B. The commentator of harivaMsha, gItA press edition gives the following
list ( page 556 ) of eight wives apart from rukmiNI. The text says
mahiShIraShTakalyANI (2-60-41)
1. (sUryaputrI) kAlindI 2. mitravindA (rAjAdhidevI ki putrI) 3.
(ayodhyAnaresh nagnajit ki putrI) satyA 4. jAmbavatI 5. rohiNI
(bhadrA, kaikeyI, shrutakIrti ki kanyA) 6. madrarAj ki putrI lakShmaNa
7. satyabhAmA 8. rAjA shaibya ki putrI gAndhAri.
C. Malayalam translations of the shloka-s by ku~n~nikuTTan tampurAn
(he refers to other seven wives) (page 541, volume 6, bhAShAbhArataM,
DC Books (2007) are as follows:
veRiTTumezhu mahiShimAreyA madhusUdanan
guNameRuM salkkulajamArE veTTU mahAbhujan 2-60- 40
kALinditAn mitravinda nagnajilputri satyayuM
AjjAmbavatiyuM pinnekkAmarUpiNI rohiNi 2-60-41
madrarAjAvinTe makaL sushIla shubhalochana
sAtRAjitI satyabhAma charuhAsini lakShaNa 2-60-42
rUpaM koNDapsarassokkuM shaibyanTe makaLa~N~Nine
patinARAyiraM veRe strIkaLebbhUrivikraman 2-60-43
Here shaibya appears to become ninth wife.
There is a footnote given on page 541 by the editor:
The seven wives are (1) kAlindI (daughter of sun god) (2) mitravindA
(daughter of king of avantI) (3) satyA ( daughter of nagnajit,
king of kosala) (4) jAmbavatI (daughter of jAmbavAn) (5) rohiNI
(also known as bhadrA, kaikeyI, daughter of shrutakIrti
(sister of vasudeva) (6) lakShmaNA (daughter of king of madra) and
(7) satyabhAmA (daughter of satrAjit).
D. viShNupurANa pa~nchaM aMsha, 28th chapter
(page 383, gitA press, 2006) mentions seven wives other than rukmiNI:
anyAshcha bhAryAH kR^iShNasya babhUvuH sapta shobhanAH |
kAlindI mitravindA cha satyA nAgnajitI tathA || 5-28-3
devI jAmbavatI chApi rohiNI kAmarUpiNI
madrarAjasutA chAnyA sushIlA shIlamaNDanA || 5-28-4
sAtrAjitI satyabhAmA lakShmaNA chAruhAsinI |
ShoDashAsan sahasrANi strINAmanyAni chakriNaH || 5-28-5
viShNupurANa do not mention shaibya in this context. Shaibya is mentioned in
chapter 32 which indicates the names of kR^iShNa's sons.
Wilson's translation of these shloka-s (page 456) mentions
virtuous nAgnajiti (the name satya is not mentioned).
The daughter of king of madra is mentioned as mAdrI
(the Sanskrit shloka does not have this). LakShmaNA is mentioned separately.
The footnote on page 457 identifies mitravindA (daughter of kR^iShNa's
maternal aunt rAjAdhidevi) as shaibya as well. bhadrA, princess of
kekaya, is also kR^iShNa-s cousin, daughter of shrutakIrti.
In the foot note, Wilson says "Harivamsa does not name rohiNI".
This statement is not clear considering that the words rohiNI kAmarUpiNI
mentioned in viShNupurANa are almost identical with the words rohiNIM
kAmarUpiNIm found in harivaMsha.
The shlokas of viShNupurANa are almost same as the corresponding shlokas
of harivaMsha:
kAlindIM mitravindAM cha satyAM nAgnajitAmapi |
sutAM jAmbavatashchApi rohiNIM kAmarUpiNIm || 2-60-41
madrarAjasutAM chApi sushIlAM shubhalocahanAm |
satrAjitIM satyabhAmaM lakShamanAM chAruhAsinIm || 2-60-42
E. kR^iShNa's wives according to bhAgavata
1. rukmiNI (three chapters in bhAgavata, 10-52, 10-53 and 10-54)
2. jAmbavatI (ityuktaH svAM duhitaraM kanyAM jAmbavatIM mudA,
bhAgavata 10-56 -32)
3. satyabhAmA (tAM satyabhAmAM bhagavAnupayeme yathAvidhi,
bhAgavata 10-56 - 44)
4. kAlindI (bhAgavata 10-58) (Note 1)
5. mitravindA (bhAgavata 10-58-31) (Note 2)
6. satyA (bhAgavata 10-58-32) (Note 3)
7. bhadrA (shrutakIrtisutAM, bhAgavata 10-58-56) (Note 4)
8. lakShmaNA (bhAgavata 10-58-57) (Note 5)
(Note 1): In bhAgavata, canto 10, chapter 58 is named aShTamahiShyudvAha .
In this chapter, kR^iShNa goes to indraprastha to see pANDava-s.
kR^iShNa stays there during the rainy season as requested by king
(yudhiShThira) ( iti vai vArShikAn mAsAn rAj~nA so.abhyarthitaH sukham,
bhAgavata 10-58-12). kR^iShNa and arjuna goes for hunting where they see
kAlindI. Prompted by his friend (kR^iShNa), arjunaA asks the best among
ladies about her details (paprachCha preShitaH sakhyA phAlgunaH
pramadottamAm, bhAgavata 10-58-18) and arjunA informs kR^iShNa
(tathAvadad guDAkesho vAsudevAya so.apt tAm, bhAgavata 10-58-23-1),
who takes the maiden in the chariot to yudhiShThira (rathamAropya tadvidvAn
dharmarAjamupAgamat bhAgavata 10- 58-23-2).
Incidentally, shlokas 24, 25, 26 and 27 of chapter 58 mentions the burning
of khANDava forest, construction of indraprastha and the
jalasthaladR^ishibhramaH of duryodhana in the assembly made by maya .
(Note 2): rAjAdhidevastanayAm mitravindAM pitR^iShvasuH |
prasahya hR^itavAn kR^iShNo rAjan rAj~nAM nyaShedhatAm ||
(10-58-31)
(Note 3): nagnajinnAma kausalya AsId rAjAtidhArmikaH |
tasya satyAbhavat kanyA devI nAgnajitI nR^ipa || (10-58-32)
(Note 4): shrutakIrtiH sutAM bhadrAmupayeme pitR^iShvasuH |
kaikeyIM bhrAtR^ibhirdattAM kR^iShNa santardanAdibhiH
(10-58-56)
(Note 5) sutAM cha madrAdhipater lakShMaNAM lakShaNairyutAm |
svayaMvarae jahAraikaH sa suparNaH sudhAmiva ||
(10-58-57)
Further in bhAgavata, canto 10, chapter 83, draupadI asks kR^iShNa's
wives to describe how kR^iShNa married them:
he vaidarbhyachyto bhadre he jAmbavati kausale |
he satyabhAme kAlindi shaibye rohiNi lakShmaNe || ( bhAgavata 10-83-6)
draupadI mentions nine names in this shloka:
1. vaidarbhI (rukmiNI)
2. bhadrA (daughter of shrutakIrti, kaikeyI)
3. jAmbavatI
4. kausalA (satyA)
5. satyabhAmA
6. kAlindI
7. shaibyA
8. rohiNI
9. lakShMaNA
Responding to draupadI's question, answers are given by only eight wives,
namely rukmiNI, satyabhAmA, jAmbavatI, kAlindI, mitravindA,
satyA, bhadrA and lakShMaNa.
If rohiNI and bhadrA are considered the same and mitravindA is shaibyA,
then there are eight wives including rukmiNI
Thus kR^iShNa's eight wives may be identified as
(1) rukmiNI
(2) jAmbavatI (daughter of jAmbavAn)
(3) satyabhAmA (daughter of satrAjit)
(4) kAlindI (daughter of sun god)
(5) mitravindA (daughter of rAjAdhidevi (vasudeva's sister) and
king of avantI, also known as shaibyA)
(6) satyA (daughter of nagnajit, king of kosala, kausalA)
(7) bhadrA (also known as rohiNI, kaikeyI, daughter of shrutakIrti,
sister of vasudeva)
(8) lakShmaNA (daughter of king of madra)
April 18, 2010