Ruci Prajāpati (Husband of Ākūti)

Ruci · ruci, “light, radiance”

Ruci Prajāpati, of the first manvantara, the age of Svāyambhuva Manu, married Ākūti, a daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā. He shone with brahmavarcas, the radiance of Brahman, gained through meditation on the supreme Parameśvara. In Ākūti two children were born to him: a boy, who was Śrī Mahāvishṇu himself in the avatāra named Yajña, and a girl, Dakshiṇā, who was born of a portion of Lakshmī Devī. Svāyambhuva Manu took the boy into his own house, as the marriage had promised, and Ruci raised Dakshiṇā with himself. Yajña married Dakshiṇā, their twelve sons became the Tushita devas, and Yajña himself was the Indra of that manvantara.

His marriage to Ākūti

Maitreya Maharshi tells Vidura that when Brahmā‘s form divided into a pair, the man was Svāyambhuva Manu and the woman Śatarūpā. They had five children: two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, and three daughters, Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti. Manu gave Ākūti in marriage to Ruci Prajāpati, Devahūti to Kardama and Prasūti to Daksha, and by their offspring the whole world was filled.

Vidura later asked Maitreya to tell him how the revered Ruci Prajāpati and Daksha, the son of Brahmā, took the daughters of Manu as wives and created beings.

Maitreya answered that Svāyambhuva Manu, with the consent of Śatarūpā Devī, gave Ākūti to Ruci Prajāpati on one condition: the first son born to Ākūti was to be handed over to her father. This is called putrikā-dharma. Manu made this condition even though he already had two sons of great power, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapters 12, 21; Skandha 4, Chapter 1

Yajña and Dakshiṇā

The revered Ruci Prajāpati had brahmavarcas through meditation on the supreme Parameśvara. To him, in Ākūti, one boy and one girl were born.

The boy was Śrī Mahāvishṇu himself, who took avatāra as the child named Yajña, the very form of the yajña taught in the Veda. Lakshmī Devī never leaves Bhagavān Vishṇu, so by a portion of herself she was born as the girl named Dakshiṇā, the wealth that the yajamāna gives to the ṛtvijas in a yajña.

Svāyambhuva Manu, greatly pleased, brought Yajña, the son of his daughter Ākūti, to his own house; the child lit up all around him with his radiance. Ruci Prajāpati kept the girl Dakshiṇā and raised her with himself.

Bhagavān Vishṇu in the form of Yajña, master of the mantras and the yajñas, married Dakshiṇā, the avatāra of Lakshmī, and twelve sons were born to them: Tosha, Pratosha, Santosha, Bhadra, Śānta, Iḍaspati, Idhma, Kavi, Vibhu, Svahna, Sudeva and Rocana. In the Svāyambhuva manvantara these twelve were the devas called the Tushitas, Marīci and the others were the seven maharshis, and Yajña himself was Indra, the master of the deva-gaṇas.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 1

Yajña among the avatāras

Sūta tells Śaunaka and the ṛshis the avatāras of Bhagavān Vishṇu in order. In the seventh turn he was born as Yajña to Ruci Prajāpati in Ākūti, and with his sons, the deva-gaṇas beginning with the Yāmas, he protected the Svāyambhuva manvantara.

Brahmā, telling Nārada of the avatāras, says that Parameśvara was born as the son of Ruci Prajāpati in Ākūti and became famous as Suyajña. He married Dakshiṇā and begot in her the devatās called the Suyamas; then he himself became their master (adhīśvara) and removed the troubles of the three worlds. For that reason Svāyambhuva Manu gave him the name Hari, “the one who takes away troubles”.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 1, Chapter 3; Skandha 2, Chapter 7

Sources

• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 1, Chapter 3; Skandha 2, Chapter 7; Skandha 3, Chapters 12, 21; Skandha 4, Chapter 1