Rukmini and the Turning of Time: The Dawn of an Era

by Dena Merriam

The main story of Rukmini and the Turning of Time takes place before, during and after the Mahabharata War, an event that marked the ending of one era and the beginning of another – a time when spiritual knowledge was decreasing but material development increasing. The story begins in the ancient city of Dwarka, India and is told through the voice of a dancer of that time. It is a story about Rukmini, who is said to be the rebirth of Mata Sita, both of whom are avatars of the great deity Narayani. Although Rukmini is the consort of the much beloved Bhagavan Krishna, her story has been lost in time, but it is essential now to recall her as the energy and presence of the divine female incarnations is so critical for the healing and evolution of human society. As with all of Dena Merriam’s books, this story explores the complex and wondrous workings of cause and effect, the law of karma, as it guides and shapes our lives. But it is also a story of love, one that transcends time and place and that persists from one incarnation to the next. As we leave one form and take another through the laws of rebirth, we bring with us our love, the relationships that have left deep impressions and that have helped in our awakening. This tale follows the dancer of Dwarka through a series of rebirths, as she unknowingly carries with her the love and teachings of Rukmini, who patiently and silently guides her evolution. It is a story that applies to each one of us, because we all participate in this great cosmic dance of love as the illusion of time keeps turning.

633 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Larry Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introductory pages to this book give one the impression that this will be a deep dive into the spiritual philosophies of the Vedas, as they existed around the time of The Mahabharata.

Then, through the next 500-plus pages, we are told the story of a woman who lived during that time and interacted with many of the major characters portrayed in that ancient text. At the end we touch on two subsequent lifetimes of this woman, which help to explain her subsequent spiritual development and certain aspects of her earlier books.

Indeed, the book is full of ancient teachings. But not from the perspective of a religious historian or of a theologian (though Dena has become those things to some degree) but from the perspective of someone who actually lived in those times and became devoted to those great teachers.

This is a rich story full of human drama. Yet it is the story of an actual person, as recalled thousands of years later. If you are not a believer in reincarnation, this book will not convince you. But if you are, this book will give you the opportunity to experience the spiritual teachings as well as the life of India as it existed approximately 3,000 years ago.

The “higher beings” (I will not use the Hindu terms, as I am no expert in their exact meanings) that existed back then were amazingly well-informed about life beyond the confines of this planet. This reality helps to shatter the more recent theories that we “evolved” here and that our knowledge of life developed mainly due to scientific inquiry in recent centuries. Though this story does not lay down the details of an alternative history for Mankind on Earth, it certainly points in that direction.

For those few who are familiar with my writing, I support a story of humanity that is considerably more harsh and crude (you could say) than the refined teachings of ancient India. Yet I could not fault someone for hoping that those ancient teachings of regular cyclic progression and of the great love of The Creator are true.

With this book, at least, you will get a fair rendition of how those teachings were communicated back then and how devoted those who taught them and believed them were. Dena is obviously interested in keeping those teachings alive, and I don’t blame her for trying. Dena’s particular interest is in the role of the Divine Feminine in the life of ancient India and, evidently, in the creation of this entire universe.

On Earth that role has been nearly obliterated by a society that tended to give men all the credit for everything, a society that valued the importance of political power and weaponry over human love and compassion. What Dena shares with many of us working in this space is a desire to re-balance those values and thus arrive at a more workable plan for the future survival of Mankind on Earth.

I hope many will read and enjoy this story from our ancient past, as told through the eyes of someone who lived through it. Most of the story takes place in Dwarka, an ancient capital in the far west of India that was largely destroyed at that time. It still exists today as a sacred town. Indraprastha is also mentioned often in this story. It was the capital of the Kuru Kingdom and is believed to be located under the modern city of New Delhi. Considering that Krishna (who figures prominently in this story) was born even further east, we see that the physical expanse that was overseen by the rulers of that time was indeed quite vast (modern India is more than 1,800 miles across). Though I personally don’t believe that ancient Indian culture offers any ultimate answers, it deserves more reverence than it receives, as Vedic India knew a lot more about life than most of us realize. And this is definitely born out in Dena’s story.

[Prashant Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story 633 pages long, yet I finished it without getting bored for a minute, without skipping any part or a single line, that is the speciality of this book. Dena Merriam has penned down the story of Rukmini, the wife of Lord Krishna, in this book "Rukmini and the Turning of Time: The Dawn of an Era"

We all remember Radha, Sita, Draupadi and other major female characters of Hindu Mythology, but Rukmini is one such character that is long lost. It was really good to know about her, her life, her purpose, her first meeting with Lord Krishna and many other stories that most of us don't know. The book has two stories going on overlapping each other. The story begins with Malini, describing about her community, her mother, how they are related to Rukmini and that her mother is a great devotee of Rukmini. The story moves forward and through the story of Malini we get to know more about Rukmini's character, her story.

The book tells the tales of three periods, Before the Great War Mahabharata, during the war, and After it. And it was really good to read this book(specially for me as I am a big fan of works related to mythology) as it tells Mahabharata as it is completely the same but from a different way and when you will read this book you'll get what I am saying here. The book focuses on spiritual learning and the best thing it provides hope and faith towards god. Even when anything bad was happening to Malini I knew and had faith that Rukmini Mata will come and help her.

This book is so good that I can just go on and on telling you about its beauty and not even get tired. Honestly at first I got a little scared seeing the number of pages, but it was worth it, and I would have been sad and irritated if this story wasn't that long.

This book is boon for lovers of mythology related works and the ones who seek knowledge through stories.

[Savita Ramsumair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing

A mind blowing novel that recounts the life and great deeds of Rukmini Mata as told from the perspective of a commoner. This novel has helped me to understand and also relate to Rukmini 's life in many ways. This novel has also answered several questions I had about this great epic as well as my own life.

[Sheedhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jai Shri Ram Jai Ma

So many things unfold in this book, especially when our scriptures never mentioned about the women who played a pivotal part in our history. The impact of mahabharta war and the love that still permates after that, is the grace of Krishna and Rukmini.