That morning. What to describe of it? With the first rays of the Sun, there was new enthusiasm and excitement in the hearts of many. With every ray that approached, the palace of Kaundinyapuram shone. Shone like Amaravati of Devendra, in the presence of Apsaras and Gandharvas. Shone like Brahmaloka when Devi Saraswati played her magnificent Veena and Lord Brahma spoke out the Vedas. Shone like Kailash when Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati performed the Ananda-Tandavam. Shone like Vaikuntha with the brilliance of Lord Vishnu in his Yoga Nidra, with Devi Lakshmi radiating her Golden Form.
The city was brimming with joy. It was their princess' wedding. The groom? Yes, the citizens were not too pleased about this. Many of them desired to see their princess wed the most handsome and caring man in this world. The groom was handsome, but caring? Not at all. Their princess loved someone else. They all knew. And they wanted that someone else to wed her at any cost. But would their dreams be fulfilled? They were not sure. But the rays of the Sun filled hopes in their mind.
The Brahmanas looked into the Panchangam. It was Jyeshta Shukla Ekadashi. One day before one of the best Ekadashi's for attaining the blessings of Lord Vishnu. Minds fervently prayed, for their princess to wed the Lord of her desire.
The palace was in full swing. Dasis kept moving about, arranging for things. It was the wedding of Rukmini. The entire palace was entirely decorated with flowers, the front of every room had colourful Rangolis decorated. The curtains were equally colourful. The scorching heat of the Jyeshta month did not trouble the people, surprisingly. There was an inexplicable feeling of joy and fear at the same time.
Rukmi and Jarasandha were running about, making sure that the arrangements were all in place. The groom, Shishupal would be at the palace any moment now and it was time for the Seemant Pooja. Rukmini would have to later visit the temple of Devi Ambika and then the wedding would take place. The four brothers were dressed in their best. Rukmaratha in yellow, Rukmabahu in green, Rukmakeshi in sky blue and Rukmamaali in purple. They admired each others looks as they went about working on the arrangements. Alankrita, was looking quite exquisite, in her royal blue Nauvari. She was decked in all the traditional jewellery of the house. Truly the daughter-in-law of Vidarbha. Maharaj Bheeshmaka and Maharani Shashirekha were both dressed in Green, the auspicious wedding colour. As happy as they were for their daughter, the amount of desperation their hearts went through, only they knew. Even in the last minute, they just hoped, Krishna would come from somewhere and take their darling daughter away from that ruthless Shishupal. He claimed he loved Rukmini, but one could see in his eyes, he lusted after her. Rukmini would never be happy.
If everything then was in great pomp and show, what about the bride and the groom?
Well, the groom, Shishupal, was prepared. He had refused to wear bright clothes for auspiciousness. He chose to wear something dark, like a deep hued green. That was an auspicious colour too. His Uttariya was a matching green, with golden borders. He knew that he needed a lot of strength today, just in case Krishna showed up and made mischief. So he wore light jewellery. Just a simple waistband made of gold, one large necklace of gold that dangled down to his midriff and some earrings. He also wore gold armultes and Vidyut Kada on both his wrists, that shone like lightning. He wore his footware and walked out of his room, only to find his mother, Maharani Shrutashravaa waiting for him with a plate of Aarati, her eyes filled with tears.
'Mata?!', smiled Shishupal.
'May no evil look at you, my son! How handsome you look today!', she exclaimed, removing the evil eye from her son.
'Mata, please bless me that your son victoriously brings your daughter-in-law back home', he said and touched her feet to seek blessings.
'My blessings are always with you, Shishupal! Vijayi Bhava!', blessed Maharani Shrutashravaa.
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Krishna! - Part 2
Historical FictionRukmini constantly dreams of Krishna and has made up her mind to wed him. But will her brother Rukmi allow it? Would she be able to wed the man of her dreams amidst schemes of Kings like Shishupala and Jarasandha?
