Chapter13-
Rukmini came out of the temple and saw
Sa rukmineenethra chakorachandhrah
thA thathpraharshAmbuja poorvasanDhyA
thadhadhbhuthadhvandhvam avekshya sakhyah
yayuh thulAm apsarasAm anoonAm- ( Yad.13-13)
The friends of Rukmini seeing the couple resembled the celestial damsels because they were looking without batting their eyelids.
The couple, who were bound to each other by their auspicious qualities, gave immense joy to the friends of Rukmini who thought that she was like a lioness being Haripriya, beloved to Lord Hari, (pun on the word hari which means both lion and Krishna) and hence unapproachable by the other kings who were like elephants in front of the lion, `haripriyAm kesariNeem ivainAm dhurAsadhAm anyanrpadvipendhraih.'
As Rama freed Sita from the rakshasas and took her in the pushpaka vimana
prabhEVa dhEvEna thamopahEna
prathyak dhiSam thena saha prayAhnthee
nithyAnapAyithvam ajAnatheenAm
sathyApayAmAsa nijam prajAnAm
Just as the light of the Sun goes with him to the west Rukmini went towards the west to Dvaraka with
Sisupala to whom Rukmini was betrothed ran behind the lion of the yadhavas, carrying Rukmini like his lioness, hollering like a jackal and Rukmi, the brother of Rukmini pursued
When they entered Dvaraka all the women hastened to see Rukmini and Desika elaborately describes their arrival to the scene. Each one of them was in a different state decorating themselves and hurrying up in the middle of it. The people seeing Rukmini who looked like a golden creeper around the kalpavrksha obtained all the four purusharthas, says Desika.
Krshnasya thAm skanDham upaGnayantheem
Suradhrumasyeva suvarNa valleem
Avekshya noonamchathurah pumarTHAn
Ananya labhyAn alabhantha pourAh (Yad.13-65)
The four purusharthas, namely dharma, arTha ,
The marriage of Rukmini and Krishna
Desika describes the marriage in detail which was not found in Srimadbhagavatham. One can understand all the steps of the ceremony of marriage by reading this chapter. These slokas will be a fitting quotation in a marriage invitation.
Elderly ladies adorned Rukmini with ornaments and it looked as though they have covered her beauty with ornaments thinking that it is too much to be shown in full. The auspicious garlands and the sacred rice grains attained their merit by the association with the divine couple. The sacred thread tied to the hand of
The flames of the fire in the altar when ignited burned round as though doing mangalarathi to the couple. The puffed rice was put in the fire which is usually done by the bride whose hand is placed on the bridegroom(lajahoma) with the prayer for the long life of her husband.(arimugan acchuthan kaimmEl en kai vaitthu porimugam thatta kanAkkandEn ?Nacchiar thirumozi)
Then the couple chanted the manthra for life-long companionship and took seven steps round the fire.
Anvethu vishnuh svayam ithi udheerya
priyAm parADheena ivAnugacchan
jAyApatheenAm jagadhudhbhavAnAm
bhavyAm dhaSAm bhAvayathi sma nAThah
The reason for this is `viSvasya bAhyAntharanithyavrtthyA na karma kartha cha ya eva eshAm,' since the Lord is everywhere inside and outside, being transcendent and imminent, he can neither be the doer nor the act as nothing else exists other than Him. Agni, the fire-god also sent his flames in a circular motion as though circumambulating the divine couple who are inside him.
Then
Finally Krishna did the svishtakrth yaga ( must be the seshahoma) which is done as the upasana of agnideva with the implication that even if the steps of the marriage were done in a wrong order agni should rectify it and make it right.
Desika says `svathejasA bhAvitha viSvathejAhsvAhAsakham dhevam upAstha dhevah,' meaning , the one with whose light everything else shines ( thameva bhAntham anubhAthi srvam thasya bhasA sarvamidham vibhAthi-up.) propitiated the fire.
rAmasya seetheva rameva vishnoh
amushya bhooyAsthvam ihaikapathnee
ithyoochisho yAdhavavrddhadhArAn
preethASayA praikshatha sAsanAThA (Yad.13-95)
Rukmini looked at the elderly women of Yadava clan who blessed her she should be the one and only wife to
But this should be construed to mean that Rukmini is the pathnee which word is derived as `yajne pathyuh samyogah yayA sA' , that is, the pathni is the one who is in unison with her husband in yajna and other vedic duties. It is always the first wife who is entitled for this. Even in respect to Lord Vishnu Lakshmi is the main consort who being inseparable from Him, takes prominent part in protecting the devotees. Of course Rukmini being none else that Sridevi herself this blessing is quite appropriate.
The ritual of seeing Arundhathi, the wife of Vasisihta was also performed and Desika says Arundhathi became fit to be seen by all with reverence because of this.
The sages gave their blessing that
After doing the proper honouring to both everyone went back to their houses and the whole city of
srivathsasamsThAna jushA prkrthyA
sThAnenachihnena cha lakshaneeyou
dhrshtAvabheeshtam bajathAm dhadhAthe
jagathpathee thAviha dhampathee dhvou
That divine couple who were the masters of the universe, bestowed all blessings to the world. Desika says that they ere known to be the Lord Himself and His consort by the srivathsa mark on His chest which is also the place of Lakshmi.
Those who were blessed by the sight of the two, who were mutual adornment to each other and beyond the dualities of opposites like heat and cold, were not to be considered either humans or divine being, says Desika.
Na the manushyA nacha dhevathAsthe
prAyeNa thAmeva thaTHA bhavanthou
Yairevam anyonya vibhooshitham thath
dvandhvAdhikam dvandhvam avaikshi dhanyaih (Yad.13-107)
They are not humans because the divinity is not perceptible by humans and they can neither be devas because they also have their limitations. The implication is that the divine couple themselves assumed the role of spectators to see themselves as the dvandhva, the pair who are dhvandhvAtheetha, transcendent of the duality. The import of this sloka is the mahavakya thathvamasi, says Utthamur swamin.
Desika concludes the chapter by a beautiful sloka as follows.
Subhagam upalabimbe SAthakummbhe api rathnam
Kanathi vipinabhAge kAlakante api gangA
vaSika nrpagrhe sA vasudeve api adheepyath
na hi bhavathi viseshah kvApi nithyonnathAnAm
The precious gem, either in a stone image or embedded in gold shines the same. Similarly Rukmini shone in all her splendour in the
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