Rukminiरुक्मिणी

Rukmini (रुक्मिणी) is the principal wife of Krishna, first among his queens at Dwarka, and in Vaishnava theology the earthly form of Lakshmi, born to accompany Vishnu's descent as Krishna. Her story, told at length in the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, is one of the tradition's great romances — remarkable for beginning with the bride's own initiative.

The letter and the elopement

Daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha, Rukmini heard reports of Krishna and resolved to marry him. Her brother Rukmi, an ally of Krishna's enemies, arranged instead her marriage to Shishupala of Chedi. On the eve of the wedding Rukmini sent Krishna a letter by the hand of a brahmin — a document of striking directness, declaring her choice and naming the moment when she would leave the city to worship the goddess. Krishna arrived, swept her into his chariot before the assembled suitors, and fought off pursuit; he spared the raging Rukmi at Rukmini's own plea, though not before shaving his head in humiliation. The marriage that followed made her chief of Krishna's queens.

Queen at Dwarka

The Puranas portray Rukmini as grave, devoted and serene, a deliberate contrast to the proud and fiery Satyabhama. She is the mother of Pradyumna, whom tradition identifies as the reborn god of love, Kamadeva. In the well-loved tulabharam legend, when Satyabhama tries to outweigh Krishna in gold, it is a single tulsi leaf offered by Rukmini with devotion that tips the scale — a parable of bhakti over wealth that later tellings never tire of.

Worship

Rukmini is worshipped wherever Krishna is, but nowhere more distinctly than in Maharashtra, where as Rakhumai she stands beside Vithoba, the Krishna of Pandharpur, at the centre of the Varkari tradition. In Assam, the saint Sankardeva made her elopement the subject of his drama Rukmini-harana, and her story remains a staple of devotional theatre across India.