Texts 19-20
rukmy amarṣī su-saṁrabdhaḥ
śṛṇvatāṁ sarva-bhūbhujām
pratijajñe mahā-bāhur
daṁśitaḥ sa-śarāsanaḥ
ahatvā samare kṛṣṇam
apratyūhya ca rukmiṇīm
kuṇḍinaṁ na pravekṣyāmi
satyam etad bravīmi vaḥ
rukmī — Rukmī; amarṣī — intolerant; su-saṁrabdhaḥ — extremely angry; śṛṇvatām — while they listened; sarva — all; bhū-bhujām — the kings; pratijajñe — he swore; mahā-bāhuḥ — mighty-armed; daṁśitaḥ — wearing his armor; sa-śarāsanaḥ — with his bow; ahatvā — without killing; samare — in battle; kṛṣṇam — Kṛṣṇa; apratyūhya — without bringing back; ca — and; rukmiṇīm — Rukmiṇī; kuṇḍinam — the city of Kuṇḍina; na pravekṣyāmi — I shall not enter; satyam — in truth; etat — this; bravīmi — I say; vaḥ — to all of you.
Frustrated and enraged, mighty-armed Rukmī, dressed in armor and wielding his bow, had sworn before all the kings, “I shall not again enter Kuṇḍina if I do not kill Kṛṣṇa in battle and bring Rukmiṇī back with me. I swear this to you.”
Rukmī spoke these angry words and then set off to pursue Lord Kṛṣṇa, as described in the following verses.