We Remember Krishna
Krishna the King
Narrated by Princess Rukmini
Although Krishna and I are
now happily married and the rulers of Dwaraka,
it was not always clear that our story would have a happy ending.
I am Rukmini, daughter of
Bhishmaka, the king of Vidarbha. Like Radha, I am an incarnation of the
goddess Lakshmi, and therefore the lover of Narayana, who is Krishna.
But while Radha is a simple, rural gopi, I am the perfect complement of
Krishna in his life as a king and warrior. For while I grew up, Krishna
was accomplishing many things in the new part of his life as a ruler.
After he left the gopis and
his foster-family, Krishna defeated his wicked uncle Kamsa and became
king of Dwaraka.
I heard stories of Krishna
growing up, and like all other little girls
I had a little bit of a crush on him. I daydreamed of the handsome
prince and romantic adventures where he would come and rescue me. As I
grew up, I came to terms with the fact that I would probably never even
meet Krishna, but secretly I never stopped hoping that some day he
would come, sweep me off my meet and marry me. Silly, I know, but
dreams like that gave me hope when reality made my life became almost
unbearable.
While Krishna was becoming
famous as a wise and just ruler, my life was
changing for the worse. My evil cousin Rukmi usurped the throne when my
father died. In order to maintain his power, he had to make alliances
with nearby rulers. And what better way of making
an alliance permanent than a marriage?
As easily as that, I
was
bartered away to Shishupala, prince of a neighboring kingdom. I
protested the match,
but of course my cousin didn't care about my opinion on the matter. I
turned to everyone I could possibly think of, but no one could help me:
my brothers were imprisoned, and the other kings were too
intimidated by Rukmi to oppose him. So there I was, famous throughout
the world for my beauty and virtue, yet desperately unhappy. What good
were my wealth and beauty when I was at the mercy of men like Rukmi?
Fearing I would take some drastic
measure, as indeed I was preparing to do, my cousin had me kept under
guard until the ceremony could be completed. In a last desparate attempt,
I finally managed to have a message
smuggled past my guards. I could think of no one but Krishna who might
be able to help me. He alone had a sense of honor combined with the
power to stop this injustice. It truly was a desparate attempt, because
I had no way of knowning if the message would reach him, and if it did,
could I rely on Krishna, a man I had met only though stories, to rescue
me? Was he really so honorable that he would risk his army and himself
to save a woman he had never met?
The wedding day
arrived.
Clinging to some last shreds of hoped, I
prayed again in the temple for some god to pity me. The bridal
procession proceeded, my heart growing heavier with each step. I
couldn't even bring myself to look up, but shuffled along, eyes
downcast.
Suddenly, a huge commotion
broke out and the crowd in front of me
parted. I quickly glanced up and only had time to register the face of
the handsome prince of my dreams before he swept me up behind him in
his chariot!
Before anyone could react,
Krishna stole me away under the astonished
eyes of Rukmi and his soldiers. Later, Rukmi attempted to follow us and
take me back by force, but he was defeated by Krishna and his brother
Balarama.
What began as a nightmare for
me turned out to have a fairytale ending.
Krishna and I were married, and I became queen of Dwaraka. We ruled
together
for many years, famous as virtuous rulers as much as for our love.
***********
Author's note: I changed a few details of Rukmiki's story for several
reasons.
First, Rukmi was actually the oldest of Rukmini's five brothers, rather
than her cousin. I always think it's sad when some siblings turn out
good and others evil, who take advantage of the good ones. Plus, I
wanted to contrast Rukmini's childhood with the drama of her marriage.
It seems more dramatic if, rather than growing up with her evil
brother, she had had a perfect childhood and then her evil cousin
appeared out of nowhere, taking her completely by surprise, as she had
never had to deal with that kind of adversity before.
In the original, Krishna actually succeeds in sending a message in
reply to Rukmini, but I wanted to make it more dramatic by prolonging
her suspense up until the last minute. I also think that her remaining
hopeful and trusting in Krishna in the most doubtful and uncertain time
shows her steadfast character.
I cut out the last part of the story, in which Rukmini pleads with
Krishna to spare Rukmi's life, which he does. I couldn't think of a way
to have Rukmini tell that part of the story without sounding like
bragging, but it's important because it shows Rukmini's merciful nature.
Because Krishna is God, it makes sense for Rukmini to have fallen in
love with him without ever having met him. However, I felt that, while
love-at-first sight can be accepted by modern audiences,
love-before-first-sight is a little hard to believe. (For example, her
letter to Krishna reads "O my
lover! Beloved of my heart! ....I will cast off my body
and quit from this world if I do not unite with you in wedlock.")
While this is a beautiful expression of Rukmini's devotion to Lord
Krishna, it seemed a little dramatic and not something that Western
audiences would easily understand or identify with. Therefore I adapted
the story, making Rukmini's love at first childhood crush that she
never really expects to be fulfilled.
***********
Contents
Bibliography
Rukmini-harana,
the Kidnapping of Princess Rukmini-devi
Rukmini,
Wikipedia article
Krsna, the
Ranacora, by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Krsna,
chapter 52
Krsna Kidnaps Rukmini,
by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Krsna,
chapter 53
Krsna Defeats
All the Princes, by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Krsna,
chapter 54
Image Information, top to bottom
The Kidnapping of
Rukmini, avatara.org
Krishna Kidnaps Rukmini, A Glimpse
of Krishna
Rukmini and Krishna, shaktishop
