Kukardama of Piṇḍāraka

Kukardama was a king who ruled from the city of Piṇḍāraka. His life was full of pāpa (sin), and his conduct broke every rule of a righteous king. After death he became an evil spirit (piśāca or preta).

The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells that the ṛshi Kahoda met this spirit at the Agnipāleśvara tīrtha (sacred place) on the Śābhramatī river. Kahoda told Kukardama to perform śrāddha (offerings for the departed) at the Śābhramatī. By this act the spirit was freed, and Kukardama reached a higher state.

Piṇḍāraka and his conduct

Piṇḍāraka is the city of Kukardama’s rule. The Purāṇa counts him among the kings of bad conduct who were later freed by the power of sacred rivers and tīrthas. His particular wrongs are not listed. The account is about how he was freed.

His state after death

His pāpa was enough to keep him from a clean passage to naraka (hell) for his punishment. He became an evil spirit that wandered near the Agnipāleśvara tīrtha on the Śābhramatī. He was neither in naraka receiving his due nor able to move on.

Meeting with the ṛshi Kahoda

Kahoda had made his home at the Agnipāleśvara tīrtha on the Śābhramatī. With a ṛshi’s insight he knew the spirit of Kukardama. He understood both its history and the way to free it. He did not turn away the ghost of a king who had done wrong, or blame it. He dealt with it kindly and gave the right remedy.

Freedom through śrāddha at the Śābhramatī

Kahoda told him to perform śrāddha at the Śābhramatī river. This is a rite for the ancestors, done at a holy water. Done in the right way at this powerful tīrtha, the śrāddha ended Kukardama’s ghostly state. The power of the Śābhramatī, working through the śrāddha, did what Kukardama could never have done by his own puṇya (merit). He was freed and reached a higher state.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 139