King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha was the father of Rukmini. He had five sons, all of whom had the prefix “Rukma” in their names. Rukma means one who is radiant or radiant, for example, in a discourse V.S. Karunakaracharya explained. Rukmini is described as a sage in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Therefore, she was worthy of her name. But his brothers didn’t deserve to be described as bright. He took the foolish decision of marrying his sister to Shishupala, which was the most inappropriate option.
The Srimad Bhagavatam uses the adjective “great” for Bhishmaka. How can he be called a great king when he did not stop his sons from carrying out his plans for Rukmini? After all, he was the king, and could have stopped his sons, but he didn’t. And yet Rishi Sook calls him a great. The reason for this was that despite his shortcomings, Bhishmaka finally had the privilege of becoming Krishna’s father-in-law. What can be a greater honor for a man than this?
Andal’s father Vishnuchitta is called Periyajvara. “Peria” refers to his greatness. Periyazvar sang verses to ward off evil eyes from the Lord, something that reflected his maternal concern for the Lord. But Vedanta Desika felt that Periyajvara’s greatness stemmed from the fact that he was the father-in-law of Lord Ranganatha. Father-in-law has an important place in a man’s life. No ritual can be performed by the householder without his wife on her behalf. So it is the father-in-law who, by marrying his daughter to a man, ensures that the man’s duties as a householder are performed. While an Acharya instructs a man, it is the father-in-law who makes it possible for him to perform his duties as a householder. It gives a father-in-law the same status as Acharya.