Lord Krishna Wives

Lord Krishna had many wives according to the scriptures, but 8 of them were the most prominent among them. His wives have different names in different scriptures. This is the case with Bhadra, Madri, Rohini and Kalindi particularly.

 The Bhagavata Purana lists 8 wives of Krishna whose names are given below:

1. Rukmini

2. Satyabhama

3. Jambavati

4. Kalindi

5. Mitravinda

6. Nagnajiti

7. Bhadra

8. Lakshmana

 The Vishnu Purana lists the 9 names of Krishna’s wives given below:

1. Rukmini

2. Satyabhama

3. Jambavati

4. Kalindi

5. Mitravinda

6. Nagnajiti

7. Madri

8. Lakshmana

9. Rohini

 The Mahabharata mentions 8 names:

1. Rukmini

2. Satyabhama

3. Jambavati

4. Mitravinda

5. Nagnajiti

6. Bhadra

7. Lakshmana

8. Rohini

 Harivamsha Purana mentions 7 wives of Krishna

1. Rukmini

2. Satyabhama

3. Jambavati

4. Mitravinda

5. Nagnajiti

6. Madri

7. Lakshmana

 Rukmini

Rukmini is supposedly the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. It is said that Lakshmi also incarnates on whenever her husband Lord Vishnu does so. She is the most important wife of Krishna and the one he loves the most. Theirs is an ideal relationship. Rukmini is the epitome of devotion.

 Rukmini was the daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha. Rukmini’s favorite pastime was to listen to her maids talk about Krishna's virtues,  charm, and prowess. She loved Krishna in secret. Rukmi, her brother, was an ally of Jarasandha, a foe of Krishna. Rukmi wanted his sister to marry his friend Shishupala. Shishupala was also Jarasandha’s ally.

 Though Rukmi’s father wanted his daughter to marry Krishna, Rukmi arranged convinced him to arrange her marriage with Shishupala. On hearing of this, a distraught Rukmini wrote a letter to Krishna confessing her love for him and her brother's plans. She dispatched the letter to Krishna through a Brahmin. Rukmini wanted Krishna to abduct her on her way to the temple or back. On receiving her letter, Krishna immediately left for Vidarbha along with Balarama, his brother.

Meanwhile Bhishmaka came to know about Krishna's arrival and got a mansion ready for Krishna to take rest on his way. Jarasandha felt that Krishna might disrupt the wedding of Rukmini with Shishupala. So, he sent his allies and army to Vidarbha.

 When Rukmini arrived at the temple, she did not see Krishna anywhere. She desperately prayed to goddess Parvati requesting that Krishna take her away. When she left the temple, she saw Krishna waiting outside for her. She got into his chariot and they drove off. On seeing this, Rukmi and his allies pursued them.

 Balarama succeeded in stopping all of them except Rukmi. Rukmi started fighting with Krishna, but Krishna defeated him. As he was about to kill Rukmi, Rukmini intervened and pleaded with him to spare her brother's life. So Krishna let him go, and drove off to Dwaraka, his capital.

 Satyabhama and Jambavati

Satrajit, the father of Satyabhama, possessed a divine gem called Syamantaka. Krishna asked Satrajit to send the jewel to Ugrasena so that it could be kept safely. One day, Satrajit's brother Prasena wore the jewel and went for a hunt. A lion attacked and killed him. Meanwhile Jambavan, the king of bears who had helped Lord Rama rescue Sita in the Ramayana, found the jewel and gave it to his daughter.

 When Satrajit came to know of his brother's death and the loss of Syamantaka he thought Krishna had stolen it. Krishna decided to search for the Syamantaka so that he could clear his name. He found the jewel in Jambava’s custody and they fought a pitched battle for 28 days. Jambava finally surrendered. He realized that Krishna was the incarnation of Vishnu, like Rama. He also requested him to marry his daughter, Jambavati. Krishna agreed. Jambavati epitomizes courage and victory.

 Krishna then returned the jewel to Satrajit. Satrajit asked Krishna's forgiveness for wrongly accusing him of theft and got his daughter Satyabhamamarried to Krishna.

Satyabhama is the second most prominent wife of Krishna. She is an avatar of Bhumidevi and helped Krishna fight the demon Narakasura and freed the 16100 girls the demon had captured. She is the epitome of strong will, courage, and strength.

 Kalindi

She is the daughter of Surya (Sun god), and the deity of river Yamuna.

 Once Krishna and Arjuna went for a hunt. As they rested along the banks of the Yamuna, they spotted a young girl. Krishna asked Arjuna to find out who she was. When Arjuna asked her, she replied that she was the daughter of Surya and was doing penance to marry Lord Vishnu. So Krishna got married to Kalindi and fulfilled her desire. Kalindi represents purity and simplicity.

Nagnajiti/Satya

She was the daughter of King Nagnajita of Kosala kingdom. Nagnajita had taken a vow that he would marry his daughter to the person who tamed his 7 bulls and put a noose on them successfully. Many tried but were unsuccessful.

Krishna went to Kosala and Nagnajita greeted him warmly.  When Krishna expressed his wish to marry his daughter, the king told him about the task that he had to accomplish. Krishna took 7 forms and tamed all the bulls at once. Then he took Nagnajiti as his wife.

Mitravinda

She was Krishna’s cousin, but her brothers wanted her to marry the Kaurava prince Duryodhana.  They held a Swayamvara, but they did not invite Krishna and Balarama. Balarama knew that Mitravinda loved Krishna, and he advised Krishna to kidnap her. Krishna was unsure of Mitravinda's wishes, so he took his sister Subhadra with him. Subhadra talked to Mitravinda and ascertained her love for Krishna. Krishna then abducted her and they got married. Mitravinda symbolizes love and will power.

Lakshmana

Lakshmana's father was Brihatsena, the King of Madra. He held a Swayamvara for her, where the suitor had to shoot the target (the eye of a fish) to win her hand in marriage. Duryodhana and Jarasandha, who had come to take part in the swayamvara missed the target. Arjuna deliberately missed the target. Krishna hit the target and won Lakshmana as his wife. Lakshmana is proof that even Lord Krishna had to prove himself, at times.

 Bhadra

Bhadra’s mother, Shutakirti, wanted Krishna to marry her daughter. So he married her. She represents obedience, devotion, and pure love.

 Rohini

Some texts refer to her as Jambavati, while others describe her as the chief among the 16100 wives of Krishna rescued from Narakasura.

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