada vyat purusottamo
bahir nagendra lilo vatu mam mahabalah
sada antaratmaja vasam harih avayam
prapatu purnah paramesvaro mahan (9)
O Pursottam kindly protect me from within. O Nagendra kindly protect me from outside. O Hari, you are the supreme Personality of Godhead please kindly be my only protector always.
This Balarama kavacha drives away all fears of both the demigods and the demons and burns up all sinful reactions.

Rukmi is also mentioned in the powerful prayer to Lord Balarama in the Garga Samhita 8th Canto by chanting it daily one attains Goloka Vrindavana :
dhenukärir mushtikärih
kutärir balvaläntakah
rukmy-arih kupakarnärih
kumbhandäris tvam eva hi

You are the enemy of Dhenuka, the enemy of Mushtika, the enemy of Kuta, the killer of Balvala, the enemy of Rukmi, the enemy of Kupakarna, and the enemy of Kumbhanda.

Here is this powerful prayer to Lord Balarama
Text 3

devädi-deva bhagavan
käma-päla namo 'stu te
namo 'nantäya sheshäya
säkshäd-rämäya te namah

O master of the demigods, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O fulfiller of desires, obeisances to You! O Lord Ananta Shesha, obeisances to You! O Lord Balaräma, obeisances to You!

Text 4

dharä-dharäya purnäya
sva-dhämne sira-pänaye
sahasra-shirase nityam
namah sankarshanäya te

O Lord who maintains the earth, O glorious Lord, O perfect and complete Lord, O Lord who holds a plow in Your hand, O Lord who has a thousand heads, O Lord Sankarshana, eternal obeisances to You!

Text 5

revati-ramana tvam vai
baladeväcyutägraja
haläyudha pralamba-ghna
pähi mäm purushottama

O husband of Revati, O Lord Balaräma, O elder brother of Lord Krishna, O Lord who holds a plow-weapon, O killer of Pralambäsura, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, please protect me!

Text 6

baläya balabhadräya
tälänkäya namo namah
nilämbaräya gauräya
rauhineyäya te namah

O Lord Balaräma, who carries a palm-tree flag, obeisances to You! O son of Rohini, O fair-complexioned Lord dressed in blue garments, obeisances to You!

Text 7

dhenukärir mushtikärih
kutärir balvaläntakah
rukmy-arih kupakarnärih
kumbhandäris tvam eva hi

You are the enemy of Dhenuka, the enemy of Mushtika, the enemy of Kuta, the killer of Balvala, the enemy of Rukmi, the enemy of Kupakarna, and the enemy of Kumbhanda.

Text 8

kälindi-bhedano 'si tvam
hastinäpura-karshakah
dvividärir yädavendro
vraja-mandala-mandanah

You are the Lord who broke the Yamuna' and dragged Hastinäpura. You are the enemy of Dvivida. You are the king of the Yädavas. You are the ornament of Vraja's circle.

Text 9

kamsa-bhrätri-prahantäsi
tirtha-yäträ-karah prabhuh
duryodhana-guruh säkshät
pähi pähi prabho tö atah

You are the killer of Kamsa's brothers. You are the supreme master, the Lord who went on pilgrimage, and Duryodhana's guru. O master, please protect me! Please protect me!

Text 10

jaya jayäcyuta-deva parät para
svayam ananta-dig-anta-gata-shruta
sura-munindra-phanindra-caräya te
musaline baline haline namah

O infallible Lord, greater than the greatest, O Lord whose glories are heard in all directions without limit, glory to You! Glory to You! O Lord served by the demigods, the kings of the sages, and the kings of the serpents, O powerful Lord who holds a plow and a club, obeisances to You!

Text 11

yah pathet satatam stavanam narah
sa tu hareh paramam padam ävrajet
jagati sarva-balam to ari-mardanam
bhavati tasya dhanam sva-janam dhanam

A person who regularly recites this prayer attains Lord Hari's transcendental abode. All the strength in the universe is his. He crushes his enemies. He attains great wealth and a great dynasty.
No photo description available.

Lord Balarāma Slays Rukmī
This chapter lists Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sons, grandsons and other progeny. It also describes how Lord Balarāma killed Rukmī at Aniruddha’s marriage ceremony and how Lord Kṛṣṇa arranged for His sons and daughters to be married.
Not understanding the full truth about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, each of His wives thought that since He remained constantly in her palace she must be His favorite wife. They were all entranced by the Lord’s beauty and His loving conversations with them, but they could not agitate His mind with the charming gestures of their eyebrows or by any other means. Having attained as their husband Lord Kṛṣṇa, whom even demigods like Brahmā find it difficult to know in truth, the Lord’s queens were always eager to associate with Him. Thus, although each of them had hundreds of maidservants, they would personally render Him menial service.
Each of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives had ten sons, who in turn each fathered many sons and grandsons. In the womb of Rukmī’s daughter Rukmavatī, Pradyumna fathered Aniruddha. Though Śrī Kṛṣṇa had disrespected Rukmī, to please his sister Rukmī gave his daughter in marriage to Pradyumna, and his granddaughter to Aniruddha. Balī, the son of Kṛtavarmā, married Rukmiṇī’s daughter Cārumatī.
At Aniruddha’s wedding, Lord Baladeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and other Yādavas went to Rukmī’s palace in the city of Bhojakaṭa. After the ceremony, Rukmī challenged Lord Baladeva to a game of dice. In the first match Rukmī defeated Baladeva, whereupon the King of Kaliṅga laughed at the Lord, displaying all his teeth. Lord Baladeva won the next match, but Rukmī refused to concede defeat. A voice then spoke from the sky, announcing that Baladeva had in fact won. But Rukmī, encouraged by the wicked kings, offended Lord Baladeva by saying that while He was certainly expert at tending cows, He knew nothing of playing dice. Thus insulted, Lord Baladeva angrily struck Rukmī dead with His club. The King of Kaliṅga tried to flee, but Lord Baladeva seized him and knocked out all his teeth. Then the other offensive kings, their arms, thighs and heads wounded by Baladeva’s blows, fled in all directions, bleeding profusely. Śrī Kṛṣṇa expressed neither approval nor disapproval of His brother-in-law’s death, fearing He would jeopardize His loving ties with either Rukmiṇī or Baladeva.
Lord Baladeva and the other Yādavas then seated Aniruddha and His bride on a fine chariot, and they all set off for Dvārakā.
Text 1: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Each of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives gave birth to ten sons, who were not less than their father, having all His personal opulence.
Text 2: Because each of these princesses saw that Lord Acyuta never left her palace, each thought herself the Lord’s favorite. These women did not understand the full truth about Him.
Text 3: The Supreme Lord’s wives were fully enchanted by His lovely, lotuslike face, His long arms and large eyes, His loving glances imbued with laughter, and His charming talks with them. But with all their charms these ladies could not conquer the mind of the all-powerful Lord.
Text 4: The arched eyebrows of these sixteen thousand queens enchantingly expressed those ladies’ secret intentions through coyly smiling sidelong glances. Thus their eyebrows boldly sent forth conjugal messages. Yet even with these arrows of Cupid, and with other means as well, they could not agitate Lord Kṛṣṇa’s senses.
Text 5: Thus these women obtained as their husband the master of the goddess of fortune, although even great demigods like Brahmā do not know how to approach Him. With ever-increasing pleasure, they felt loving attraction for Him, exchanged smiling glances with Him, eagerly anticipated associating with Him in ever-fresh intimacy and enjoyed in many other ways.
Text 6: Although the Supreme Lord’s queens each had hundreds of maidservants, they chose to personally serve the Lord by approaching Him humbly, offering Him a seat, worshiping Him with excellent paraphernalia, bathing and massaging His feet, giving Him pān to chew, fanning Him, anointing Him with fragrant sandalwood paste, adorning Him with flower garlands, dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing Him and presenting Him with various gifts.

please note the purport :
ŚB 10.61.6
प्रत्युद्गमासनवरार्हणपादशौच-
ताम्बूलविश्रमणवीजनगन्धमाल्यै: ।
केशप्रसारशयनस्‍नपनोपहार्यै-
र्दासीशता अपि विभोर्विदधु: स्म दास्यम् ॥ ६ ॥
pratyudgamāsana-varārhaṇa-pāda-śauca-
tāmbūla-viśramaṇa-vījana-gandha-mālyaiḥ
keśa-prasāra-śayana-snapanopahāryaiḥ
dāsī-śatā api vibhor vidadhuḥ sma dāsyam
Synonyms
pratyudgama — by approaching; āsana — offering a seat; vara — first class; arhaṇa — worship; pāda — His feet; śauca — washing; tāmbūla — (offering) betel nut; viśramaṇa — helping Him to relax (by massaging His feet); vījana — fanning; gandha — (offering) fragrant substances; mālyaiḥ — and flower garlands; keśa — His hair; prasāra — by dressing; śayana — arranging His bed; snapana — bathing Him; upahāryaiḥ — and by presenting gifts; dāsī — maidservants; śatāḥ — having hundreds; api — although; vibhoḥ — for the almighty Lord; vidadhuḥ-sma — they executed; dāsyam — service.

Translation
Although the Supreme Lord’s queens each had hundreds of maidservants, they chose to personally serve the Lord by approaching Him humbly, offering Him a seat, worshiping Him with excellent paraphernalia, bathing and massaging His feet, giving Him pān to chew, fanning Him, anointing Him with fragrant sandalwood paste, adorning Him with flower garlands, dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing Him and presenting Him with various gifts.

Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that Śukadeva Gosvāmī is so eager to describe these glorious pastimes of the Lord with His queens that he has repeated these verses. That is, text 5 of this chapter is almost identical with text 44 of the Fifty-ninth Chapter in this canto, and text 6 is identical with text 45 of that chapter. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the term varārhaṇa (“excellent offerings”) indicates that the queens offered the Lord palmfuls of flowers (puṣpāñjali) and palmfuls of jewels (ratnāñjali).
Text 7: Among Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wives, each of whom had ten sons, I previously mentioned eight principal queens. I shall now recite for you the names of those eight queens’ sons, headed by Pradyumna.
Texts 8-9: The first son of Queen Rukmiṇī was Pradyumna, and also born of her were Cārudeṣṇa, Sudeṣṇa and the powerful Cārudeha, along with Sucāru, Cārugupta, Bhadracāru, Cārucandra, Vicāru and Cāru, the tenth. None of these sons of Lord Hari was less than his father.
Texts 10-12: The ten sons of Satyabhāmā were Bhānu, Subhānu, Svarbhānu, Prabhānu, Bhānumān, Candrabhānu, Bṛhadbhānu, Atibhānu (the eighth), Śrībhānu and Pratibhānu. Sāmba, Sumitra, Purujit, Śatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasumān, Draviḍa and Kratu were the sons of Jāmbavatī. These ten, headed by Sāmba, were their father’s favorites.
Text 13: The sons of Nāgnajitī were Vīra, Candra, Aśvasena, Citragu, Vegavān, Vṛṣa, Āma, Śaṅku, Vasu and the opulent Kunti.
Text 14: Śruta, Kavi, Vṛṣa, Vīra, Subāhu, Bhadra, Śānti, Darśa and Pūrṇamāsa were sons of Kālindī. Her youngest son was Somaka.
Text 15: Mādrā’s sons were Praghoṣa, Gātravān, Siṁha, Bala, Prabala, Ūrdhaga, Mahāśakti, Saha, Oja and Aparājita.
Text 16: Mitravindā’s sons were Vṛka, Harṣa, Anila, Gṛdhra, Vardhana, Unnāda, Mahāṁsa, Pāvana, Vahni and Kṣudhi.
Text 17: Saṅgrāmajit, Bṛhatsena, Śūra, Praharaṇa, Arijit, Jaya and Subhadra were the sons of Bhadrā, together with Vāma, Āyur and Satyaka.
Text 18: Dīptimān, Tāmratapta and others were the sons of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rohiṇī. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s son Pradyumna fathered the greatly powerful Aniruddha in the womb of Rukmavatī, the daughter of Rukmī. O King, this took place while they were living in the city of Bhojakaṭa.
Purport
Lord Kṛṣṇa’s eight principal queens are Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavatī, Nāgnajitī, Kālindī, Lakṣmaṇā, Mitravindā and Bhadrā. Having mentioned all their sons, Śukadeva Gosvāmī now refers to the sons of the other 16,100 queens by mentioning the two principal sons of Queen Rohiṇī, the foremost of the remaining queens.
Text 19: My dear King, the sons and grandsons of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s children numbered in the tens of millions. Sixteen thousand mothers gave rise to this dynasty.
Text 20: King Parīkṣit said: How could Rukmī give his daughter to his enemy’s son? After all, Rukmī had been defeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in battle and was waiting for an opportunity to kill Him. Please explain this to me, O learned one — how these two inimical parties became united through marriage.
Text 21: Mystic yogīs can perfectly see that which has not yet happened, as well as things in the past or present, beyond the senses, remote or blocked by physical obstacles.
Text 22: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: At her svayaṁvara ceremony, Rukmavatī herself chose Pradyumna, who was the re-embodiment of Cupid. Then, although He fought alone on a single chariot, Pradyumna defeated the assembled kings in battle and took her away.
Text 23: Though Rukmī always remembered his enmity toward Lord Kṛṣṇa, who had insulted him, in order to please his sister he sanctioned his daughter’s marriage to his nephew.
Text 24: O King, Balī, the son of Kṛtavarmā, married Rukmiṇī’s young daughter, large-eyed Cārumatī.

Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that each of the Lord’s queens had one daughter, and that this mention of Cārumatī’s marriage is an indirect reference to the marriages of all these princesses.
My note : so in other words Krsna had 10 sons and one daughter with each of His 16.108 Queens
Text 25: Rukmī gave his granddaughter Rocanā to his daughter’s son, Aniruddha, despite Rukmī’s relentless feud with Lord Hari. Although Rukmī considered this marriage irreligious, he wanted to please his sister, bound as he was by the ropes of affection.
check out the purport :
ŚB 10.61.25
दौहित्रायानिरुद्धाय पौत्रीं रुक्‍म्याददाद्धरे: ।
रोचनां बद्धवैरोऽपि स्वसु: प्रियचिकीर्षया ।
जानन्नधर्मं तद् यौनं स्‍नेहपाशानुबन्धन: ॥ २५ ॥
dauhitrāyāniruddhāya
pautrīṁ rukmy ādadād dhareḥ
rocanāṁ baddha-vairo ’pi
svasuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā
jānann adharmaṁ tad yaunaṁ
sneha-pāśānubandhanaḥ
Synonyms
dauhitrāya — to his daughter’s son; aniruddhāya — Aniruddha; pautrīm — his granddaughter; rukmī — Rukmī; ādadāt — gave; hareḥ — toward Lord Kṛṣṇa; rocanām — named Rocanā; baddha — bound; vairaḥ — in enmity; api — although; svasuḥ — his sister; priya-cikīrṣayā — wanting to please; jānan — knowing; adharmam — irreligion; tat — that; yaunam — marriage; sneha — of affection; pāśa — by the ropes; anubandhanaḥ — whose bondage.
Translation
Rukmī gave his granddaughter Rocanā to his daughter’s son, Aniruddha, despite Rukmī’s relentless feud with Lord Hari. Although Rukmī considered this marriage irreligious, he wanted to please his sister, bound as he was by the ropes of affection.
Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that according to worldly standards one should not give one’s beloved granddaughter to the grandson of one’s bitter enemy. Thus we find the following injunction: dviṣad-annaṁ na bhoktavyaṁ dviṣantaṁ naiva bhojayet. “One should not eat an enemy’s food or feed an enemy.” There is also the following prohibition: asvargyaṁ loka-vidviṣṭaṁ dharmam apy ācaren na tu. “One should not execute religious injunctions if they will obstruct one’s journey to heaven, or if they are odious to human society.”
It should be pointed out here that Lord Kṛṣṇa is not really the enemy of anyone. As the Lord states in the Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati: “One achieves peace by understanding that I am the well-wishing friend of every living being.” Although Lord Kṛṣṇa is everyone’s friend, Rukmī could not appreciate this fact and considered Lord Kṛṣṇa his enemy. Still, out of affection for his sister, he gave his granddaughter to Aniruddha.
Finally, we should note that, contrary to the prohibition quoted above, one may not give up the basic principles of spiritual life merely because such principles are unpopular with people in general. As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Gītā (18.66), sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaranaṁ vraja. The last word in spiritual duties is to surrender to the Supreme Lord, and that duty takes precedence over all secondary injunctions. Moreover, in this age Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has kindly presented a sublime process that will attract all sincere people to come to the point of surrendering to the Lord. By following Lord Caitanya’s blissful process of chanting, dancing, feasting and discussing spiritual philosophy, anyone can easily go back home, back to Godhead, for an eternal life of bliss and knowledge.
Still, someone may argue that the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should not practice in the Western countries those ceremonies or activities that displease people in general. We respond that even in the Western countries, when people are properly informed of the activities of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they generally appreciate this great spiritual institution. Those who are especially envious of God will not appreciate any type of religious movement, and since such persons are themselves little better than animals, they cannot impede the great Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, just as the envious Rukmī could not impede the performance of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pure pastimes.
Text 26: On the joyous occasion of that marriage, O King, Queen Rukmiṇī, Lord Balarāma, Lord Kṛṣṇa and several of the Lord’s sons, headed by Sāmba and Pradyumna, went to the city of Bhojakaṭa.
Texts 27-28: After the wedding, a group of arrogant kings headed by the King of Kaliṅga told Rukmī, “You should defeat Balarāma at dice. He’s not expert at dice, O King, but still He’s quite addicted to it.” Thus advised, Rukmī challenged Balarāma and began a gambling match with Him.
Text 29: In that match Lord Balarāma first accepted a wager of one hundred coins, then one thousand, then ten thousand. Rukmī won this first round, and the King of Kaliṅga laughed loudly at Lord Balarāma, showing all his teeth. Lord Balarāma could not tolerate this.

Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the wagers consisted of gold coins. Lord Balarāma inwardly became quite angry when He saw the gross offense of the King of Kaliṅga.
Text 30: Next Rukmī accepted a bet of one hundred thousand coins, which Lord Balarāma won. But Rukmī tried to cheat, declaring “I’m the winner!”
Text 31: Shaking with anger like the ocean on the full-moon day, handsome Lord Balarāma, His naturally reddish eyes even redder in His fury, accepted a wager of one hundred million gold coins.
Text 32: Lord Balarāma fairly won this wager also, but Rukmī again resorted to cheating and declared, “I have won! Let these witnesses here say what they saw.”
Text 33: Just then a voice from the sky declared, “Balarāma has fairly won this wager. Rukmī is surely lying.”
Text 34: Urged on by the wicked kings, Rukmī ignored the divine voice. In fact destiny itself was urging Rukmī on, and thus he ridiculed Lord Balarāma as follows.
Text 35: [Rukmī said:] You cowherds who wander about the forests know nothing about dice. Playing with dice and sporting with arrows are only for kings, not for the likes of You.
Text 36: Thus insulted by Rukmī and ridiculed by the kings, Lord Balarāma was provoked to anger. In the midst of the auspicious wedding assembly, He raised His club and struck Rukmī dead.
Text 37: The King of Kaliṅga, who had laughed at Lord Balarāma and shown his teeth, tried to run away, but the furious Lord quickly seized him on his tenth step and knocked out all his teeth.
Text 38: Tormented by Lord Balarāma’s club, the other kings fled in fear, their arms, thighs and heads broken and their bodies drenched in blood.
Text 39: When His brother-in-law Rukmī was slain, Lord Kṛṣṇa neither applauded nor protested, O King, for He feared jeopardizing His affectionate ties with either Rukmiṇī or Balarāma.
Text 40: Then the descendants of Daśārha, headed by Lord Balarāma, seated Aniruddha and His bride on a fine chariot and set off from Bhojakaṭa for Dvārakā. Having taken shelter of Lord Madhusūdana, they had fulfilled all their purposes.
Purport
Even though Rukmiṇī was very dear to all the Dāśārhas, her brother Rukmī had constantly opposed and insulted Kṛṣṇa since Rukmiṇī’s wedding. Thus, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains, the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa could hardly lament Rukmī’s sudden demise.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Sixty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Balarāma Slays Rukmī.