wave of love 20

[Guest guest]

Dear si vaishNava

perunthagaiyeer,

 

In the wave of love series, we

are studying details of rukmiNee kalayaaNam combining NaaraayaNa theertha's

[NT's] tharangams.

 

The portion where we left in

earlier post is - krishNa arrived at kuNdinapuram and rukmiNee was looking at

all princes and kings assembled for the sake of her 'swayam varam'. When the

friend [sakhee] introduced the kings and princes, rukmiNee urged the sakhee

that krishNa alone to be introduced. As per NT, once she introduces krishNa, krishNa

takes her from the assembly hall of kings and princes and not from ambika

temple as said in bhaagavatham.

 

I mentioned the krithi as 'kOmaLa

adharE' is the one, which deals this introduction of several kings and rukmiNee

asking the sakhee to introduce krishNa only - we will see what rukmiNee asks

the sakhee – in words of NT --

 

Seee rukmiNee's instruction to

the sakhee –

charvitha charvanE na alam

chakriNam dharsaya

baalE

saara kamala sankaasa aksham saaradha chandhra

sannibha asyam || 10

 

meaning – hey friend, introduce

only that person who has a 'chakra' - wheel in hand, who has lotus eyes and who

has a bright face like cool autumn moon – viz. krishNa only

 

and the sakhee introduces krishNa

-

 

dhvaarakaa pura naayakam

dhaaritha dhurjana jaalam

dhheeram aakalaya krishNam dhEva

dhEvakee thanayam || 11

 

sundharam pasya

sundharee nandha yasOdhaa nandhanam

syandhanE bheeshma nandhini

nandhaya indhu bimba aananam || 12

 

 

meaning: hey beauty queen, see

this dhvaaraka's leader, brave, dhevakee's son, beauty personified, nandha and

yasOdhaa's son who has moon like face and enjoy.

 

Dear bhakthaas, see the words the

poet uses – as said in bhaagavatham – 'bhuvana sundharaa' – here 'sundharam pasya sundharee' –

hey rukmiNee, the beauty personified, see your beloved sundhara – and enjoy his

moon like face. Or 'is it I finished my job. Now it is between you and your

lord' type of words. Oh great.

 

Note that word 'nandha'

repeatedly used in rhythmic pattern conveying different meanings.

 

In bhaagavatham, rukmiNee reaches

the temple of bhavaani or ambika, the wife of siva and from there krishNa lifts

her on to his chariot. Whereas NT also describes her going to temple of ambika

to do the pooja and returnes to the mandapam, from where krishNa takes her in

front of all the kings assembled.

 

Now let us see what the citizens react on

seeing krishNa, when he reaches the town –

that is as follows – bhaagavatham 10 – 53

–37, 38 -

"He, whose body is just flawless, alone

deserves RukmiNee as wife, and no one else; He is the most suitable husband for

princess Bhaishmî! May, with whatever of all our good deeds, the Creator of the

Three Worlds, be as merciful, that Achyutha takes the hand of RukmiNee.'

 

See the public

opinion – is in favour of kishNa only. Continuing

bhaagavatham – 10 –53- 44, 45, 46 says –

44. Reaching the temple of the goddess, she

washed her feet and lotus like hands, did [aachamanam] sipping of water for

purification and entered the presence of Ambikâ sanctified and peaceful.

45. The young girl indeed was led by the

elderly wives of the learned, [brahmanaas wives] well known with the

injunctions, in offering respects to Bhavaanee, the wife of Siva, there,

together with Bhava.

46. rukmiNee prayed – I, along with your

children, repeatedly offer my obeisances to you, O Ambikaa, please allow

Krishna, the Supreme Lord, to be my husband.'

 

When rukmiNee comes out she walks beautifully and the lord reaches her

– in words of sukhar - translated -

 

10-53- 51to 55: As if she were

the illusory potency [Maayaa dhEvî,] of the Lord herself that even bewilders

the sober ones, the assembled kings or the respectable heroes, became entranced

seeing

her earrings

decorating the virginal beauty of her face, the

jewel-studded belt around her hips, her budding

breasts, her eyes shy

with the colour of locks of her hair, her pure

smile and teeth reddened by the glow from her bimba lips, her

jasmine-bud feet walking, her gait

gracious as a royal swan and the tinkling

of her skillfully fashioned anklebells beautifying [her feet] with their

effulgence,

they rose [from their horse seats]. These kings, upon the sight of

her broad

smiles, shyness and mindboggling

glances a lust of which distressed their hearts,

were torn apart

and their weapons dropped to the ground.

 

Continued -- Sitting on their horses, elephants and chariots they,

loosing it, fell down to the ground, as she, on the pretext of the procession,

was offering her beauty to Lord Hari, slowly walking, putting one before the

other the two whorls of her lotus flowers in eager expectation of the arrival

of the Supreme Personality.

 

Continued-- Throwing aside her hair with the nails of her hand, she

saw, as she coyly looked from the corners of her eyes at those present, and

Achyutha.

 

And while His enemies were looking on, Krishna seized the

king's daughter ready to mount the chariot.

 

56. Lifting her onto His chariot marked with [the flag of]

Garuda drove He back the circle of kings and left He, with Balarâma in front,

from there slowly as a lion would remove his portion from the midst of jackals.

--

 

point: So it is clear from above,

sree sukhar says krishNa lifted her from the road or just outside the

bhavaani's temple. But NT places this lifting in his works as from the assembly

hall.

 

So that 'paaNim gruhNeeshva

paaNinaa' of janaka telling raama when offering seethaa, happened in

bhaagavatham between krishNa and rukmiNee themselves, on their own.

 

NT places that in a slokam –

again simply great [sanskrit] language -

 

 

vaidharbhee vasudhEva soonu nayana

anyOnya vinyaasathO

dhhanyaanaam api dhhanyathaam

janimathaam kanyaa varaaNaam dhhuri ||

anyOnya upamithaani yaani bhuvi

santhi anyaani vasthooni thath

sarvasya api upamaa vayam thu

ithi thayOh chiththa Ekathaam kurvathE ||

gruheethvaa

paaNinaa paaNeem rukmiNyaah thvrayaa prabhuh||

 

meaning: when krishNa and

rukmiNee met thru their eyes, the eyes conveyed for the lovers to unite [past

or in future] of the world, that these two are the pairs of eyes that are going

to remain as the supreme object of comparison ever to remain in this world.

 

Then, the supreme lord left for

dhvaarakaa – and the kings who were onlookers to the happenings, started a

fight, being joined by rukmiNee's brother.

 

I am not going to describe the

war etc. Let us see how the marriage went on in dhvaarakaa. That portion we

will see in next post.

 

Dhasan Vasudevan MG