Rukmangada () is a king of the

Solar dynasty The Solar dynasty (IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98, 100-/1, 136 The dynasty is ...

featured in

Hindu literature Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...

. He is the husband of Sandhyavali and later the

apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literat ...

Mohini, and the father of Dharmangada. He appears in a legend where he expresses a willingness to kill his own son rather than break his observance of

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

on the day of

ekadashi Ekadashi () is the eleventh lunar day (''tithi'') of each of the two lunar phases which occur in an Vedic calendar month - the '' Shukla Pakṣa'' (the period of the brightening moon also known as the waxing phase) and the ''Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa ...

Legend

In the

Narada Purana The ''Naradiya Purana'' ( sa, नारदीय पुराण, ) or ''Narada Purana'' ( sa, नारद पुराण), are two Vaishnavism texts written in Sanskrit language. One of the text is termed as the Major Purana, also called ...

, Rukmangada is stated to be the king of Vidisha. Described to be a pious king and a great devotee of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, he imposed strict laws that prohibited his able citizens from breaking their fast on the day of ekadashi, the eleventh day of a lunar fortnight that is sacred to the deity. He encouraged them to bathe in the river

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

and offer gifts to

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...

on this occasion. The deity

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...

sought an audience with

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

, lamenting that Rukmangada's actions resulted in the reduction of the number of people to his

abode In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence or an abode) is a self-contained unit of accommodation used by one or more households as a home - such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, vehicle, or other "substantial" structure. The ...

. He refused to perform his duties until the king's resolve was tested. Brahma created an

named Mohini and instructed her to beguile and marry Rukmangada. He ordered her to engage in efforts to break the king's observance of the ekadashi. Upon first meeting the apsara while travelling to

Mount Mandara Mandara ( sa, मन्दर, मन्दार; ) is the name of the mountain that appears in the Samudra Manthana episode in the Hindu Puranas, where it was used as a churning rod to churn the ocean of milk. Shiva's serpent, Vasuki, offered ...

, the king was utterly bewitched by her beauty. A courtship ensued and Mohini extracted a promise from the king to the effect that she would only become his wife if he agreed to grant her every wish. Rukmangada agreed, following which they were married and journeyed to Vidisha. For eight years, Rukmangada enjoyed his dalliance with Mohini, still observing his vow of the ekadashi. Before the occasion of the

Prabodhini Ekadashi Prabodhini Ekadashi (), also known as Deva Uttana Ekadashi (), is the 11th lunar day (ekadashi, ''ekadashi'') in the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu calendar, Hindu month of Kartika (month), Kartika. It marks the end of the four-mon ...

, Mohini asked her husband to not undertake his fast if he still wished to continue his relationship with her. In response, Rukmangada offered her all of his wealth, his domains, and his life itself, but insisted that he undertake the fast. Mohini reminded him of his promise to her before their wedding and recalled a conversation she had had with the sage

Gautama Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

, who had told her that it was not necessary for kings to observe the fast. She also told him that the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

did not mention the fast. She sought the assistance of the Brahmins to defend her views. Dharmangada asked his father to grant his step-mother whatever she desired. When the king remained resolute, Mohini grew irate with him. She approached Sandhyavali, asking her to offer her the head of her son instead for the sake of her husband's

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

. Sandhyavali persuaded the king to acquiesce to Mohini's demands rather than abandon his vow. Dharmangada consented to be slain for the sake of his father's honour. When Dharmangada was about to be beheaded by his father's sword, Vishnu intervened, taking Rukmangada, Sandhyavali, and Dharmangada away to his heavenly abode,

Vaikuntha Vaikuntha ( sa, वैकुण्ठ, lit=without anxiety, translit=Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, An ...

References

{{HinduMythology Characters in Hindu mythology Solar dynasty