Kathāmṛta - 92 - Śaśāṅkavatī-lambaka - The Story of Mandāravatī

This article is part 92 of 133 in the series Kathāmṛta

After listening to these words, Padmāvatī thought for a while and said “It wasn’t right of you to tell me only now about your friend. I consider him now as my elder brother. So, mustn’t I receive him with due honours?”

That evening, Vajramukuṭa went back and explained everything to Buddhiśarīra. The next morning when they had completed their ablutions and other rituals and were just sitting down to talk, a friend of Padmāvatī came and asked about the welfare of Buddhiśarīra and gave him a bowl of sweet rice, betel leaves and other gifts. Then, in order to ensure that the prince would not eat it, she smartly said that Padmāvatī was waiting for Vajramukuṭa for lunch. After she left, Buddhiśarīra told the prince: “See my lord! I will show you something interesting. Since I was able to understand all her signals, she thinks of me as a rogue and wishes to kill me and has hence sent me this poisoned food. You see, as long as I am around, she thinks your heart will never be fully set upon her and you may anytime return back to Vārāṇasi along with me”. To prove his point, he took a morsel of the sweet dish and placed it in front of a stray dog. The dog ate it and sure enough, fell down dead. Coincidentally at the same time, they heard commotion outside. When they stepped out, they heard someone exclaim: “Alas! The son of our king Karṇotpala is dead!” Upon listening to this, Buddhiśarīra happily devised a plan. He handed a trident to Vajramukuṭa and said, “You must go to Padmāvatī’s house tonight. Play coy and see to it that she gets intoxicated. Once she is in stupor, make a mark with this trident upon her waist and relieve her of her ornaments and bring them here”. The prince did exactly as he was told. Then Buddhiśarīra dressed himself up as an ascetic. Before he proceeded to the cremation ground, he made the prince disguise himself as his disciple and handed him Padmāvatī’s pearl necklace and said “Take this to the market and show it around as if you intend to sell it. Ask for a huge sum in exchange. That will ensure that nobody will attempt to buy it. There will however be a crowd of curious men wanting to take a look and soon the word will travel. Then if the city’s guards confront you, just tell them confidently that your teacher gave this to you to sell.”


You may boldly say “Our guru gave this to us and asked us to sell it. Let them come to me”. He saw him off with these words. He did accordingly.

The city guards who heard that there was a theft at Dantaghāṭaka’s house were looking for the thief, caught him and brought him to the chief of the town. He saw the prince in the guise of a tapasvī and asked “Svāmin! Where did you find this? This jewellery was lost from Dantaghāṭaka’s house yesterday!” The prince said – “This was given to me by my guru; come, ask him!”

The head of the city went to the cremation ground, bowed down and spoke to the minister’s son, who was also in the guise of a tapasvī – “Svāmin! Where did you get this pearl necklace that your student wears?” He replied – “I am a tapasvī who roams around in the forest; I happened to stay in the town’s cremation ground last night; a few yoginīs appeared there. One of them brought with her the king’s son, extracted his lotus-like heart and offered it to Bhairava. She was drunk and intoxicated; she tried to pull away the japa-mālā from me; she turned away from me with a crooked expression; I stuck at her waist using my triśūla and procured her necklace; this is how I got the string of pearls. I am a tapasvī. What will I do with a pearl necklace? I therefore sent it to be sold!” The town-chief reported this to the king. Upon listening to this, the king got Padmāvatī examined by her female assistants and confirmed that her waist bore the marks of a triśūla. He decided that she was a ḍākinī and was the killer of his son. He got her thrown out of the town.

Padmāvatī was in deep sorrow and roamed around the forest that evening. The prince and the son of the minister appeared before her in their real form. They rescued her on horseback and escorted her to their town. The prince lived happily with her. Dantaghāṭaka and his wife passed away thinking that she was consumed by wild animals.

After having narrated the story, the vetāla asked – “O king! A doubt has raised up in my mind – you will need to clarify it. You heard from the story that the couple passed away – who incurs the pāpa of having caused their death – the prince or the minister's son? Or does Padmāvatī incur the pāpa? You are smart; tell me. If you refrain yourselves from telling, even though you know the answer, your head will break apart into a hundred pieces. Trivikramasena, who was scared of being cursed said – “Ārya, yogeśvara! None of them incur pāpa; it is the king Karṇotpala who will incur all the pāpa. It is the duty of the minister’s son to please him – he did that very well; therefore, the minister’s son does not incur papa. Padmāvatī and the prince were in deep love and had lost all the wisdom; they were concerned only about their own welfare; Karṇotpala, the king had no sense of rāja-nīti; he should have set spies to find out about his citizens and he should have figured out the evil ones; he did not think this way – therefore, he incurs all the pāpa!”

As the king spoke, breaking his silence, the vetāla left him and flew away

2

Trivikramasena looked for the vetāla below the coral tree; he saw a dead body crying out there. He carried it on his shoulder and went ahead without speaking.

Then the vetāla said, "O revered king! It is unfair and unfortunate that you were troubled. Let it be so; let me tell you a story to delight your mind. Listen!" So saying, he began narrating the next story:

There lies an agrahāra on the banks of River Kālindī. It is called Brahmasthala. A brāhmaṇa named Agnisvāmī lived there; he had a beautiful daughter by name Mandāravatī. When she grew up to be a maiden, three brāhmaṇa boys from Kānyakubja came to her father, seeking her hand in marriage. All three were endowed with noble qualities; but each one was obstinate—even at the risk of losing his own life—that she was not to be given in marriage to either of the others. Agnisvāmī bemoaned his plight and did not wish to give his daughter’s hand to any of them. The three of them just stationed themselves there, spending day and night admiring the beauty of the damsel. During this time, one day, Mandāravatī contracted a fever and succumbed to the disease. One of them took her bones to immerse in the Gaṅgā, the second one built a hut over her ashes and lived there, while the third one became an ascetic and went far away. He roamed about from town to town, city to city, and one day he happened to be hosted in the house of a brāhmaṇa in the village of Vakrolaka. Even as he was partaking of his meal in that house, he heard the loud screams of a child, who began throwing a fit. The child would not sober down even after great attempts were made to assuage him. The lady of the house lost her temper and threw the child into a blazing fire. Within moments, it turned into ashes. Seeing this, the guest was shocked beyond belief. He declared, "Fie upon me, I have come to a brahma-rākṣasa's house! I will not continue eating this food cooked by pāpa!" At that point, the master of the house offered him some solace and said, "I will bring it back to life by reciting the mṛta-sañjīvinī mantra! Just see my prowess in mantra-śakti!" He took out his book of mantras and read out the appropriate verse even as he imbued a pinch of mud with the charm and threw that on the ashes of the dead child. At once, the child came back to life. Relieved at the sight, the ascetic resumed eating. He spent the night there and the next morning, he picked up the book of mantras that was kept on the nāgadanta (ivory bracket) and walked day and night to reach the cemetery where the ashes of his beloved lay. By that time, the brāhmaṇa lad who had gone to the Gaṅgā also returned. The three of them met and had the hut removed from the spot where her ashes were strewn. The third brāhmaṇa said, "Now, I shall bring Mandāravatī back to life!" and then read out the chosen mantra from the book of charms and imbuing a pinch of mud with the mantra, he put it on the ashes. Mandāravatī appeared as gold in a crucible, emerging even more beautiful than she was earlier. The moment the three of them laid eyes on her, yet again the fight began as to who would wed her. One of them said, "I have attained her by the power of my mantra!" Another said, "She is mine; she was vivified owing to the puṇya of my tīrthayātrā!" Yet another said, "I was the one who preserved her ashes as if they were my very life and that is how you even got the opportunity to bring her back to life!"

Thus concluding his tale, the vetāla said, "Mahārāja! How should their quarrel be sorted out? Whom should she marry? If you know the answer and yet choose to remain mute, then your head will burst into a hundred bits!" The king replied, "The one who toiled to bring her back to life is akin to a father. The one who took her bones to immerse in the Gaṅgā is akin to a son. The one who was so besotted by her that he made her ashes his very bed and slept in the cemetery is fit to be her husband! He behaves based on the love and affection he has towards her!” 

Since Trivikramasena broke his silence, the vetāla took off from his shoulders and returned to the tree again.

 

To be continued...

The current article is a translation of Prof. A R Krishnasastri’s Kannada classic Kathāmṛta along with additional segments added from the original Kathā-sarit-sāgara (of Soma-deva). Bṛhat-kathā-mañjarī (of Kṣemendra) and Bṛhat-kathā-śloka-saṃgraha (of Budha-svāmin) have also been referred to. The translation has been rendered by Raghavendra GS, Arjun Bharadwaj, Srishan Thirumalai, and Hari Ravikumar.

The original Kannada version of Kathāmṛta is available for free online reading. So are the other works of Prof. Krishna Shastri

 

Author(s)

About:

Prof. A R Krishna Sastri was a journalist, scholar, polyglot, and a pioneer of the modern Kannada renaissance, who founded the literary journal Prabuddha Karnāṭaka. His Vacana-bhārata and Kathāmṛta are classics of Kannada literature while his Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka and Bankimacandra are of unrivalled scholarship.

Prekshaa Publications

Among the many contributions of ancient Indians to world thought, perhaps the most insightful is the realisation that ānanda (Bliss) is the ultimate goal of human existence. Since time immemorial, India has been a land steeped in contemplation about the nature of humans and the universe. The great ṛṣis (seers) and ṛṣikās (seeresses) embarked on critical analysis of subjective experience and...

One of the two great epics of India and arguably the most popular epic in the world, the Ramayana has enchanted generations of people not just in Greater India but the world over. In less than three hundred pages The Essential Ramayana captures all the poetic subtleties and noble values of the original and offers the great epic in an eminently readable form that will appeal to the learned and...

The Bhagavad-gītā isn’t merely a treatise on ultimate liberation. It is also a treatise on good living. Even the laity, which does not have its eye on mokṣa, can immensely benefit from the Gītā. It has the power to grant an attitude of reverence in worldly life, infuse enthusiasm in the execution of duty, impart fortitude in times of adversity, and offer solace to the heart when riddled by...

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...