Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

, Rohini ( sa, रोहिणी, ) is the first consort of

Vasudeva According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...

, the sister of Yashoda, and the mother of the Hindu deities

Balarama Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Balad ...

and

Subhadra Subhadra ( sa, सुभद्रा, Subhadrā) is a Hindu goddess mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of de ...

. She plays a prominent role in the upbringing of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Life

Rohini is described as the daughter of the king Bahlika. She is married to Vasudeva, a descendant of Yadu, a

Chandravamsha The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''S ...

king. Vasudeva also married

Devaki Devaki (Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: ''Devakī'') is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four br ...

, a princess of

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

. The couple is imprisoned by Devaki's brother Kamsa, soon after their marriage. as a divine prophecy predicted Kamsa's death by Devaki's eighth son. While Vasudeva is imprisoned, Rohini lives at the house of his husband's cousin

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

, in

Vraja Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryan ...

. While all previous sons of Devaki are slain, the seventh embryo is transferred to Rohini's womb. Rohini gives birth to Balarama.

, the eighth child of Devaki, was exchanged with the daughter of Nanda and Yashoda in secrecy. Yashoda (foster-mother of Krishna) and Rohini play an important nurturing Krishna and Balarama in their childhood. After Vasudeva is freed by Krishna and Balarama, Rohini gives birth to a daughter,

. In the epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

, after the death of Vasudeva after the Yadava massacre, Rohini cremates herself on Vasudeva's pyre along with his other wives Devaki, Bhadra, and Madira.

Mother of Balarama

Balarama is given the matronymic epithet ''Rauhineya'', "son of Rohini". In the ''

Brahma Vaivarta Purana The ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'' ( sa, ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण; ) is a voluminous Sanskrit text and a major Purana (''Maha-purana'') of Hinduism. It is an important Vaishnavism text. This Purana majorly centers ar ...

'', Rohini is said to be an avatar of

Kadru Kadru () is usually regarded as the daughter of Daksha and the consort of the sage Kashyapa in Hindu scriptures. Kashyapa is the son of Marichi, who is a manasaputra, a mind-born son of Brahma. Kadru is best known as the mother of the nag ...

, mother of the serpents (

naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

); Balarama is considered an avatar of Vishnu's mount,

Shesha Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod ( Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the P ...

In Jain texts

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

tales related to Krishna and Balarama, Rohini is the princess of

Kosala The Kingdom of Kosala (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indian kingdom with a rich culture, corresponding to the area within the region of Awadh in present-day Uttar Pradesh to Western Odisha. It emerged as a janapada, small state during the late Ve ...

who chooses Vasudeva as her husband in a

swayamvara Svayamvara ( sa, स्वयंवर, svayaṃvara, translit-std=IAST), in ancient India, was a method of marriage in which a woman chose a man as her husband from a group of suitors. In this context, in Sanskrit means 'self' and means 'g ...

ceremony. She spends her life in Saurapura with Vasudeva, where she gives birth to Balarama. She sees four dreams in the Jain narrative: a lion, a white elephant, the moon and the ocean; symbols associated with Balarama in Hinduism as well as Jainism. Rohini plays no part in nurturing Krishna in Vraja; she takes care of Balarama in Saurapura. The adult Balarama goes to Vraja to aid Krishna.

References

{{Hindu Culture and Epics Characters in the Mahabharata People related to Krishna Characters in the Bhagavata Purana