Karkaśā

Karkaśā, “the harsh one”

Karkaśā was the second wife of the brāhmaṇa Sumantu of Vasishṭha‘s gotra, whom he married after his first wife Dīkshā died. Śrī Kṛshṇa tells of her to King Yudhishṭhira in the account of the Ananta Caturdaśī vrata. She was like her name: ill-natured, harsh, always quarrelsome, and of a fierce form.

When Sumantu gave his daughter Śīlā in marriage to Kauṇḍinya Muni, he asked Karkaśā to give the son-in-law some dowry. Karkaśā became angry, pulled down the maṇḍapa built at the house, gave a few leftovers of food as provisions for the road, said “Go!”, and shut the door.

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 94