The story of Sri Krishna’s marriage with 16000 women rescued from the clutches of Narakasura is clearly symbolic. Sri Krishna is a poornavatar with 16 kalas or Divine Qualities. The figure 16000 refers to the feminine energies or aspects and workings of Nature that are largely under the control of lower nature and operate subconsciously. Sri Krishna releases them and integrates them (wedding) with the Divine Powers so that they can be used for the good of the earthly life. The whole story is through and through symbolic just as many stories of the Vedas, Ramayana and the Mahabharata are.
Satyabhama is bhoodevi and represents earth. So Sri Krishna fights with the collaboration of the earth goddess to defeat
Narakasura (narak is subcontinent realms full of suffering) and releases the energies suffering in the grip of darkness and weds them with the Divine Consciousness in him.
Next they go to the heavens and get parijat (the tree of aspiration) to plant upon earth. This tree can make men equal to the gods.
The 80 or so offsprings of Krishna are clearly new possibilities released upon earth through his joining with these energies. Offsprings in the Vedas always meant birth of new possibilities.
So those who see in this story nothing but a literal truth simply have no vision or subtle understanding as they are entrenched in gross intellect and hence cannot rightly interpret deeper subtler truths.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
