#rest of the ashtabharyas where?

[devimayi]

i imagine vrindavan to be chaotic and messy in the best way possible. krishna playing his flute means that everyone will stop whatever they are doing. radha and the sakhis constantly try to outwit this makhan chor but to no avail. every prank of theirs is reported by the parrots that krishna bribes feeds everyday for this entire purpose.

mother yashoda and nanda maharaj are doing their duties when krishna's elder brother balram rushes in, throwing accusations against krishna.

krishna refutes them and the parents share a fond look with each other while their mischevous children argue.

dwarka is no less chaotic, perhaps tempered by the maturity krishna shows. the makhan chor of braj remains with the people of vrindavan, gokul, barsana and only them. dwarka sees the dawn of yaduvanshi vāsudev shri krishna. a new leaf of the same flower of madhav.

[sanskari-kanya]

Love in Separation

Where eight days after Krishna’s disappearance, Rukmini has to make a choice

"Rukmini didi..." Jambavati called hesitantly, standing far at the doorframe of Rukmini's balcony with the rest of Ashtabharyas closely behind. They stared at Rukmini's posture with a vision that was glossed with warm tears. The chief Queen of Dwarka was overlooking at the barbarous destruction of her own Queendom — all without a word; without a tear. 

As a response, Rukmini hummed, quiet inaudibly at that for she knew the news that was about to fall on her ears. 'Pradyumna and Charudeshna', her breath hitched at the thought and fingers mindlessly gripped the railings, directing her affliction at one place. 

"Ruku..." Satyabhama wailed this time, worriedly sprinting towards her co-wife with the news that had numbed all their senses already. She knew, that no matter how she tries to put the words, nothing can lessen the sorrowl that it will inevitably bring along. "Oh Rukmini," She spoke, softly placing a hand on Rukmini's shoulder, "Charudeshna and Pradyumna have –" 

"Have followed their father's footsteps and left their mother behind all by herself, isn't it?" Rukmini chuckled humourlessly. The younger one stared at Vaidarbhi in dubeity. There were no trace of tears, no disconsolation at the fate; just a smile curling up her lips. Like a hermit above all the wordly muses. 

The other wives let another set of tears roll past their quivering lips as if, they all were shedding the tears of Rukmini's anguish. "You're not alone, Didi. Never. Your eight co-wives, your eight priya sakhis are here and fervently vow to never leave your side, ever." Mitravinda added, making every effort to get the Princess of Vidarbha to lower her defences. 

"Oh Mitra," Rukmini chuckled. Again. But this time her teary eyes crinkled at their ends and there was a certain warmth in that laughter, a warmth that Dwarka hadn't felt in the last few days. "You, me... us," She said, gesturing at her co-wives, "We're one. We've always been. And anyways, I'm done shedding my tears," She smiled harder, wiping the tear stains on the faces of the other Lakshmis, "And you all should too, for now, there is nothing to lose. Let the burden and the fear wash away. Alright?" 

"Have we ever disobeyed you?" Charuhaasini cracked a half smile at the former's reassurance. 

"Hm...not that I remember." Rukmini winked, making the rest of the ladies contribute to the muffled giggles while slowly exiting the chambers. "Oh, and Satyaa!" She voiced up, suddenly remembering something she was meant to, long ago. 

"Yes, your majesty?" 

"Oh pfftt drop it!" The chief queen chuckled, "Arjun will be here anytime now. Don't let the disaster that has dawned upon us come in the way of our duties. He has promised to take the remaining of our people to safety, so make arrangements to welcome him in Dwarka with due honour and assist him with the strategies. And..." Rukmini's musings halted, gulping down the lump slowly resurfacing in her throat. 

"And what, Ruku?" 

"Take care of Vajranabha, now will you?" Satyabhama listened to her attentively, nodding at Rukmini's every sentence. 

"Of course I will. But...but where are you going?" Satyabhama squinted her eyes, scooting closer to Rukmini who was sat across the edge of her bed. 

"Me? I'm sitting right in front of you." Rukmini smiled at the former's gesture, getting up from where she was sat, to avoid Satyabhama's perspicacious gaze from over analysing her pale face. 

"Rukmini, I know you good enough to read past your monotonous facial expressions. Asking for the saftey for the remaining Yadavas, pleading for the protection of Vajranabha; we all know that you can do that all by yourself too," The third queen followed the movements, standing right behind Rukmini, "Am I talking to the same Dwarkeshwari who is sitting on the throne for her people for the last eight days after Dwarkadheesh —" 

"— No." Rukmini replied hastily, cutting Satrajiti before she could continued the cursed sentence. "Satyaa, the last entire week has snatched away a part of me every single day and now all I am left with, is myself. Neither my Natha, nor my children; neither my Dwarka, nor my people. 

Neither Dwarkeshwari nor Vaidarbhi; today, you're talking to Rukmini." She sighed, letting a few beads of warm tears roll down her face full of athymy. 

Satyabhama's instincts had outplayed her this time and her immediate response to watch Rukmini shed some painful tears, was to engulf her in an embrace like no other. "Let me make this clear, you are not going anywhere. We need you, this Queendom of Dwarka needs you. Narayan himself could not bear separation from you, how will we bear it, Rukmini?" 

"What seperation, Satyabhame? Even the soil of Dwarka breathes my name. No mortal curses can seperate Rukmini from her people and her Dwarka." Moved by Satyabhama's words, Rukmini blinked back her remaining tears. 

"Dwarkeshwari ki jay ho. Mata, Rajkumar Arjun has arrived in Dwarka." A daasi informed, briefly interrupting the two sisters in what might be their last mortal meeting. 

"Great. Satyaa, I think you should get going now. And don't forget the things I told you." Rukmini comanded, patting the other queen's back. 

Satyabhama glanced at her unconvincingly. "I won't, but what about you?" She asked, turning back to face Rukmini again. 

"I shall join you all soon. But before that, need to breathe some fresh air and...and get a few things off my mind." Rukmini stuttered, fiddling with the only ring that was tightly wrapped around her finger. The ring that she had never once removed ever since Krishna slid it down her ring finger on their wedding day. 

"Sure?" 

"Ye–yes my dear Satya..." 

"I'll be waiting." 

Satyabhama stole one last glance at her favourite co-wife before proceeding to perform her own duties. Rukmini, on the other hand, had thrown her body against the locked door of her chambers. Eyes squeezed shut and heavy tears coursing down without any barrier, she took multiple glances around her chamber. She could hear giggles of her children, Krishna's playful banter and his melodious flute echoing from every corner of the room. 

It was just yesterday that Pradyumna and Charudeshna had walked into her chambers. And today, they had simply walked out of her life. It was just yesterday that Charumati had gotten married and promised that she would visit her often and today it was Rukmini who would keep re-visiting the place where Charumati'a agni chita burnt louder than her mother's cries. It was just yesterday that Aniruddh had built a whole temple for her and Krishna, telling how intricately he would worship them daily, but today it was just Rukmini squaring off against another vigraha of Rukmini. 

The goddess of Fortune slowly removed her footwear; barefootedly exiting the royalty from the other end of the palace ever so carefully to not make any noise of her presence known. The cold waves of the sea washed over her feet as if they were restless to do so for a long time. Her eyes shimmery eyes watched the chariot of Arjun safely leaving the gates of Dwarka along with Vajranabha. "Yashashasvi Bhava, Putra..." She whispered to herself. Another lone tear escaped her lotus eyes on seeing the gut wrenching personification of the curse. Rukmini couldn't meet her eyes with all the bloodshed of her own people, the destruction of her own Queendom. 

The water level, whose gentle waves previously bathed her feet, abruptly began rising with each step that Rukmini took away from Dwarka. Rukmini didn't know where Jara shot the arrow for had she done that, the anguish of the seperation from her beloved, would have prevented her from carrying out her final obligations as a monarch. Despite not knowing the whereabouts of where Krishna took his last mortal breath, there was this invisible force of their love, leading her to where she was supposed to be. Afterall, Rukmini was inseparable from her Shyam.

note : I just wanted to repost what I had written on my previous blog

Also Vajranabha - great grandson of Krishna and Rukmini. According to the folktale I heard, Rukmini ruled over Dwarka before leaving her mortal body and Dwarka drowned the moment she stepped out, unable to bear separation from their Queen.

[vedicstory12]

Top 7 Popular Lord Krishna Temples in India

On July 7, 2024, I celebrated Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra 2024 with my mother, aunts, and cousins. It was a mesmerizing event at the Shri Shri Rukmini Dwarkadhish, the ISKCON Dwarka, Delhi temple. 

It celebrated the mango festival and gave up mangoes as prasadam. We were not fortunate enough to get the mangoes, being in line. 

But when Krishna saw us with empty hands, he showed all of us flowers and sweets as prasadam. We were beaming with happiness and satisfaction.

However, let's get to today's topic and discover why Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is the heart of all living beings.

What are the 7 most popular Krishna temples?

Lord Krishna, the enchanter, is believed to be the greatest philosopher. He preached the biggest philosophy book, the Shrimad Gita, to Arjuna and allowed the world to know who he was and live a grounded life following righteousness. 

Several popular temples are dedicated to Lord Krishna, but today we are talking about the top 7 most popular ones. Let's dive!

Prem Mandir

Prem Mandir is dedicated to love, Krishna’s Radha. 

It is situated in Vrindavan, where Radha and Krishna grew up. 

Guru Kripalu Maharaj dedicated the temple to the Lord and eternal love between a devotee and the Supreme Being. 

Prem Mandir is built with white marbles that make the temple look like heaven. It is spread across 54 acres and offers its devotees spiritual and educational knowledge so that they can get close to the Lord. ISKCON Temple

ISKCON Temple is one of the most popular shrines in India and overseas. 

The shrine runs a movement, Krishna Consciousness, through ISKCON temples worldwide. ISKCON refers to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. 

It builds beautiful cascading temples; Shri Shri Rukmini Dwarkadhish, the ISKCON Dwarka Delhi shrine, where we celebrated Jagannath Rath Yatra is one of them.

Dwarkadhish Temple

Dwarkadhish Temple is situated in the city of Dwarka, in the holy state of Gujarat. It is the capital of Lord Krishna, where he lived with his Ashtabharyas.

The shrine is also one of the Char Dhamas and is famous as a holy pilgrimage for devotees. 

It is a beautiful Hindu temple with 72 pillars and is 2,500 years old.

Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple

Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple is the Vaikuntha of Earth. 

Lord Vishnu rests here as Krishna, the prime deity of the temple.

The shrine is also known as the Dwarka of South India. It was built in Kerala, and it is believed that Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Krishna here.

Jugal Kishore Temple

Jugal Kishore is the eternal and youthful Krishna. Lord Vishnu rests here as a young boy who likes to prank and play with his friends.

Jugal Kishore Temple, built in Mathura, is a peaceful shrine and one of the oldest. The temple is also known as Kesi Ghata and is built with red sandstone. It is mesmerizing and huge.

Jagannath Puri Temple

Jagannath Puri Temple is another famous shrine dedicated to Lord Krishna. It is the place where he visits his aunt with Balabhadra and Subhadra on vacation. Hinduism celebrates the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra 2024 every year. Lord Krishna travels on the chariot enthusiastically along with his devotees and siblings. 

Bankey Bihari Temple

Bankey Bihari is another of the most popular shrines of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan.

Lord Krishna is placed here in the Tribhanga posture and blesses the devotees.

The Holi festival is one of the beautiful attractions here. People visit the Bankey Bihari temple in huge numbers to experience Holi in different forms, such as Flower Holi, Latha Maar Holi, and others.

If you want to experience divinity and an unparalleled atmosphere, you must visit these temples of Lord Krishna. 

Meanwhile, you can also read about these temples and the tales of Lord Vishnu and his many incarnations in Vedic Story. What are you thinking? Enlighten yourself with ancient texts and Indian mythology.

[dumdaradumdaradum]

Rukmini :: princess of Vidarbha, Queen of Dwarka, Krishna's ardhangini. I've been thinking about her for a while now.

She was truly empowered woman and there are so many thoughts swirling in my head. Bare with me as I try to string them together in a nice set of shiny, distinct pearls.

The first we hear of her was when she's days(hours?) away from marrying Vaasudev. The courage she had, to stand up for herself against the future that she knew would ruin her, the class with which she instantly wrote to him and chose not to lie in her darkened chamber and bemoan life.

In Dwarka, she quietly carved out a quintessential space for herself, lending her intelligence for the prosperity of the land and its people. Occasionally assisting in politics under the night sky.

Her silence spoke for her.

Omniscience radiates whenever she is mentioned or present in the epic. Her intellect allowed her to see forth in time, and of course her husband confided almost everything to her.

I have rarely seen a woman so secure of herself. When Dwarkadheesh married, when he bought rest of the ashtabharya home, she did nothing. The clashes, the tears of hurt, plight of possible ignorance in future was just not there as had been seen in several queens in history.

Her heart was so full of love that it was enough. That's something so beautiful. Even when she loved him with all her heart, even when she devoted herself to him- she retained her individuality. Her constant state of bliss was not dependent on him.

A few days before I heard someone explain what it means to advance in yoga and meditation. They said, when you meditate you feel a certain bliss and peace, and when you carry that quiet state of mind into your dynamic life and retain the bliss throughout the day, that's when you know you have climbed a level.

It just fits with her. Strife dissipated from where she resided because her soul was calm.

sorry for rant but I love her, in case that wasn't apparent lmao. || Masterlist || my thoughts about her are not nearly over but tell me what you think of her.