Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Rukmiṇī

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Hinduism and Tribal Religions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

  • 65 Accesses

Synonyms

Rakhumāī; Vaidarbhī

Definition

Rukmiṇī: Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa’s eldest and principal wife, a princess of Vidarbha.

Rukmiṇī: Queen of Dvārakā

Rukmiṇī is the eldest wife of Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa and is often identified as an incarnation of the goddess of prosperity Śrī-Lakṣmī. The earliest sources that speak of her are the Mahābhārata (MBh) [14] and Harivaṃśa (HV) [16]. As a princess of Vidarbha (Eastern Maharashtra) and daughter of King Bhīṣmaka, she is abducted by Kṛṣṇa just moments before her unwanted marriage to Śiśupāla of Cedi and becomes Kṛṣṇa’s chief queen in Dvārakā, bearing him several sons, of whom the most important is Pradyumna. She is often cast in a discordant relationship with Satyabhāmā, a younger wife of Kṛṣṇa. Rukmiṇī’s importance in Hinduism is defined largely by the role she plays in the mythic accounts of Kṛṣṇa’s life, although she does have a significant presence in certain worship traditions such as at the temple of Viṭṭhal Kṛṣṇa in Paṇḍharpūr, Maharashtra.

Rukmiṇī’s...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

BhP:

Bhāgavata Purāṇa

HV:

Harivaṃśa

MBh:

Mahābhārata

ViP:

Viṣṇu Purāṇa

References

  1. Austin C (2013) The fructification of the tale of a tree: the Pārijātaharaṇa in the Harivaṃśa and its appendices. J Am Orient Soc 133(2):249–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Austin C (2014) The abduction of Śrī-Rukmiṇī: politics, genealogy and theology in Harivaṃśa 87–90. Relig Stud Theol 33(1):23–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Brown CM (1982) The theology of Rādhā in the Purāṇas. In: Hawley JS, Wulff DM (eds) The divine consort: Rādhā and the goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, pp 57–71

    Google Scholar 

  4. Coleman T (2003) The abduction of Rukmiṇī. J Vaishnava Stud 12(1):25–56

    Google Scholar 

  5. Jain PL (ed, trans) (2011) Harivaṃśa Purāṇa of Ācārya Jinasena with Hindi translation, introduction and appendices, 13th edn. Bharatiya Jnanpith, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kinjawadekar PR (ed) (1936) Harivanshaparvan with Bhārata Bhāwadeepa by Neelakantha. Shankar Narhar Joshi (Citrashala Press), Poona

    Google Scholar 

  7. Marglin F (1999) Time renewed: the place of the Daitās and Devadāsīs in the famous Ratha Jātrā festival of Puri. J Vaiṣṇava Stud 7(2):131–173

    Google Scholar 

  8. Novetzke CL (2005) A family affair: Krishna comes to Paṇḍharpūr and makes himself at home. In: Beck GL (ed) Alternative Krishnas: regional and vernacular variations on a Hindu deity. State University of New York Press, Albany, pp 113–138

    Google Scholar 

  9. Pathak MM (ed) (1997–1999) The critical edition of the Viṣṇupurāṇam, 2 vols. Oriental Institute, Vadodara

    Google Scholar 

  10. Pauwels H (2007) Stealing a willing bride: Women’s agency in the myth of Rukmiṇī’s elopement. J R Asiat Soc G B Irel 17:407–441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Pauwels H (2008) The goddess as role model: Sītā and Rādhā in scripture and on screen. Oxford University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  12. Shastri HG et al (eds) (1996–2002) The Bhāgavata [Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa], 1st edn, 4 vols. in 6 pts. B. J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad

    Google Scholar 

  13. Shima I (1988) The Viṭhobā faith of Mahārāṣtra: the Viṭhobā temple of Paṇḍharpūr and its mythological structure. Jpn J Relig Stud 15(2-3):183–197

    Google Scholar 

  14. Sukthankar VS (ed) (1933–1966) The Mahābhārata, 19 vols. Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona

    Google Scholar 

  15. Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra of Hemacandra. var (eds) (1990–2012) Kalikālasarvajña Śrīhema-candrācāryaviracitaṃ Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritamahākāvyam, 5 vols. Kalikālasarvajña Śrīhemacandrācārya Navama Janmaśābdī Smṛti Śikṣaṇa-Saṃskāranidhi, Ahmedabad

    Google Scholar 

  16. Vaidya PL (ed) (1969–1971) The Harivaṃśa: Being the Khila, or supplement to the Mahābhārata, 2 vols. Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Classics (Religious Studies), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Christopher Austin

Authors
  1. Christopher Austin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Austin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Anthropology, The University of North Texas Dept of Anthropology, Denton, Texas, USA

    Pankaj Jain

  2. The Graduate Theological Union , Berkeley, California, USA

    Rita Sherma

  3. Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for the Study of Comparative Reli Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Madhu Khanna

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Austin, C. (2018). Rukmiṇī. In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_555-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_555-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation