Time x Relativity

 King Kakudmi and Revati — Story from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (SB/SMB)

The story of King Kakudmi and his daughter Revati appears in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 9, Chapter 3, and continues in Canto 10, Chapter 2? More specifically, Revati becomes the wife of Lord Balarāma, the elder brother of Lord Krishna.

1. King Kakudmi seeks a suitable husband for Revati

King Kakudmi, also known as Raivata, was a powerful and virtuous king who ruled Kusasthali. His daughter, Revati, was exceptionally beautiful and possessed many noble qualities.

The king wished to find a husband worthy of her. Unable to find anyone suitable on Earth, he decided to consult Lord Brahmā, the creator, who resides in Brahmaloka.

Kakudmi took Revati with him and approached Brahmā to ask which man would be the most suitable husband for his daughter.

2. The mystery of time in Brahmaloka

When King Kakudmi reached Brahmaloka, Lord Brahmā was listening to a musical performance by celestial beings. The king waited until the performance ended and then explained his purpose.

Brahmā smiled and told him that the passage of time in the higher planetary realms differed greatly from time on Earth.

While Kakudmi had been waiting for what seemed a short period, many generations had passed on Earth. The kings and men whom he had considered as possible husbands for Revati had long since disappeared.

The story illustrates the extraordinary difference between time in the human world and time in Brahmaloka.

3. Brahmā reveals how much time has passed

Lord Brahmā explained that 27 mahāyugas had passed while Kakudmi waited in Brahmaloka. The people and dynasties of his time had vanished from the Earth.

A mahāyuga consists of four yugas: Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. According to traditional Hindu cosmology, one mahāyuga lasts 4.32 million human years. Thus, 27 mahāyugas represent approximately 116.64 million human years. Vedabase +1

4. Brahmā recommends Lord Balarāma

Brahmā advised King Kakudmi to marry Revati to Lord Baladeva, also known as Balarāma, who had descended to Earth.

Kakudmi accepted Brahmā’s advice and returned with Revati. He discovered that the world he had left was entirely changed, and his former relatives and their descendants were no longer there.

He then offered Revati in marriage to Lord Balarāma. Chapter 3 +1

5. How Balarāma married Revati

Revati belonged to an earlier age and was described as exceptionally tall compared with the people of Balarāma’s time.

According to the traditional account, Balarāma used his plough weapon to bring Revati to a stature appropriate for the age in which he lived. He then married her.

Revati became Balarāma’s wife, and the story concludes with King Kakudmi renouncing worldly life and departing for Badarikāśrama to perform austerities. Chapter 3 +1

What is the spiritual significance of this story?

• Time is relative in the cosmic narrative: Time does not pass at the same rate in every realm described in Hindu cosmology.
• Human life is temporary: Even powerful kings, great dynasties and entire generations eventually pass away.
• Divine guidance transcends time: Kakudmi sought Brahmā’s guidance, and Brahmā directed him toward Lord Balarāma.
• Detachment: After fulfilling his daughter’s marriage, Kakudmi turned toward spiritual practice rather than clinging to his former kingdom.

Where to read it in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 9, Chapter 3, verses 28–36, especially verses 29–33. The account of Revati’s marriage is also told in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Canto 10, Chapter 2? The principal account of Balarāma and Revati is found in Canto 9, Chapter 3; the later narrative should not be confused with the chapter describing Krishna’s birth.

Read the original verses and translations here: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.3.29⁠.