Text 22
adyāhaṁ niśitair bāṇair
gopālasya su-durmateḥ
neṣye vīrya-madaṁ yena
svasā me prasabhaṁ hṛtā
adya — today; aham — I; niśitaiḥ — sharp; bāṇaiḥ — with my arrows; gopālasya — of the cowherd; su-durmateḥ — whose mentality is most wicked; neṣye — I will remove; vīrya — in His power; madam — the intoxicated pride; yena — by which; svasā — sister; me — my; prasabham — violently; hṛtā — abducted.
“This wicked-minded cowherd boy, infatuated with His prowess, has violently abducted my sister. But today I will remove His pride with my sharp arrows.”
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that gopālasya actually means “of the protector of the Vedas,” while durmateḥ means “of Him whose beautiful mind is compassionate even toward the wicked.” Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that the real meaning of what Rukmī said is that today, fighting with Lord Kṛṣṇa, Rukmī would relieve himself of his pretensions to being a great hero.