Rukmangada

Legend

Rukmangada was looked upon as a good and pious king. He is happily married to Sandhyavali and the couple have a small son named Dharmangada or Dharmangad. As a devotee of Vishnu, Rukmangada is very particular about observing the Ekadasi (the 11th day of every lunar fortnight), which is sacred to Vishnu, as a day of fasting, prayer and abstinence.

The Gods decide to test Rukmangada orthopraxy. They send Mohini, an apsara or celestial enchantress, to beguile Rukmangada . Mohini succeeds in her mission; upon first sight, the king is utterly bewitched by her beauty. A courtship ensues and Mohini extracts promises from the king to the effect that she will stay with him only as long as he grants her every wish and never thwarts her in anything. In particular, the promise is given that since Rukmangada is ardently seeking Mohini's favour today, he must never rebuff her when she makes advances to him in future. On these conditions, Mohini becomes Rukmangada paramour. The virtuous Sandhyavali swallows her pride and receives Mohini into the palace.

Come Ekadasi, the time to test Rukmangada devotion to Vishnu is at hand. As usual, Rukmangudu takes a ritual bath, anoints himself with the Kumkuma-chandanam (vermilion and sandalwood) pastes sacred to Vishnu, and sits down to his pooja before the idol of Vishnu, to spend the day in prayer, meditation and fasting. Mohini chooses this time to approach Rugmangada and caress him. He rebuffs her with a reproach about the untimeliness of the advance. Mohini declares herself offended, reminds him of his promise, and demands its immediate fulfillment: Rukmangada must accompany her to the inner chambers immediately. Rukmangada is horrified, words are exchanged; Mohini accuses Rukmangada of having beguiled her and ruined her virtue without being actually in love with her. There is nothing worse that a chaste woman can suffer. In losing her virtue she has lost everything that was precious to her. What reparation is possible? What penalty can even approach the magnitude of her loss? What one thing was dearest to Rukmangada ? His son! Mohini presents Rukmangada with a horrific ultimatum: she will release him from his promise and leave his kingdom forever, but only if Rukmangada slays his only child, Dharmangada, as a penance for ruining her.

After much mental agony, Rukmangada decides that he would rather kill his son than break the observance of Ekadasi and thus compromise his devotions to Vishnu. The distraught but unwaveringly devoted Sandhyavali acquiesces to this decision. Rukmangada raises his sword. Just as he is about to strike off his son's head, Vishnu appears before them, pleased. Vishnu reveals that Mohini is an apsara, sent to test Rukmangada's devotion, a test which he has passed. Dharmangada is crowned king. Vishnu takes Rukmangada and his pious wife Sandhyavali away to his heavenly abode, Vaikuntha.

Related legend

King Rukmangada once visited the ashram of Rishi Vachaknavi. Here he met Mukunda, the wife of an ascetic. Mukunda was attracted to the king but he spurned her. A dejected Mukunda cursed Rukmangada that he be stricken by leprosy. Later, Rukmangada's leprosy was cured by bathing at the Kadamba pond.

Lord Indra had been attracted by Mukunda's beauty. Taking advantage of her attraction for Rukmangada, Indra approached Mukunda disguised as Rukmangada. Taken in by the ruse, her vanity flattered by the apparent succumbing of the man who had spurned her, Mukunda compromised herself. Their union lead to the birth of a son whom she named Gruthsmadh. In due course, Gruthsmadh grew up and came to know about the events leading to his birth. He berated his mother and retired to the Bhadraka forest for meditation. This forest is today called Mahad. Gruthsmadh prayed to Lord Vinayaka to purge him of the sin that his birth entailed, and his wish was granted. The place where Lord Vinayaka appeared before Gruthsmadh to grant this boon is the site of the Varadavinayaka temple.