Candrāṃgada: Husband of Sīmantinī

Candrāṃgada was the husband of Sīmantinī. He was a prince and the grandson of King Nala. His story is told in the Somavāra Vrata Māhātmya. His wife Sīmantinī kept the Somavāra vrata (the Monday fast and observance) faithfully, so that he would be protected from widowhood. Even so, the serpent king Takṣaka seized Candrāṃgada and held him in Nāga-loka, the world of the nāgas. The power of the vrata followed him there, and Takṣaka could not destroy him. Through the grace of Pārvatī and the help of Bhagavān Śiva, he was freed and given back to Sīmantinī.

Lineage

Candrāṃgada is the grandson of King Nala. Nala was the famed king of Niṣadha. He lost his kingdom at dice, lived in exile in the forest with his wife Damayantī, and was in the end restored. This is one of the great itihāsa (historical) accounts.

Seized by Takṣaka

Sīmantinī kept the Somavāra vrata for years to turn away the karma that threatened her with widowhood. Even so, that karma showed itself in an unexpected form. The serpent king Takṣaka took Candrāṃgada away into Nāga-loka. This looked like the feared widowhood, because her husband had been taken to a world from which human power could not bring him back.

Kept safe by the power of the vrata

The main teaching of Candrāṃgada’s story is that the merit of the Somavāra vrata follows the husband beyond the human world. Even in the realm of Takṣaka, Candrāṃgada was not harmed. The power of the serpent king could not overcome the protection that Sīmantinī’s faithful vrata had made. This is the promised phala (fruit) of the vrata:

Even if the husband is held in the realm of Takṣaka, the power of the vrata protects him there.

Release and return

Pārvatī was moved by the depth of Sīmantinī’s devotion, and Bhagavān Śiva himself stepped in. Candrāṃgada was released from Nāga-loka and given back to Sīmantinī. The vrata gave all that was promised. She was not widowed, and her husband was brought back from a situation that seemed beyond recovery.

Sources

Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Uttarārdha, Chapters 8–9