Daughters Freed from Jaladevī
Twelve young women were freed from the hold of Jaladevī, the devī of the Pañcappa lake in Daṇḍakāraṇya. Five were daughters of a gandharva king, and seven were daughters of nāga kings. They had been shut away because they disturbed the tapas (austerity) of a muni. They were freed by one act of Bhagavān Rāma, who strung his bow beside the lake. This is one of the well-known episodes of the Vivāha Khaṇḍa of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa. In time it leads to the twelve weddings of the sons of Rāma with these daughters.
The muni’s anger
In the region of Daṇḍakāraṇya, near the Pañcappa lake, a muni was deep in meditation and tapas. The five daughters of a gandharva king and the seven daughters of nāga kings came to play at this lovely lake. Their laughter, song and dance came naturally from the joy of divine beings, but it broke the tapas of the muni.
The muni was angry at the interruption. He called on Jaladevī, the presiding devī of the lake, and told her to shut the twelve girls inside her realm in the depths of the lake. Jaladevī was bound by the power of his tapas and obeyed. The twelve young women were drawn into the lake and kept in the home of Jaladevī under the water.
The muni himself went to svarga when his tapas was done. The girls stayed shut away. Their families did not know where they were. Their divine music could still be heard by sensitive ears near the surface of the lake, but the girls themselves could not be seen or reached by the outside world.
This is told in the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Vivāha Khaṇḍa, Chapter 5.
The unseen music
Bhagavān Rāma and Sītā first visited the āśrama of Agastya Maharshi and then went on to the Pañcappa lake. At nightfall the royal party heard the sound of beautiful gīta (singing) and nṛtya (dance) coming from in or around the lake. The music was divine and beyond compare. Yet when the party looked, they could see no singers or dancers.
Rāma asked Agastya about this strange music. Agastya told him the whole history of the imprisoned daughters. This is told in Chapter 5.
The liberation
When he had heard the account of Agastya, Rāma took up his great bow and strung it. This one act was enough. The bow was the Śārṅga bow of the avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu, drawn tight. The whole cosmos knew the displeasure of Rāma. The earth trembled and the sky shook. Jaladevī felt the terror of the divine will turned on her realm.
Jaladevī gave way at once. She let all twelve daughters go and brought them up from the depths of the lake to the surface. She herself came before Rāma, gave up her pride, and accepted his rule over all beings in his creation, both divine and of the elements.
The twelve daughters came out of the lake, free at last. They stood before Rāma, full of thanks. This is told in Chapter 5.
The names of the daughters
The five gandharva daughters freed from Jaladevī:
- Candrikā
- Candravadanā
- Cañcalā
- Capalā
- Acalā
The seven nāga daughters freed from Jaladevī:
- Kañjānanā
- Kañjākshī
- Kañjāṅghrī
- Kalāvatī
- Kālikā
- Kamalā
- Mālatī
This is told in Chapter 6.
After the liberation: the weddings
After their freedom, the gandharvas and the nāga kings came to Rāma at the āśrama of Agastya to thank him. They were full of devotion and offered their daughters in marriage to the sons of Rāma. This would bind their families to the Ikshvāku house.
Vasishṭha approved the matches. The royal jyotishas (astrologers) fixed the muhūrtas (auspicious times). The twelve weddings were held over the course of a year in Ayodhyā. This is told in Chapter 6.
Sources
- Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Vivāha Khaṇḍa, Chapter 5 (the muni’s anger, the unseen music, the liberation)
- Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Vivāha Khaṇḍa, Chapter 6 (the names of the daughters, the weddings)