Ehi Murare - Rukmini (Part 1)

Ehi Murare - Rukmini (Part 1)

A strong gale shook the temple gates as the princess of Vidarbha took feeble steps outside the stone complex. She felt faint by the step. That is it. Today will be my last on this earth, she said to herself. Trembling at the knees, she descended the cold stairs, supported by her maids. A thick haze had enveloped her. Or was it just a mirror pointing to her future? She could not tell anymore. She looked around at the flowers adorning the temple walls and the steps. Though soft, they felt like thorns to her feet. Head bowed, to to hide the overwhelming tears, she stepped under the intricately carved gate. The stone maidens embroiled in passionate embraces seemed to mock her. The stone-carved heroes were laughing at her. Of course! You deserve this derision, fool! You thought he, the king of all kings, the leader of the new world would come for you? How stupid you are! And why should he? Who are you but a simple maiden? You did not even dare to accept your love for him in front of your family! You do not deserve him in any way!

“Are you feeling alright, Kumari?” Startled, Rukmini stared. She had collapsed under the gate. All of her maids surrounded her with fans and glasses of water.” Kumari, should we send a message to the Yuvaraj? He can come and pick you up?”

“NO! Do not call my brother!” Rukmini heard herself say, “I’m alright, thank you.”

Rukmini trudged but a few steps when the world before her swayed again. Through the swirl of fog and dust, she saw a pair of lotus eyes staring at her, strong hands clasped around her waist. Could this be him? Then she heard a honey-sweet voice, “You haven’t had anything to eat. Have you?” She could barely nod. She had refused to eat anything from the morning. “Okay, so I am Krishna. You sent me a message through Sridama the priest, remember? You wanted me to pick you up from here?”

Her vision was beginning to clear up. She nodded weakly at the peacock-feathered smile. “Well, then you’d rather hop on and sit tight because I am going to speed!” With a sleek motion, he swirled her up on the golden chariot and leapt onto the driver’s seat. He waved at one awestruck man ogling at them. “Hey, Shishupal! Remember me? Lost a couple of arms last time we met, now, didn’t you?” Shishupal’s expression changed from a surprise to furious and finally a blur.

For some distance, they travelled in silence. The wheezing of the wind, the whirring of the chariot wheels, and the clucking of the horses’ hoofs all clicked harmoniously. Rukmini stared at her abductor’s crown. The peacock feathers flapped in the air as his curly locks got increasingly entangled. Rukmini still could not process all that had happened. Am I truly free? No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake off that eerie feeling. Then the clucking of another pair of hoofs drew menacingly close. Her heart sank once more as the familiar voice grew louder and louder spitting slurs with each breath. 

“That your brother huh?” He asked.

“Yes,” Rukmini mumbled. “I’m sorry.” 

With a loud screech, their chariot came to a stop. The horses neighed angrily. Krishna turned; his face was grim now. “What did you say?” He asked. His face seemed to be burning with a growing rage. Rukmini gulped, “I-I’m sorry.”

“I heard. Now, you listen, and you listen clearly. Never dare apologize to me again. Now let’s go teach your brother some manners, shall we?” Rukmini followed him quietly. Her brother, Yuvaraj Rukmi was already loading his bow. Letting out a little scream, Rukmini took a few steps back. To her horror, Krishna had also drawn a long sword. For the better part of an hour, she watched horrified as Rukmi and Krishna fought back and forth, their anger growing by the second. I did not want this! She watched her brother slowly lose the hack of the duel while a huge army led by a man wielding a golden mace drew closer. It was his brother, Balarama. She turned just in time to see her brother, Rukmi, on his knees, held by his hair, Krishna shivering in rage, the famed Sudarshana chakra in his hand. In a jiff, she found herself clutching his feet, sobbing and begging for her brother’s life.

Immediately Krishna knelt beside her, letting go of her brother. Wiping her tears, he said, “It’s okay princess, I will let him live. Please relax. I just want to avenge the insult he meted to you by promising your hand in marriage without your consent, that’s it.” Rukmini’s throat had gone dry. She found herself unable to speak. She just kept pressing his hands, hoping her prayer showed in her eyes. “Okay, since this is your wish, I will let him live, but he cannot go scot-free.” He smiled, “And as his soon-to-be brother-in-law, don’t you think I should educate him about the consequences of his wrongdoings? I feel it as my right.” Rukmini looked on as Krishna approached the now tightly bound Rukmi, grinning ear-to-ear. “So, Mr. Brother-in-law, let's hear the apology?” Wincing, Rukmi let out an angry murmur of apology. “Okay, and don’t you think that hairstyle is a bit outdated? Since you are not a very valiant young man, between bullying your little sister and hiding behind Jarasandha and his cronies, I think you must give up some of those luscious locks now.” Rukmini watched in incredulity as with a fluid motion of an arrow, Krishna shaved half of Rukmi’s head and moustache.

Chuckling loudly, Balarama opened Rukmi’s bondage and shooed him off on his half-broken chariot. Rukmini felt a warm hard across her shoulder. Finally, she managed a faint smile. While they bent down to seek Balarama’s blessings, he laughed and said to her, “Vaidarbhi, here’s something that might give you some hope. Your husband is not always Sudarshana-angry. Mostly he’s just this-lock-of-hair-level angry. I don’t know if it would help, but I am usually the angrier one in the scene.” Krishna chuckled back at him, “Now, Dau. If I could have some privacy with my wife?”

“Yes, sure! Have me drive out a hundred miles in the middle of the night, fight a hell of a battle and then demand privacy with your, may I mention, not-as-yet wife?! You, mister, will board your chariot and do not let me catch you parked anywhere before you've reached Grandpa’s palace. And you, sister, will keep him in check because the next time he disturbs my sleep, I break his neck.”

Grinning sheepishly, Krishna helped Rukmini onto his chariot, an arm around her waist. Rukmini blushed bright red, “Well, at least, I know not to apologize anymore!” She hid her face at the crook of his neck as Balarama reached out and pulled down the privacy curtains as the chariot rolled forward.

I just had a mental image of Krishna Rukmini having a Bangali wedding...or should I say biye.

It is shubhodrishti (where the bride moves the paan leaves away from her face and the couple meet eyes for the first time)

Rukmini's POV

She was dying to remove the paan leaves and lay her eyes on her Ghanshyam. It was finally time. But a strange shyness overtook her...almost a reverent shyness. She was about to look at Krishna, her Krishna. She demurely looked at his face and the entire universe surrounding her seemed to grind to a halt. He truly was Bhuvansundar. His eyes were like young lotus buds drenched in fresh dew. Kalboishakhi clouds seemed to form his skin. The entire cosmos had condensed to form his divine darkness. And the chandan dots on his forehead looked like gleaming stars in the night sky. His soft locks of hair framed his face beautifully. And his topor made him look so regal. Her heart longed to hear her name come forth from his honeyed lips. She could not keep the tears away from her eyes and neither the joyous smile from her face. She realised that he was looking at her just as fixedly as she was. His smile in her direction felt like the cool breeze that used to play through her hair in Vaikunth.

Krishna's POV

He heard the uludhwani go up. He knew his beloved would be here any moment. His heart searched for her presence with fervent devotion. A joyful commotion started and his Hridayvasini was carried on a pnidi. The group went around him 7 times. Each revolution making his heart go a little more wild. Finally they stopped in front of him, his Shree had her face covered with paan leaves. She was dressed in the most radiant red benarasi, decked in gold and an ornate shola crown. She finally lowered her paan leaf and looked up at him. Her brightest jewellery paled in comparison to the golden glow of her face. Her ruby red lips stretched into a shy smile and it seemed as though all the stars of the night sky had come together to take the shape of a bloomed lotus. Her kohl lined eyes shined with joyful tears. They looked like the diya that burns by the two sides of the door guiding the homeward bound souls. And he was home. Those eyes were Vaikunth.

To see him as father 🥺💗🙏🏻🐚

Hari is my sacred refuge.

What I do when the world seems too heinous for existing. I close my eyes and I climb into Krishna’s lap.

No one can steal this right away from me.

This is sooooo dam adorable 😍🥰🥺🙏🏻

𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬

KRISHNA : [carrying all the groceries]

RUKMINI : [reaches hand to help]

KRISHNA : [aggressively moves all bags to one hand to hold Rukmini's hand]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡

As a Hindu girl myself this is painful and hurting to another label 😭🙏🏻

Didn’t even want to post this but the truth needs to get out there -

❗️ TRIGGER WARNING ❗️

tired 20-something year old snape with a blubbering baby harry that likes to squish his cheeks