Viśvadatta

Viśvadatta was a king of the Lunar dynasty (Candravaṃśa). The Padma Mahā Purāṇa records that he won the grace of Gaṇeśa at the Gaṇatīrtha on the Śābhramatī river.

The Gaṇatīrtha is the tīrtha (sacred place) of Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa’s presence there is held to be especially strong. The grace that Viśvadatta won there is the event on which the māhātmya (glory) of this tīrtha rests.

The Lunar dynasty and the Gaṇatīrtha

Viśvadatta belongs to the Lunar dynasty. This is the line of Budha, Purūravas and the Pāṇḍavas. His worship at the Gaṇatīrtha, and the grace of Gaṇeśa that followed, place him among the kings of different dynasties in the Śābhramatī māhātmya. These kings found liberation and divine grace at different tīrthas along the river.

The grace of Gaṇeśa

Gaṇeśa’s grace is called Gaṇeśa-prasāda. The Purāṇas understand it as the removal of obstacles, the carrying of work through to its end, and the opening of the path to higher attainment. The Gaṇatīrtha on the Śābhramatī was the place where this grace came to Viśvadatta.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 138