Rajimati - Faithful Bride Who Became a Nun

Dadi**: Guddu beta, what would you do if the person you were going to marry suddenly left you at the wedding?

Guddu**: I'd be so sad and angry!

Dadi**: Princess Rajimati was left at her wedding - and her response made her one of the greatest saints in Jain tradition.

Guddu**: What happened?

Dadi**: Rajimati was a beautiful princess, betrothed to Prince Nemikumar - a handsome Yadava prince, cousin of Lord Krishna himself. Their wedding was the event of the century!

Guddu**: Sounds like a fairy tale!

Dadi**: The decorations were magnificent. The guests were royalty from across India. The wedding procession was approaching the venue. And then...

Guddu**: What?

Dadi**: Nemikumar heard crying. Not human crying - animal crying. He stopped his chariot and investigated.

Guddu**: Animals?

Dadi**: Hundreds of them - birds, goats, buffaloes - all huddled in an enclosure, terrified. They were going to be slaughtered for the wedding feast.

Guddu**: Like the story of Neminatha!

Dadi**: Yes! This is the same story from Rajimati's perspective. Nemikumar was so moved by the animals' suffering that he released them all and renounced the world completely.

Guddu**: He left his bride waiting at the altar?

Dadi**: He did. He took off his wedding finery, said goodbye to worldly life, and went to Mount Girnar to become a monk.

Guddu**: Poor Rajimati! How did she react?

Dadi**: This is what makes her story so remarkable. She could have been angry. She could have felt betrayed. She could have demanded he come back. Instead...

Guddu**: What?

Dadi**: She understood. She recognized that Nemikumar had chosen a noble path. Rather than weeping for herself, she admired his compassion for the animals.

Guddu**: That's very mature!

Dadi**: And then she made an extraordinary decision. Instead of marrying someone else or returning to normal princess life, she followed Nemikumar into renunciation!

Guddu**: She became a monk too?

Dadi**: A nun. She went to Mount Girnar, where Nemikumar was meditating, and dedicated herself to spiritual practice. She became the first woman saint in his order.

Guddu**: Did they ever meet again?

Dadi**: As fellow spiritual seekers, yes - but not as lovers. Their love transformed into something higher. They supported each other's enlightenment rather than each other's desires.

Guddu**: That's a different kind of love story.

Dadi**: There's another twist! Nemikumar's younger brother Rathanemi heard about the beautiful abandoned bride. He thought, "Why not marry her myself?"

Guddu**: What did Rajimati say?

Dadi**: She rejected him firmly. But to teach him a lesson, she did something clever. She ate a bowl of porridge filled with too much ghee and honey, then vomited it into a golden bowl.

Guddu**: Eww! Why?

Dadi**: She offered it to Rathanemi and said, "Eat this." When he recoiled in disgust, she said, "What you're proposing - marrying what your brother rejected - is no different from eating this vomit."

Guddu**: That's harsh but effective!

Dadi**: Rathanemi understood. He was ashamed of his shallow attraction. Later, he too became a monk. Rajimati's wisdom had transformed another soul.

Guddu**: She helped two brothers become enlightened!

Dadi**: And she herself achieved great spiritual heights. Nemikumar eventually attained full enlightenment, becoming Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankara. Rajimati is remembered as one of his greatest disciples.

Guddu**: So the wedding disaster became a spiritual triumph?

Dadi**: What looks like tragedy in the moment can be transformation in disguise. Rajimati could have been bitter forever. Instead, she used her pain as fuel for spiritual growth.

Guddu**: I hope if something bad happens to me, I can respond like Rajimati!

Dadi**: That's the prayer, beta. Goodnight!

Guddu**: Goodnight, Dadi!