Rukmangada Charitam - Mandavapilli Ittiraricha Menon(1745 to 1809)                                                BACK

This story is taken from Bhagavatham.

Rukmangada was ruling Ayodhya. He was a just and noble king. He was intrested in conducting many yagas and people lived well. He had a wife called Sandhyavali and a boy called Dharmangada.

Once Rukmangada observed that somebody was stealing flowers from his royal garden in the nights. Rukmangada hides in the garden and observes that some ladies from heaven descended in an airplane and picked up flowers. When they were about to leave Rukmangada trying to stop them touches the plane. The ladies from heaven are very upset and scolds Rukmangada because now the plane cannot be moved since a human being has touched it. Ultimately the plane moves when an old lady who was obseving Ekadasi vrita touched it. After this Rukmangada himself starts observing Ekadasi vrita without fail.

Everything goes well until Rukmangada meets Mohini a beautiful damsel in the forest. He proposes to her but she agrees only on the condition that Rukmangada never does anything against her wish. This promise was given and the lass was driven home. Rukmangada forgot everything in his love for Mohini except Ekadasi Vrita to which he was steadfast. One Ekadasi day Rukmangada was fasting and praying whem Mohini came and asked him to come for dinner. Rukmangada refused. She went one step ahead and asked him for sex. Again Rukmangada refused. Snarled by his words she reminded him of his promise not do anything against her wish. Now he should either stop his vritham or kill his own son by laying him down in her mothers lap and cutting off his head. Choose between the two, she said, and added that not a single drop of tear should run down from any of his eyes during the act. Rukmangada is beaten but he refuses to leave Ekadasi vrit. His son Dharmangada comes forward ready to die. Sandhyavali also comes and sits down. In spite of the intense turmoil in the depth of his heart, Rukmangada was about to strike off his son's head when Vishnu appears and stops him. Mohini who was planted there to test Rukmangada was sent back. Rukmangada crowns his son along with some advises in nobility (humour - dont run away if there is a war) thrown in. Rukmangada accompanied by his wife Sandhyavali is taken to the abode of Vishnu by Vishnu himself.

 In this story Rukmangada and Dharmangada are Pacha vesham and others are Minuku.