Raṅkaṇa
Raṅkaṇa · raṅkaṇa, “Raṅkaṇa, son of Lakshmīdatta”
Raṅkaṇa, also called Rāṅkā, is a bhakta of a vaiśya family of the city of Kāñcanapura, and the son of Lakshmīdatta. The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that he was the aṃśa of Bhagavān Pāvaka, the Vasu, who produced it from his own mouth. His pativratā wife was Yaṅkaṇā, also called Bāṅkā. The two spent all their wealth in works of dharma, sold wood, did pūjā with the money they earned, and lived by the prasāda. The text calls him Mahātmā Raṅkaṇa, and his guru was Rāmānanda.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 16
His origin in Pāvaka
Sūta tells a muni what Devaguru Bṛhaspati told Devendra. In former times there was a brāhmaṇa named Viśvānara who had no son. To gain a son he pleased Brahmā by ārādhanā, and in one year Bhagavān Parameshṭhī Pitāmaha, satisfied, told him to ask a vara.
He said: “Bhagavān Brahmā, namaskāra to you. May he who is beyond even Prakṛti be my son.” Brahmā, astonished, said: “O brāhmaṇa, he is the eternal sanātana Purusha. How can he be your son? So, Viśvānara Muni, Māyābhūta Hari, Janārdana himself, will come as your son by my vara.”
Having said this Brahmā withdrew from sight, and a son named Pāvaka was born to Viśvānara. That Pāvaka became master of the eight Vasus, famous as Vaiśvānara, and master of Svāhā Devī. In a former kalpa this Vaiśvānara was Anala, an intelligent brāhmaṇa of Nishadha.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 16
His life with Yaṅkaṇā
Sūta says that Bhagavān Pāvaka, hearing these words of Bṛhaspati, produced his own aṃśa from his own mouth. That aṃśa of Pāvaka, a Vasu, became famous as Raṅkaṇa, son of Lakshmīdatta. He was born in a vaiśya family in the city of Kāñcanapura.
His pativratā wife was Yaṅkaṇā. The two spent all their wealth in works of dharma and sold wood. With the money they earned they did pūjā, and they lived by the prasāda.
The guru of Mahātmā Raṅkaṇa was Rāmānanda.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 16
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 16