Cāndraṅgada of Mālava
Cāndraṅgada was the king of Mālava. He is the central figure in the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata Māhātmya (the account of the greatness of the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata) in the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa. A rākshasī (a female rākshasa) pursued him. Then a Nāgakanyā (serpent princess) held him prisoner in pātāla (the nether world). His devoted queen Indumatī freed him by keeping the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata, as the ṛshi Nārada instructed her.
This Cāndraṅgada is not the Cāndraṅgada who was the grandson of Nala. That Cāndraṅgada is told of in the Dharmaraṇya Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, in connection with the Somavāra vrata (the vow of Monday).
The king and his kingdom
Cāndraṅgada was a righteous king. He ruled Mālava with all the qualities of an ideal ruler. His queen Indumatī was devoted and steady. Two troubles that came one after the other broke into their life. These troubles showed the great power of the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata. The account is in Chapter 53 of the Upāsanā Khaṇḍa of the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa.
Pursued by the rākshasī
The first trouble was a rākshasī who pursued Cāndraṅgada again and again and afflicted him. This harassment disturbed his kingdom and his own peace. This is told in Chapter 53.
Held in pātāla
While he was under this affliction, a Nāgakanyā seized Cāndraṅgada and took him to pātāla, where she held him prisoner. His queen Indumatī was left in grief and helplessness. Saving him from a world beyond this one was beyond what any human could do. The account is in Chapters 53 and 54.
Indumatī’s vrata
The ṛshi Nārada came to Queen Indumatī. He told her to keep the Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata. This is a month-long observance from Śrāvaṇa śukla caturthi (the fourth day of the bright fortnight) to Bhādrapada śukla caturthi. She was to keep it with full devotion and the rites laid down. Indumatī kept the vrata with śraddhā (faith) and followed all that Nārada taught her.
By the power of the vrata, the grace of Gaṇeśa reached Cāndraṅgada even in the depths of pātāla. He was freed from the hold of the Nāgakanyā and given back to Indumatī. The Nāgakanyā was also freed from a śāpa (a curse) that had bound her to the nether world. So Gaṇeśa’s grace, flowing through the puṇya (merit) of the vrata, freed both the devotee’s husband and the being who had held him. This is told in Chapters 54 and 55.
Pārvatī hears and keeps the vrata
Gaṇeśa himself told the account of Cāndraṅgada and Indumatī to Pārvatī. At that time Pārvatī was parted from Bhagavān Śiva and longed to be united with him again. The account moved her, and she kept the same Varada Gaṇeśa Vrata with a one-pointed mind. By its power she was united with Bhagavān Śiva again. The account is in Chapter 55.
Sources
- Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 53–55
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Dharmaraṇya Khaṇḍa (for the other Cāndraṅgada, the grandson of Nala)