Sages & Others
Rohini
रोहिणी
Mother of Balarama
Who was Rohini?
Rohini (रोहिणी): Mother of Balarama, one of the sages and supporting figures in the Mahabharata. Wife of Vasudeva and mother of Balarama, one of the Yadava women who held the house while the Kuru war ran its course and the clubs came for Dwaraka afterwards.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | रोहिणी |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | Mother of Balarama |
| Faction | Sages & Others |
| Key traits | steadfast, devoted, dignified, enduring |
| Notable relationships | Wife: Vasudeva, Mother: Balarama, Co-wife: Devaki, Stepmother: Krishna |
| Featured in | 10 stories |
About Rohini
Wife of Vasudeva and mother of Balarama, one of the Yadava women who held the house while the Kuru war ran its course and the clubs came for Dwaraka afterwards. When Vasudeva, having outlived Krishna, stopped eating and gave up his body by yoga at dawn, Arjuna carried him out under the umbrella of the horse sacrifice. Rohini went onto the pyre with Devaki, Bhadra and Madira.
In Their Words
He went by his own will. I do not intend to stay behind him.
Rohini
Traits
- steadfast
- devoted
- dignified
- enduring
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Rohini
9 further tales on this site name Rohini, in canonical reading order.
- The Lineages of Gods and DemonsVaishampayana recites the descent of every creature from Brahma and the daughters of Daksha
- Kunti's BlessingA mother-in-law names seven wives, a throne nobody owns yet, and a son not yet born
- The Errand Vidura Did Not WantCarrying the invitation to the dice game he had begged the king not to send
- Swaha and the Six DisguisesThe wives who were punished for a child that was never theirs
- The Mole and the CharioteerHow Damayanti Was Found in Chedi and Nala in Ayodhya
- How the Krittikas Took Abhijit's PlaceA star leaves the sky in envy of her elder sister, and the six Krittikas are raised into the empty station
- The Choice at DwarakaTen crore soldiers on one side of the bed, one unarmed man on the other
- What Krishna Had Already DoneArjuna asks, and gets a list he did not expect
- Arjuna Empties DwarakaOne bowman escorts a dead city inland, and the sea walks behind him
Character Arc
- The Elder SonBalarama raised among the herds while Krishna grew
- The House EmptiedDwaraka after the clubs, waiting for the sea
- The Four WivesFour women climbing the same fire without argument
Key Relationships
Places in Rohini's Story
Drawn from the stories Rohini appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Sages & Others.