Kakshīvanta and Manoramā

This is the account of the ṛshi Kakshīvanta, son of the great ṛshi Dīrghatamas. He bathed at Agastya Tīrtha in the Setu-kshetra. A divine white elephant with four tusks rose out of the water and carried him to the court of king Svanayana. There he married the princess Manoramā at a svayaṃvara (a ceremony where a princess chooses her own husband). The wedding was performed by the ṛshi Udaṅka.

The account shows Agastya Tīrtha as a tīrtha (holy place) that fulfils the deepest wishes of those who come to it, even wishes that seem beyond reach. It is told in the Setu Māhātmya of the Brahma Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa.

Kakshīvanta’s pilgrimage

The ṛshi Kakshīvanta, son of the great ṛshi Dīrghatamas, went on pilgrimage to the Setu-kshetra. He came to Agastya Tīrtha on the Gandhamādana mountain, the tīrtha that belongs to the great ṛshi Agastya. Kakshīvanta bathed there with reverence and devotion. (Chapter 16)

The divine elephant rises from the water

As Kakshīvanta bathed, a wonder happened. A magnificent white elephant with four tusks rose from the waters of Agastya Tīrtha. It was huge and snow-white. It stood before Kakshīvanta as if waiting for him. Sensing the divine purpose, Kakshīvanta climbed onto the elephant. (Chapter 16)

The journey to Svanayana’s court

The divine elephant rose into the air and carried Kakshīvanta to the court of king Svanayana. At that very time the king’s daughter Manoramā was holding a svayaṃvara to choose her husband from the suitors who had gathered. She was a woman of excellent qualities, with all the auspicious marks and a shining beauty. (Chapter 16)

The svayaṃvara

Kakshīvanta arrived at the svayaṃvara on the back of the divine elephant, among the gathered suitors and onlookers. Manoramā had been looking over the suitors, and she chose Kakshīvanta. She stepped forward and placed a garland of champaka flowers around his neck before all the people. This was her own free choice, and it also fulfilled the divine purpose that began when the elephant rose from Agastya Tīrtha. (Chapters 16 and 17)

The wedding

The ṛshi Udaṅka came and performed all the wedding rites. He set up the sacred fire (agni-pratishṭhā), performed the lāja-homa (the offering of parched grain) and the other rites, and completed the pāṇigrahaṇa (the joining of hands). Both groups of brāhmaṇas blessed the couple. Dīrghatamas, Kakshīvanta’s father, was also there.

King Svanayana marked the day with great generosity. He gave Manoramā these gifts (strīdhana): one lakh gold coins, a thousand cows, a thousand maidservants, five hundred villages, ten thousand divine garments, a hundred boxes of ornaments and a thousand garlands. (Chapter 17)

The return

After the wedding, Kakshīvanta and Manoramā went back to Agastya Tīrtha with Dīrghatamas. The divine elephant went into the tīrtha and vanished, its purpose fulfilled. The whole party bathed at the tīrtha in thanks. This closed the circle that had begun with Kakshīvanta’s first bath there.

Dīrghatamas then left with his son and his daughter-in-law for his āśrama at Vedāraṇya. They settled there and served the deva of Vedāraṇya. King Svanayana also bathed at Agastya Tīrtha with his court before going back to his city. (Chapter 17)

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Setu Māhātmya, Chapter 16
• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Setu Māhātmya, Chapter 17