Text 42
antaḥ-purāntara-carīm anihatya bandhūn
tvām udvahe katham iti pravadāmy upāyam
pūrve-dyur asti mahatī kula-deva-yātrā
yasyāṁ bahir nava-vadhūr girijām upeyāt
antaḥ-pura — the women’s quarters of the palace; antara — within; carīm — moving; anihatya — without killing; bandhūn — your relatives; tvām — you; udvahe — I shall carry away; katham — how; iti — saying such words; pravadāmi — I shall explain; upāyam — a means; pūrve-dyuḥ — on the day before; asti — there is; mahatī — large; kula — of the royal family; deva — for the presiding deity; yātrā — a ceremonial procession; yasyām — in which; bahiḥ — outside; nava — new; vadhūḥ — the bride; girijām — goddess Girijā (Ambikā); upeyāt — approaches.
Since I will be staying within the inner chambers of the palace, You may wonder, “How can I carry you away without killing some of your relatives?” But I shall tell You a way: On the day before the marriage there is a grand procession to honor the royal family’s deity, and in this procession the new bride goes outside the city to visit Goddess Girijā.
Clever Rukmiṇī anticipated a possible objection on the part of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He certainly would not object to subduing rascals like Śiśupāla and Jarāsandha, but He might be reluctant to injure or kill Rukmiṇī’s relatives, some of whom might block His way to the palace’s inner sanctum, where the women were protected. The procession to or from the temple of Girijā (Durgā) would provide the perfect opportunity for Kṛṣṇa to kidnap Rukmiṇī without harming her relatives.