Rukmani was born in
Kerala State, India. She received a B.A. in Sanskrit, Mathematics, Economics and English (
University of Delhi, 1952), and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Sanskrit (University of Delhi, 1954 and 1958). She later received an honorary
Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degree from University of Delhi (1991) in recognition of her four-volume translation of a Sanskrit text called
Yogavartiika of Vijnanabhiksu (1981-89), on
Yoga philosophy by
Vijnanabhiksu. In the mid-1990s, Rukmani served as chief editor of the
Journal of the Indological Society of Southern Africa and has served on the boards of several other journals, such as the
Journal of Hinduism and the
Journal of Hindu Studies (Oxford). In 2013, Rukmani was the subject of a
festschrift. ==Selected works==