Sunandā of Cedi

Sunandā was the queen mother of the kingdom of Cedi. She appears in the Nala-Damayantī Upākhyāna (the account of Nala and Damayantī) in the Mahābhārata. She is remembered for her compassion and her sharp eye.

Damayantī reached the gates of the Cedi capital in a pitiful state. She wore only half a garment, she was thin, and she was half-mad with grief. Sunandā saw beyond this and recognised a woman of rare quality. She took Damayantī into the palace, gave her shelter and care, and made her a companion to her own daughter. This gave Damayantī a safe home during the darkest time of her trial. It also helped her to recover and, in the end, to return home.

Damayantī’s arrival

After Nala left her, Damayantī wandered alone in the forest. She met a serpent and a hunter who attacked her. She pronounced a śāpa (a curse) on the hunter, and he fell dead. Then she joined a merchant caravan. Wild elephants destroyed the caravan, and Damayantī went on alone until she reached the capital of Cedi.

She was in a desperate state. She wore only the half-cloth that Nala had left wrapped around her. Grief and hunger had worn her body down. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 62)

Sunandā’s discernment

Sunandā was watching from the palace when she saw Damayantī in the street below. Damayantī was in a sad condition. Still, her bearing and the light about her could not be fully hidden, and they caught Sunandā’s attention. Sunandā sent her attendants to bring the woman to her.

Sunandā learned that Damayantī was looking for shelter. She offered it at once and asked only that Damayantī tell her who she was. Damayantī was not ready to reveal herself. She said only that she was a woman of good family who had been separated from her husband.

Damayantī set her conditions:

• She would not wash men’s feet.
• She would not eat what others had left.
• No man would approach her improperly without being punished.

Sunandā agreed to every condition without a moment’s hesitation. She made Damayantī a companion to her daughter. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 62)

The king of Cedi

At this time the king of Cedi was Vīrabāhu, Sunandā’s son. When Damayantī’s identity became known, he arranged for her to return to her parents. He knew her as the famous daughter of Bhīma of Vidarbha, and he treated her with all the honour due to a royal guest. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 62)

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 62