Merriam, Dena (Dena Merriam)

Rukmini and the Turning of Time: The Dawn of an Era Merriam, Dena (Dena Merriam)

This book is told through the voice of a dancer in ancient Dwarka, a city on the western coast of India. It was on a pilgrimage to Dwarka a few years ago that I experienced her life. But even though this book recounts events in her life and follows her through three incarnations, this story is not truly about her but about Rukmini, the one who was working behind the scenes, as Rukmini and Shri Krishna set the framework for the era that was beginning to unfold. My narrative shows how Rukmini Mata enabled those around her to fulfil samskaras from past births--the karma one has accrued in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth--bringing closure to unfinished relationships and desires. I include many stories told by women to other women, recounted by those living in Dwarka in close association with Rukmini, in the hope of showing how an incarnation of the Universal Mother comes to guide an evolving humanity.