Bhadraśrava
Bhadraśrava was a king of the Saurāshṭra country in the Dvāpara Yuga. He was a master of the Vedas and the Vedāṅgas (the limbs of the Veda). He had seven sons and one daughter, Śyāmābālā, from his queen Suratacandrikā. He is also the father-in-law of Māladhara.
A learned and wealthy king
Bhadraśrava was a learned and capable king who ruled in Saurāshṭra. He was well settled in wealth and kingship.
The loss of wealth
Chapter 11 of the Brahma Khaṇḍa tells how his fortune turned. the devī Lakshmī herself came to the palace disguised as an old brāhmaṇa woman. She came to remind Suratacandrikā of the Guruvāra vow. Suratacandrikā struck her in anger. Lakshmī left weeping, and all the wealth vanished from the royal household.
Poverty and the visit to his daughter
Bhadraśrava fell into such poverty that he travelled with great difficulty to the house of his daughter Śyāmābālā to ask for help. He arrived thin, with a rough body and rough hair. The royal maids at the lake bank knew him.
Śyāmābālā received him with great care. She sent him home with money hidden in a vessel. When he opened the vessel at home, the money had turned into charcoal. He returned to his daughter.
The Lakshmī vow
In the end Śyāmābālā persuaded her mother Suratacandrikā to keep the Lakshmī vow. After that the royal household was restored.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 11