Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 68: The Marriage of Sāmba

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.68.54

adyāpi ca puraḿ hy etat

sūcayad rāma-vikramam

samunnataḿ dakṣiṇato

gańgāyām anudṛśyate

SYNONYMS

adya — today; api — even; ca — and; puram — city; hi — indeed; etat — this; sūcayat — showing the signs of; rāma — of Lord Balarāma; vikramam — the prowess; samunnatam — prominently elevated; dakṣiṇataḥ — on the southern side; gańgāyām — by the Ganges; anudṛśyate — is seen.

TRANSLATION

Even today the city of Hastināpura is visibly elevated on its southern side along the Ganges, thus showing the signs of Lord Balarāma's prowess.

PURPORT

Śrīla Prabhupāda writes as follows: "For the most part it was the practice of the kṣatriya kings to inaugurate some kind of fighting between the parties of the bride and bridegroom before the marriage. When Sāmba forcibly took away Lakṣmaṇa, the elderly members of the Kuru dynasty were pleased to see that he was actually the suitable match for her. In order to see his personal strength, however, they fought with him, and without any respect for the regulations of fighting, they all arrested him. When the Yadu dynasty decided to release Sāmba from the confinement of the Kurus, Lord Balarāma came personally to settle the matter, and as a powerful kṣatriya He ordered them to free Sāmba immediately. The Kauravas became superficially insulted by this order, so they challenged Lord Balarāma's power. They simply wanted to see Him exhibit His inconceivable strength. Thus with great pleasure they handed over their daughter to Sāmba, and the whole matter was settled. Duryodhana, being affectionate toward his daughter Lakṣmaṇā, had her married to Sāmba in great pomp.... Balarāma was very satisfied after His great reception from the side of the Kurus, and accompanied by the newly married couple, He started toward His capital city of Dvārakā.

"Lord Balarāma triumphantly reached Dvārakā, where He met with many citizens who were all His devotees and friends. When they all assembled, Lord Balarāma narrated the whole story of the marriage, and they were astonished to hear how Balarāma had made the city of Hastināpura tremble."

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Sixty-eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Marriage of Sāmba."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
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