Narrated by Kumar Varun.
Rukmini, the daughter of King Bhishmaka, wished to marry Krishna, but her brother Rukmi wanted her to marry Sisupala instead. Fearing she would be forced into the marriage, Rukmini sent a message to Krishna, asking him to rescue her. Krishna arrived at Vidarbha and, with Balarama’s support, took Rukmini away just as her wedding preparations with Sisupala were underway. Rukma pursued them but was defeated by Krishna and Balarama. Rukmini and Krishna were married in Dwaraka. Later, Rukmi offered his help to both the Pandavas and Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war but was rejected by both sides, as his intentions were based on personal pride rather than duty.
Sources, Bibliography and Suggested further reading:
Vyasa, Maharishi. Mahabharata. Translated by C. Rajagopalachari, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1951.
Vyasa, Maharishi. The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883–1896. Available in public domain.
Narayan, R.K. The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. University of Chicago Press, 1978.
Pattanaik, Devdutt. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Penguin India, 2010.
Menon, Ramesh. The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. Rupa Publications, 2004.
Buck, William. Mahabharata. University of California Press, 1973.