Rukmini’s
wedding
brahman krishna-kathah punya madhvir
loka-malapahah
ko nu trpyeta srivanah sruta-jno
nitya-nutanah
(10/52/20)
Sri
Krishna is blissful, auspicious, to Maharaj Parikhit Sukdevji is describing –
rajasid bhismako nama
vidarbhadhipatir mahan
tasya pancabhavan putrah kanyaika ca
varanana
(10/52/21)
The
province of Bidharba now Amravati
where in the days of past lived a king named Bhismaka. He had five sons and a
daughter named Rukmini who bears resemblance of Lakshmi devi. On the banks of Ganga where
all great sadhus had assembled to
hear Bhagavad katha Maharaj Sukdev
the acharya of all starts the talks
of marriage of Rukmini. Now this talk, means the talk of marriage, what is so
important for the sadhus-sanyasis and
Maharaj Parikhit whose death is imminent to hear all these? The specialty is,
this marriage is not an ordinary marriage between a husband and wife but it is
about marriage of jivatma and Paramatma. It is unknown how many times
this jiva has become husband and wife
but could not attain peace, now Sukdevji is narrating about the final marriage
of jiva with Paramatma. Here Parikhit Maharaj who is being cursed to die by the
fatal bite of Takshak the snake, is seated hearing Srimad Bhagavat, he had
established a special relation with Paramatma
and so he does not have any fear of death. Takshak in the form of death bites
the body but could not touch the soul.
Rukmini
devi sends a letter of seven syntax (saptapadi) to Sri Krishna. Srimati
Rukmini devi is mother of the
universe and Krishna is Paramatma, one who gets married with Paramatma had to bear several family torments. Rukmini devi’s brother Rukmi desires that his
sister gets married to Damghosh’s son Sishipal but Rukmini was never willing to
become a queen of a king. From her childhood age she, by satsanga (truthful association) and hearing satkatha (talks about absolute truth) had admitted Govinda as her
husband.
Her
father Bhismaka also wished to give away his daughter to Sri Krishna but is
unable to speak against his eldest son Rukmi. Sishupal means a lustful jiva. Rukmini writes a letter to Krishna and sends it to Dwarka through a trustworthy brahmana named Sudeb and tells him – on
my behalf handover this letter to Sri Krishna and tell him what is in my mind.
If a sadhu-brahmana says about somebody to the Lord the Lord becomes pleased.
Sudebji reaches Dwarka and handing over the letter to Sri Krishna says –
Rukmini devi is extremely beautiful
and deserving, I knew her from her childhood, You accept her. Sri Krishna makes
the brahmana read the letter because
in this letter His glorification are written and hearing one’s glorification by
one’s own mouth is not proper. In the letter an extreme concealed mood is
expressed.
srutva gunan bhuvana-sundara
srnvatam te
nirvisya karna-vivarair harato
nga-tapam
rupam drisam drsimatam
akhilartha-labham
tvayy acyutavisati cittam apatrapam
me
(10/52/37)
One
who recites Vaishnava sahasranaam
(thousand names) he knows that one of the name of the Lord is Achyuta. The word
Achyuta means infallible. By the touch of lust a jiva falls (chyuta) but
Sri Krishna is absolutely dispassionate. Without sun the darkness does not fade
away and darkness could not touch the sun. Rukmini address Krishna by say Bhubansundar means there is nobody as
beautiful as Sri Krishna, Sri Krishna is dispassionate hence beautiful, by the
touch of lust beauty is destroyed. Sri Rukmini devi says, hey Krishna
You are extremely attractive, You are detached, I have heard about you from the
sadhu-mahatmas, You are the destroyer
of miseries of honest persons.
tan me bhavan khalu vrtah patir anga
jayam
atmarpitas ca bhavato tra vibho
vidhehi
ma vira-bhagam abhimarsatu caidya arad
gomayu-van mrga-pater balim
ambujaksa
(10/52/39)
I
do not wish to become queen of any king, my wish is only to serve Paramatma and You are dispassionate and
I am indifferent, I am only a part of You, hey
Lord be merciful to me. If the share of lion is taken away by a jackal then
the lion’s reputation is stained. You are the lion and Sishupal is a jackal.
yasyanghri-pankaja-rajah-snapanam
mahanto
vanchanty uma-patir
ivatma-tamo-pahatyai
yarhy ambujaksa na labheya
bhavat-prasadam
jahyam asun vrata-krsan
sata-janmabhih syat
(10/52/43)
I
believe that You will accept me as Your maid servant, if You don’t, I will take
birth again and again but if I marry then I will only admit You as my husband.
Doing penance repeatedly I will become thin and give up my body but will never
accept anyone else as my husband. Prabhu hears
the letter recited and says to brahmana
Sudev – I know this maiden, I heard her admiration and I will accept her.
Sri
Krishna calls His charioteer Daruka and prepares His chariot, then remembering
Bhudeva and adoring Ganapati Maharaj starts His journey alongwith brahmana Sudeb.
By
showing this ideal Sri Krishna teaches the jivas
that although I am the Lord still I respect everyone, I preserve dignity of dharma and never renounce it. Sri
Krishna in one night reaches the city of Bidharba,
the residents of Bidharba takes darshan of
Dwarkanath and they felt very happy. In their mind they also admit Sri Krishna
as the best husband of Rukmini.
Rukmini
devi is waiting in the palace – time
is passing away, Bhudeva has yet not arrived. Right at that time Sudeb brahmana arrives there, he was looking
very much satisfied and seeing him Rukmini devi
attains great pleasure.
The
brahmana says – my dear daughter,
don’t worry, I have brought Dwarkadhisa here, you are going to worship Mother
Bhavani in the temple and while coming back you will meet Him.
From there He will take you in His chariot
and will return back to Dwarka. My blessing stays with you.
A
sadguru while connecting his truthful
disciple with Paramatma receives
utmost pleasure, a sacred brahmana
who trisandhya (three periods of a
day) worships Suryanarayana and chants gayatri
mantra can never be a foolish or
indigent.
Shisupal
arrives with his fellow men, Jarasandha, Dantabakra etc. various kings are also
with him. Reaching there he receives the news that Sri Krishna has also come and
hearing this Shisupal gets upset. Jarasandha and all others purvey courage,
they says, Krishna is one and we are so many,
so why fear.
Rukmi
comes and says, don’t you worry even a bird could not approach near the
princess such arrangement is being made, all the heroic soldiers are guarding
her. Upto the temple
of Mother Bhavani the two
sides of the road are guarded by the soldiers with their swords open.
16
sakhis performing auspicious bath of
Rukmini beautifies her with 16 sringara. Rukmini
devi completes her daily rituals as
worshiping Tulasi, serving Balagopala and adoring her parents etc. Her parents
blesses her, may you be fortunate, may you attain sons and thus she starts to
move towards the temple of Mother Ambika. In her left there are 8 sakhis and in her right there are 8
moving alongwith her. Slowly she is approaching, her movements are like a swan,
and kings from various countries had assembled to see her but as all the king’s
soldiers had surrounded her from all four sides the kings assembled could not
witness her properly. Rukmini devi prays
–
Hey mother Ambike, you alongwith Ganesh
etc. sons is by nature auspicious, my obeisance to you again and again. You
kindly approve that may Lord Sri Krishna be my husband. Then after donating the
brahmanas she comes out of the
temple. As she was coming down the stairs of the temple, all the kings
witnessing her whisper among themselves, how lucky Sishupal is to attain this
beautiful lady.
All
jivas are called Sriman, it means
that mere jivas are sons of mother
Lakshmi and so she should be kept in everybody’s house and worshipped in the
form of mother and by that her mercy is obtained. Rukmini devi did not like the intention of the kings, so anger manifests in
her eyes which the kings assembled could not bear and seeing it all of them
faints.
Right
at that moment Sri Krishna arrives there, lifts her in His chariot and speedily
drives away -
ratham samaropya suparna-laksnam
rajanya-cakram paribhuya madhavah
tato yayau rama-purogamah sanaih
srigala-madhyad iva bhaga-hrd dharih (10/53/56)
All
the kings comes back to their senses and dashes towards Krishna, all of them
gets ready to wage a war against Him.
On
the other side Balaramji hearing the news enters Bidharba alongwith a huge
army, going there He routs the soldiers of all the kings with His plough and
mallet and the kings unable to withstand begins to fly hither and thither.
Rukmi
also comes there to fight and Sri Krishna decides to kill him but at the prayer
of Rukmini He shaves his head and pouring whey chases him away.
Sri
Krishna alongwith Rukmini arrives at Dwarka and Naradaji fixes a auspicious
moment – the month of Magha, sukla pakkha,
panchami tithi for their marriage. When the time arrive Sri Krishna-Balarma
both of them quickly arrives Gokula Vrindavana and takes father Nanda mother
Yasodha and the residents of Braja alongwith the gopis to Dwarka. Near Dwarka there is a place named Gopi kunda and
besides it is the dwelling place of the gopis.
The marriage of Sri Krishna with Rukmini devi
is held at the day of Basant panchami
at Madhavpur.
All
over jubilations of Lakshmi Narayana are celebrated. Auspicious arrival of
direct Mahalakshmi, here the opulence is indescribable, they witnessing Sri
Krishna and Rukmini devi becomes
extremely pleased, while meditating upon they absorbs at the feet of Paramatma Sri Krishna.
At
the estrangement of jiva and iswara one who connects jiva with iswara she is Rukmini means hladini
energy, part of Srimati Radharani, mother of all jivas, being merciful she confers brahma-sambandha (relation with brahman).
In the scriptures three forms of Lakshmi are narrated – alakshmi, lakshmi and
mahalakshmi. Alakshmi is produced from sins and her carrier is gibbon – wealth
which ends with sorrow is alakshmi, wealth which comes to house through dharma-adharma and is spent more in enjoyment and luxury rather that
serving the Lord that is lakshmi and the form of mahalakshmi is wealth which
enters by following the principles of dharma
and spent in virtuous activities. Mahalakshmi’s carrier is Garuda Maharaj.
Lakshmi should be utilized with proper conscience, never to be misused. Earning
wealth is not so hard but utilizing it truthfully is very difficult. Adequate
utilization of wealth is dharma and
enjoying it is adharma. Lakshmi is
not for enjoyment, it is the means to acquire bhakti. No jiva can be
the enjoyer or husband of Lakshmi, her husband is only one i.e. Sriman
Narayana. When somebody worship mother Lakshmi truthfully she seats the jiva at the lap of Narayana.