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Rukmini Dvadasi and Mohini Ekadasi (Dwadasi )


Today is Rukmini Dvadasi ,actually it is the apperanceday of Srimati Rukminidevi . It is also Mohini Ekadasi  ,and has been described in Haribhakti Vilasa and in Garga Samhita and many places .In India Rukmini is especially worshipped in Dvaraka and in Pandarpura as Sr Sri Vitthal Rukmini :
 RTUKALA UDBHAVAIH PUSPAIR YO'RCAYED RUKMINI PATIM 
SARVAN KAMAN AVAPNOTI YAN DIVYAN YANSCA MANUSAN

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 7/55 from VISNU RAHASYA conversation between Markandeya Rishi and Maharaj Indradyumna)

Any person, if he worships the dear Lord of Rukminidevi with flowers, according to the season, all of his desires will be fulfilled in this world and in the next (the spiritual world).
 

Qualities of Rukmini-devi

 

1. ruciraananaam - whose face is charming

2. hriyaa, vriiDaa - shy

3. satii - exalted, of saintly character

4. buddhi - possessing intelligence

5. lakSana - possessing auspicious bodily markings

6. audaarya - magnanimous

7. Siila - of proper behavior

8. sadRSiiM bhaaryaaM - an ideal wife

9. deviim - the divine goddess

10. asitaapaaNgii - dark-eyed

11. mohiniim - enchanting

12. mahatii - aristocratic

13. dhiiraa - sober-minded

14. kulavatii - of good family

15. lakSaNaabhijn~aa - an expert knower of bodily symptoms

16. aaraadhito - having rendered devotional service

17. mat-paraam, aatmaarpitaS - dedicated exclusively to Krishna

18. anavadyaaNgiim, Sobhaam - of flawless beauty

19. Sucismitaa - sweetly smiling

20. varaaroha - of lovely hips

21. bimba-phala-adhara - glowing bimba red lips

22. Syaamaa - firm breasts

23. calantiim kalahaMsa - walking with the motions of a royal swan

24. su madhyamam - shapely waist

25. govinda-hRtamaanasaa - whose mind is stolen by Krishna

26. gunASrayaam - a repository of all other good qualities

The Srimad Bhagavatam parts related to Sri Rukmini should be read today: Sri Rukmini once appeared to Srila Rupa Goswami in a dream and told him to Divide the  drama he was writting into 2 Lalita Madhava and Vidadagha Madhava  ,Srila Rupa Goswami has explained that Sri Rukmini devi is the expansion of Sri Chandravali . in Gauranga lila She appeared as Laxmi priya .Lord Caitanyas first wife.So it is also a good day to read about Laxmi priya...Sri Rukmini devi ki jaya ..Laxmi Priya ki jaya.

 

In Anuccheda 386 of Sri Priti-sandarbha, Vol. I, Srila Jiva Goswami describes pranaya-mana, jealous anger or pride without a cause. Having no external cause, such anger is caused only by the pastimes of love. In describing pranaya-mana, Sri Jiva Goswami discusses the pastimes of Lord Krsna and Rukmini Devi, as they are described in the 10th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.29.48: 

tasam tat-saubhaga-madam 
viksya manam ca kesavah
prasamaya prasadaya
tatraivantaradhiyata

"Lord Kesava, seeing the gopis too proud of their good fortune, wanted to relieve them of this pride and show them further mercy. Thus He immediately disappeared.

PURPORT
The word prasadaya here is significant. Lord Krsna was not going to neglect the gopis; rather, He would increase the power of their loving affairs by making another spectacular arrangement. After all, the gopis were basically proud of Krsna. He also made this arrangement, as we shall see, to show special favor to the beautiful young daughter of King Vrsabhanu."

In Anuccheda 386 of his Priti-sandarbha, Sri Jiva Goswami provides an elaborate description of Rukmini's great love for Krsna:

"The gopis have pride without cause (ahetu) and Lord Krishna has pride with a faint reflection of a cause (hetv-abhasa). Flowing through the great whirlpool of deceitful crookedness, the gopis' loving pride and anger become very intense. When they are separated from Lord Krishna, their anger becomes sublimely pure. Lord Krishna's other beloveds (other than the gopis) manifest grief, fear, and worry when they become angry with a cause. As example of this is seen in the Srimad-Bhagavatam chapter when Lord Krishna teased Queen Rukmini with loving joking words. There Lord Krishna's intention was to make a playful joke. Queen Rukmini was very deep and her love very sincere. There Lord Krishna thought: "My wish is to enjoy pastimes of making My beloved angry. Her throat will be filled with emotional words that reveal her great love for Me. However, she may not clearly understand My intention. She will either become playfully angry, or she will say she does not understand My words. In this way I will try to joke with her. Even when I made her brother very ugly-looking she still did not become angry. It is not appropriate to continue in that direction. However, the happiness she feels by associating with Me is the be-all-and-end-all of her life. It is everything for her. Perhaps by mocking the pride she feels by being able to associate with Me I will make her angry. If she does not become angry in that way, then perhaps by making her afraid that she will be separated from Me she will speak many words revealing her love for Me." Thinking in this way, Lord Krishna spoke the loving joking words that begin in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.60.10):

raja-putripsita bhupaih. . .

"My dear princess, you were sought after by many kings as powerful as the rulers of planets. They were all abundantly endowed with political influence, wealth, beauty, generosity, and physical strength."

That Lord Krishna was joking is also seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.60.9):

tam rupinim. . .pritah smayan

"As He contemplated her, the goddess of fortune herself, who desires only Him, Lord Krishna smiled."

In this way it is seen that Lord Krishna was only joking. The sincerity of Queen Rukmini's love is seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.60.25):

tad drishtva bhagavan krishnah priyayah prema-bandhanam hasya-praudhim ajanantyah karunah so 'nvakampata. . .

"Seeing that His beloved was so bound to Him in love that she could not understand the full meaning of His teasing, merciful Lord Krishna felt compassion for her.

"The Lord quickly got down from the bed. Manifesting four arms, He picked her up, gathered her hair, and caressed her face with His lotus hand."

on Rukmini Eakdasi we can also remem Rukminis prayers to Krsna and describing how Krsna is the only husband of all women .Since we are all Prakriti, Krsna is the Supreme husband of all jivas 

SB 5.18.19, Translation and Purport

My dear Lord, You are certainly the fully independent master of all the senses. Therefore all women who worship You by strictly observing vows because they wish to acquire a husband to satisfy their senses are surely under illusion. They do not know that such a husband cannot actually give protection to them or their children. Nor can he protect their wealth or duration of life, for he himself is dependent on time, fruitive results and the modes of nature, which are all subordinate to You.

In this verse, Lakṣmīdevī (Ramā) shows compassion toward women who worship the Lord for the benediction of possessing a good husband. Although such women desire to be happy with children, wealth, a long duration of life and everything dear to them, they cannot possibly do so. In the material world, a so-called husband is dependent on the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many examples of a woman whose husband, being dependent on the result of his own fruitive actions, cannot maintain his wife, her children, her wealth or her duration of life. Therefore, factually the only real husband of all women is Kṛṣṇa, the supreme husband. Because the gopīs were liberated souls, they understood this fact. Therefore they rejected their material husbands and accepted Kṛṣṇa as their real husband. Kṛṣṇa is the real husband not only of the gopīs, but of every living entity. Everyone should perfectly understand that Kṛṣṇa is the real husband of all living entities, who are described in the Bhagavad-gītā as prakṛti (female), not puruṣa (male). In Bhagavad-gītā (10.12), only Kṛṣṇa is addressed as puruṣa:

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

"You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty.

I have written about that : http://nimaipandit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/krsna-is-the-only-husban...;

We see in Srimad Bhagavatam 10 canto chapter 60 how Krsna teased Rukmini and Her answer was most befitting Her exalted position and approved by Krsna :
SB 10.60.34: Śrī Rukminī said: Actually, what You have said is true, O lotus-eyed one. I am indeed unsuitable for the almighty Personality of Godhead. What comparison is there between that Supreme Lord, who is master of the three primal deities and who delights in His own glory, and myself, a woman of mundane qualities whose feet are grasped by fools?

SB 10.60.35: Yes, my Lord Urukrama, You lay down within the ocean as if afraid of the material modes, and thus in pure consciousness You appear within the heart as the Supersoul. You are always battling against the foolish material senses, and indeed even Your servants reject the privilege of royal dominion, which leads to the blindness of ignorance.

SB 10.60.36: Your movements, inscrutable even for sages who relish the honey of Your lotus feet, are certainly incomprehensible for human beings who behave like animals. And just as Your activities are transcendental, O all-powerful Lord, so too are those of Your followers.

SB 10.60.37: You possess nothing because there is nothing beyond You. Even the great enjoyers of tribute — Brahmā and other demigods — pay tribute to You. Those who are blinded by their wealth and absorbed in gratifying their senses do not recognize You in the form of death. But to the gods, the enjoyers of tribute, You are the most dear, as they are to You.

SB 10.60.38: You are the embodiment of all human goals and are Yourself the final aim of life. Desiring to attain You, O all-powerful Lord, intelligent persons abandon everything else. It is they who are worthy of Your association, not men and women absorbed in the pleasure and grief resulting from their mutual lust.

SB 10.60.39: Knowing that great sages who have renounced the sannyāsī's danda proclaim Your glories, that You are the Supreme Soul of all the worlds, and that You are so gracious that You give away even Your own self, I chose You as my husband, rejecting Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the rulers of heaven, whose aspirations are all frustrated by the force of time, which is born from Your eyebrows. What interest, then, could I have in any other suitors?

SB 10.60.40: My Lord, as a lion drives away lesser animals to claim his proper tribute, You drove off the assembled kings with the resounding twang of Your Śārńga bow and then claimed me, Your fair share. Thus it is sheer foolishness, my dear Gadāgraja, for You to say You took shelter in the ocean out of fear of those kings.

SB 10.60.41: Wanting Your association, the best of kings — Ańga, Vainya, Jāyanta, Nāhusha, Gaya and others — abandoned their absolute sovereignty and entered the forest to seek You out. How could those kings suffer frustration in this world, O lotus-eyed one?

SB 10.60.42: The aroma of Your lotus feet, which is glorified by great saints, awards people liberation and is the abode of Goddess Lakshmī. What woman would take shelter of any other man after savoring that aroma? Since You are the abode of transcendental qualities, what mortal woman with the insight to distinguish her own true interest would disregard that fragrance and depend instead on someone who is always subject to terrible fear?

SB 10.60.43: Because You are suitable for me, I have chosen You, the master and Supreme Soul of all the worlds, who fulfill our desires in this life and the next. May Your feet, which give freedom from illusion by approaching their worshiper, give shelter to me, who have been wandering from one material situation to another.

SB 10.60.44: O infallible Krishna, let each of the kings You named become the husband of a woman whose ears have never heard Your glories, which are sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. After all, in the households of such women these kings live like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves.

SB 10.60.45: A woman who fails to relish the fragrance of the honey of Your lotus feet becomes totally befooled, and thus she accepts as her husband or lover a living corpse covered with skin, whiskers, nails, head-hair and body-hair and filled with flesh, bones, blood, parasites, feces, mucus, bile and air.

SB 10.60.46: O lotus-eyed one, though You are satisfied within Yourself and thus rarely turn Your attention toward me, please bless me with steady love for Your feet. It is when You assume a predominance of passion in order to manifest the universe that You glance upon me, showing me what is indeed Your greatest mercy.

SB 10.60.47: Actually, I don't consider Your words false, Madhūsudana. Quite often an unmarried girl is attracted to a man, as in the case of Ambā.

SB 10.60.48: The mind of a promiscuous woman always hankers for new lovers, even if she is married. An intelligent man should not keep such an unchaste wife, for if he does he will lose his good fortune both in this life and the next.

SB 10.60.49: The Supreme Lord said: O saintly lady, O princess, We deceived you only because We wanted to hear you speak like this. Indeed, everything you said in reply to My words is most certainly true.

SB 10.60.50: Whatever benedictions you hope for in order to become bee of material desires are ever yours, O fair and noble lady, for you are My unalloyed devotee.

SB 10.60.51: O sinless one, I have now seen firsthand the pure love and chaste attachment you have for your husband. Even though shaken by My words, your mind could not be pulled away from Me.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in his saranagati :

mānasa, deho, geho, jo kichu mor
arpilū tuwā pade, nanda-kiśor!

(2)
sampade vipade, jīvane-maraṇe
dāy mama gelā, tuwā o-pada baraṇe

(3)
mārobi rākhobi-jo icchā tohārā
nitya-dāsa prati tuwā adhikārā

(4)
janmāobi moe icchā jadi tor
bhakta-gṛhe jani janma hau mor

(5)
kīṭa-janma hau jathā tuwā dās
bahir-mukha brahma janme nāhi āś

(6)
bhukti-mukti-spṛhā vihīna je bhakta
labhaite tāko sańga anurakta

(7)
janaka, jananī, dayita, tanay
prabhu, guru, pati-tuhū sarva-moy

(8)
bhakativinoda kohe, śuno kāna!
rādhā-nātha! tuhū hāmāra parāṇa

TRANSLATION
1) Mind, body, and family, whatever may be mine, I have surrendered at Your lotus feet, O youthful son of Nanda!

2) In good fortune or in bad, in life or at death, all my difficulties have disappeared by choosing those feet of Yours as my only shelter.

3) Slay me or protect me as You wish, for You are the master of Your eternal servant.

4) If it is Your will that I be born again, then may it be in the home of Your devotee.

5) May I be born again even as a worm, so long as I may remain Your devotee. I have no desire to be born as a Brahma averse to You.

6) I yearn for the company of that devotee who is completely devoid of all desire for worldly enjoyment or liberation.

7) Father, mother, lover, son, Lord, preceptor, and husband; You are everything to me.

8) Thakura Bhaktivinoda says, "O Kana, please hear me! O Lord of Radha, You are my life and soul!"


janaka, jananī, dayita, tanay
prabhu, guru, pati-tuhū sarva-moy

7) Father, mother, lover, son, Lord, preceptor, and husband; You are everything to me.

Of course this is not an excuse to engage in adulterers affairs, even though Krsna is the Supreme Husband,Srila Prabhupada and Manu Samhita
never approved of divorce or adultery.It is even in the Bible.Srila Prabhupadas quotes are very strong:

"What is this nonsense, divorce? There is no such thing in the Vedic civilization, divorce. You must accept whatever God has given you as husband or wife, you must. They had no thinking even, idea of divorce. One may not agree with the husband. That is natural. Sometimes we do not agree. But there is no question of divorce."
Room Conversation, Baltimore, July 7, 1976

16 May 2016
Monday 
Ekādaśī, G, 04:54, U.Phalgunī

+(not suitable for fasting, see following day)

17 May 2016
Tuesday 
Ekādaśī, G, 04:54, Hasta

+ŚUDDHA EKĀDAŚĪ VRATA: FASTING FOR Mohinī EKADASI

Sri Mohini Murti is the presiding Deity for  Mohini Ekadasi 

Mohini Ekadasi

Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, "Oh Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight (sukla paksha) of the month of Vaisakha (April-May) ?
What is the process for observing it properly?
Kindly narrate all of these details to me.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna replied, "Oh blessed son of Dharma, what Vasishtha Muni once told to Lord Ramachandra I shall now describe to you.
Please hear Me attentively.

"Lord Ramachandra asked Vasishtha Muni, 'Oh great sage, I would like to hear about the best of all fasting days that day which destroys all kinds of sins and sorrows.
I have suffered long enough in separation from My dear Sita, and so I wish to hear from you about how My suffering can be ended.'

"The sage Vasishtha replied, 'Oh Lord Rama, Oh You whose intelligence is so keen, simply by remembering Your name one can cross the ocean of the material world.
You have questioned me in order to benefit all of humanity and fulfill everyone's desires.
I shall now describe that day of fasting which purifies the whole world.

'Oh Rama, that day is known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, which falls on Dvadasi.
It removes all sins and is famous as Mohini Ekadasi.
Truly, Oh dear Rama, the merit of this Ekadasi frees the fortunate soul who observes it from the network of illusion.
Therefore, if You want to relieve Your suffering(s), observe this auspicious Ekadasi perfectly, for it removes all obstacles from ones path and relieves the greatest miseries.
Kindly listen as I describe its glories, because for one who even just hears about this auspicious Ekadasi, the greatest sins are nullified.

'On the banks of the Sarasvati River there was once a beautiful city named Bhadravati, which was ruled by King Dyutiman.
Oh Rama, that steadfast, truthful, and highly intelligent king was born in the dynasty of the Moon (Chandra-vamsa).
In his kingdom was a merchant named Dhanapala, who possessed a great deal of wealth of food grains and money.
He was also very pious.
Dhanapala arranged for lakes to be dug, sacrificial arenas to be erected, and beautiful gardens to be cultivated for the benefit of all the citizens of Bhadravati.
He was an excellent devotee of Lord Vishnu and had five sons:
Sumana, Dyutiman, Medhavi, Sukriti, and Dhrishthabuddhi.

'Unfortunately, his son Dhrishthabuddhi always engaged in greatly sinful activities, such as sleeping with prostitutes and associating with similar degraded persons.
He enjoyed illicit sex, gambling, and many other varieties of acts aimed at gratifying the senses.
He disrespected the demigods (devas), the brahmins, the forefathers and other elders of the community, as well as his family's guests.
The evil-hearted Dhrishthabuddhi spent up his father's wealth indiscriminately, always feasting on untouchable foods and drinking alcohol to excess.

'One day Dhanapala kicked Dhrishthabuddhi out of the house after he saw him walking along the road arm-in-arm with a known prostitute.
From then on all Dhrishthabuddhi's relatives were highly critical of him and distanced themselves from him also.
After he had sold all of his inherited ornaments and become destitute, the prostitute also abandoned him and insulted him because of his poverty.

'Dhrishthabuddhi was now full of anxiety, and also hungry.
He thought, "What should I do ? Where should I go ? How can I maintain myself ?
He then began to steal.
The king's constables arrested him, but when they learned who it was, and that his father was the famous Dhanapala, they released him.
He was caught and released in this way many times.
But at last, sick of his arrogance and total disrespect for others, and their property, the ill-mannered Dhrishthabuddhi was apprehended, handcuffed, and then beaten.
After whipping him, the king's marshals warned him, "Oh evil minded one, there is no place for you in this kingdom.

'However, Dhrishthabuddhi was freed from his tribulation by his father and immediately thereafter entered the dense forest.
He wandered here and there, hungry and thirsty and suffering greatly.
Eventually he began killing the jungle animals, the lions, deer, boars, and even wolves for food.
Always ready in his hand was his bow, always on his shoulder was his quiver full of arrows.
He also killed many birds, such as chakoras, peacocks, kankas, doves and pigeons.
He unhesitatingly slaughtered many species of birds and animals to maintain his sinful way of life, the sinful results accumulating more and more each day.
On account of his previous sins, he was now immersed in an ocean of great sin that was so relentless that it appeared that he could not get out.

'Dhrishthabuddhi was always miserable and anxious, but one day, during the month of Vaisakha, by the force of some of his past merit he chanced upon the sacred Ashrama of Kaundinya Muni.
The great sage had just finished bathing in the Ganges River, and water was dripping from him still.
Dhrishthabuddhi had the great good fortune to touch some of those droplets of water that were falling from the great sage's wet clothing.
Instantly Dhrishthabuddhi was freed of his ignorance, and his sinful reactions were reduced.
Offering his humble obeisances to Kaundinya Muni, Dhrishthabuddhi prayed to him with joined palms:
"Oh great brahmana, please describe to me some of the atonement I may perform without too much endeavour.
I have committed so many sins in my life, and these have now made me very poor.

'The great rishi replied, "Oh son, listen with great attention, for by hearing me your life will change, and you will become free of all your remaining sins.
In the light fortnight of this very month, Vaisakha (April-May) there occurs the sacred Mohinii Ekadasi, which has the power to nullify sins as vast and weighty as Mount Sumeru.
If you follow my advice and faithfully observe a fast on this Ekadasi, which is so dear to Lord Hari, you will be freed from all the sinful reactions of many, many births.

'Hearing these words with great joy, Dhrishthabuddhi promised to observe a fast on Mohini Ekadasi according to the sage's instructions and direction.
Oh best of kings, Oh Ramachandra Bhagavan, by fasting completely on Mohini Ekadasi, the once sinful Dhrishthabuddhi, the prodigal son of the merchant Dhanapala, became sinless.
Afterwards he achieved a beautiful transcendental form and, free at last of all obstacles, rode upon the carrier of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, to the Supreme abode of the Lord.

'Oh Ramachandra, the fast day of Mohini Ekadasi removes the darkest illusory attachments to material existence.
There is thus no better fast day in all the three worlds than this.'

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, "and so, Oh Yudhishthira, there is no place of pilgrimage, no sacrifice, and no charity that can bestow merit equal to even one sixteenth of the merit a faithful devotee of Mine obtains by observing the Mohini Ekadasi.
And He who hears and studies the glories of Mohini Ekadasi achieves the merit of giving away one thousand cows in charity.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, or Mohini Ekadasi, from the Kurma Purana.
________________________________________

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