Question
Who was incarnation of Laxmi: Radha Rani or Rukmini Devi?
Answer
Quoting texts from the Bhagavata Purana:
"O hero among the Kurus, the Supreme Lord Himself, Govinda, married Bhīṣmaka’s daughter, Vaidarbhī, who was a direct expansion of the goddess of fortune. The Lord did this by her desire, and in the process He beat down Śālva and other kings who took Śiśupāla’s side. Indeed, as everyone watched, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Rukmiṇī just as Garuḍa boldly stole nectar from the demigods."
Next quoting from the Vishnu Purana:
From both verses it is clear that rukmini is incarnation of goddess lakshmi.
"Parāśara proceeded:— Thus, Maitreya, in former times the goddess Śrī conferred these boons upon the king of the gods, being pleased by his adorations; but her first birth was as the daughter of Bhrigu by Khyāti: it was at a subsequent period that she was produced from the sea, at the churning of the ocean by the demons and the gods, to obtain ambrosia[11]. For in like manner as the lord of the world, the god of gods, Janārddana, descends amongst mankind (in various shapes), so does his coadjutrix Śrī. Thus when Hari was born as a dwarf, the son of Aditī, Lakṣmī appeared from a lotus (as Padmā, or Kamalā); when he was born as Rāma, of the race of Bhrigu (or Paraśurāma), she was Dharaṇī; when he was Rāghava (Rāmacandra), she was Sītā; and when he was Kṛṣṇa, she became Rukminī. In the other descents of Viṣṇu, she is his associate. If he takes a celestial form, she appears as divine; if a mortal, she becomes a mortal too, transforming her own person agreeably to whatever character it pleases Viṣṇu to put on. Whosoever hears this account of the birth of Lakṣmī, whosoever reads it, shall never lose the goddess Fortune from his dwelling for three generations; and misfortune, the fountain of strife, shall never enter into those houses in which the hymns to Śrī are repeated."
And, lastly quoting from the Devi Bhagavata Purana:
- Śri Nārāyaṇa said :-- This (Highest) Prakṛti is recognised as five-fold.
When She is engaged in the work of Creation, She appears as :-- (1) Durgā, the Mother of Gaṇeśa, (2) Rādhā, (3) Laksmī, (4) Sarasvatī and (5) Sāvitrī.
So From here it is clear that radha devi is different from goddess lakshmi and both radha and lakshmi are among 5 forms of highest prakriti.
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