Rukmani, The Wife

Rukmani, The Wife

I don’t know why it took me so long to pen down Rukmani’s story after writing Meera and Radha, maybe she was not on top of the mind,  

also, for the world may be, less talked about?

Three days back, I opened my blog after years, I used to write regularly on anything random, fictional stories, on mythology, on Marketing, Brands and so on. I reminded myself how writing blogs used to take me in the imaginary world, the illusions I used to create through my stories.

I started reading my blog on Meera and Radha, A devotee and a lover of Krishna and how their life revolved around Krishna.

Krishna was a charmer, witty, smart, playful, intelligent and so on, the kinds women always fall for.

Women love Men who know how to play the games of love, kindness, Men who respect them and are not harmful, Men who are little flirtatious, Men who enjoy the process of owning them.

 Isn’t it?  

Coming back to the story, If Meera defined what is devotion, then Radha defined how to love a man.

But this story is about Rukmani, The wife.

Rukmani was a woman of great beauty, she was also called Vaidarbhi as she hailed from Vidharbha region. Legends say that she was a bit arrogant woman.

A little bit of arrogance or proudness comes naturally when a woman is beautiful? isnt it? i believe little dose of self proudness should come.

When Rukmani met Krishna for the first time, she was smitten by his charm, she fell in love with him, she knew that he was the one whom she would marry. 

When her syamwar was organized in her kingdom, with boldness under her sleeves, she wrote a letter to Krishna declaring her love for him and implored him to kidnap her. Krishna smiled in acknowledgement.

In sending that letter to Krishna, Rukmani took a bold step, she went against the patriarchal system of ‘arranged marriage’, She was brave, how could Krishna not respond to this call of love?

One day, when Rukmani came to visit a temple, Krishna abducted her and took her along with him after fighting a battle on the way.

When you love someone, you forget everything, you get consumed by it as you go through the journey.

Legends say that Rukmani even stayed with Radha for some time, Radha gave her secrets on how to love Krishna. Radha showed Rukmani the way to winning Krishna's heart.

She told her once to make kheer for Krishna as she knew that Kanha loved kheer very much, Rukmani made the kheer on instructions of Radha. When Krishna took the first spoon, he knew that it was not made by Radha but praised Rukmani which elated her.

Did Rukmani ever got love of Krishna?, Krishna loved her always and respected her but in his heart, Radha remained as lover.

Can wife be a lover? or does a wife want to become a lover? I am guessing, the answer will be yes, Being a wife adds a lot of responsibilities, responsibilities of taking care of the home along with the man himself?

What is a responsibility of a lover? It is to love, simple?, It isn't. 

Rukmani wanted to be lover of Krishna too, She wanted to feel the love which Krishna felt for Radha,  Not the love out of respect but love of a lover.

Rukmani imagined Krishna to be lover than a husband, but she remained wife, a loved wife.

But can a woman accept it easily that his husband is loved by over 16 thousand women?, A woman can not share her man with anyone, however Rukmani had to accept it as his man was someone who was for the world including her, so she accepted this gracefully.

But still?

Is marriage the answer to love? You love someone, if you get married, then only you will get completed, No, it is not true, Radha was as complete as Rukmani was.

They say for mankind, its instinctive to love again and again.

For Krishna, If Radha was love, then Rukmani was Kartavya.

Krishna loved both Kartavya and Love, not dividing anything between the two.

Was there ever a fight between Radha and Rukmani? Was Rukmani ever insecure?

The love between Krishna and Radha was divine and to do divine love with Krishna, one should be incarnation of Laxmi only and nobody else, hence it is said that when there is Radha, there is no Rukmini and vice-versa. And in such case the question of jealousy does not arise.

There is one tale which says that once during his voyage in Dwarka, A saint asked Rukmani and Krishna to give him water, Krishna said that water is not available to which saint cursed Krishna that there will always be shortage of water in Dwarka. Krishna pleaded him and then with his one-foot thumb created a fountain of water. At the same place, there is a temple of Rukmani near Dwarka.

Rukmani was incarnation of Lakshmi, Krishna proclaimed that she would always be on her side, he blessed her with the name “Sri”, and said that her name will be taken before his, hence people call him Sri Krishna.

There is one tale of rivalry between Rukmani and Krishna’s other wife Satyabhama. She told Rukmani to gift her husband Krishna to her & in return she could take all the gold in the world.

So, a mischievously complicit Krishna sat on one side of the scale, watching all proceedings. 

Satyabhama put all the gold and jewellery she had on the other side of the scale, but it did not move, In despair, Satyabhama swallowed her pride and begged Rukmini to help.

Rukmini readily stepped forth with just a tulsi leaf in hand. And when she placed that leaf on the scale, it moved and finally outweighed Krishna.

The strength of Rukmini’s love was there for all to see. She was, indeed, the first among equals.

Rukmani loved Krishna, hence she loved Radha too, believing whatever Krishna loves, she should love that too.

Krishna was lucky, to have devotee in Meera, a lover in Radha and  a wife in Rukmani.

Can we take some portion of each and love? Or as we do, expect other person to do the same for us first?

Stories.

#kahanibaaz

P.S- This is pure work of fiction, any resemblance to anything is purely coincidental, it is for light reading & entertainment only, not to be produced in any form anywhere, Not for commercial purpose. All the images used are taken from google (which were put in public domain).Views expressed are personal.