Līlāvatī the Courtesan

Līlāvatī was a courtesan and a devoted worshipper of Bhagavān Śiva. At the holy tīrtha (pilgrimage place) of Puṣkara she gave the lavaṇācala dāna, the gift of a mountain of salt. Her bhakti (devotion) to Parameśvara stayed firm in spite of her station in life. Through the dāna (gift) that she gave at Puṣkara by the rules of the śāstras, all her pāpa (sin) was destroyed and she reached Śivaloka. In a later birth she was Bhānumatī, the radiant and very fortunate queen of the great king Dharmamūrti. Dharmamūrti was the goldsmith who had served her in her earlier life, born again as a king.

Who she was

In an earlier age Līlāvatī lived as a gaṇikā (courtesan), a woman whose place in society was outside the main order of dharma. Yet in that life she kept a deep inner devotion to Bhagavān Śiva. Her devotion to Parameśvara was real and lasting. She showed it through the forms of pūjā (worship) and dāna that were open to her. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells her story in the Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21.

The lavaṇācala dāna at Puṣkara

Līlāvatī came to the holy tīrtha of Puṣkara and gave the lavaṇācala dāna, the gift of a mountain of salt decorated with golden trees. The Purāṇas describe this as one of the most meritorious of the great gifts, among the daśa-mahādānas (ten great gifts) and the śaila-dānas (gifts of mountains). She gave it by the exact method of the śāstras, with the proper saṅkalpa (solemn resolve), the mantras, and the gift to a qualified brāhmaṇa. This is in the Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21.

The service of the goldsmith

For the golden trees and flowers needed for the gift, Līlāvatī depended on a śūdra goldsmith of her household. He made each golden tree and flower with great skill and devotion. He did this work as guru-śuśrūṣā (service to a teacher), and he refused to take any wages. This unpaid work was a selfless tapas (austerity) that gathered great puṇya (merit). His wife made things hard for him during this time, yet he stayed truthful and devoted throughout. This is in the Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21.

Liberation and Śivaloka

When the gift was complete, all the pāpa of Līlāvatī was destroyed. This included the pāpa of her life as a courtesan and that of her earlier lives. It was destroyed by the combined power of her devotion to Bhagavān Śiva, the holy tīrtha of Puṣkara, and the correctly given lavaṇācala dāna. She lived out the rest of her life and then went to the loka (world) of Bhagavān Śiva himself. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21, tells this.

Rebirth as Bhānumatī

In her next birth Līlāvatī was born as Bhānumatī, a name that means “the radiant one” or “she who shares the light of the sun”. She was a queen of great beauty and good fortune, and her grace was equal to that of Lakṣmī. She became the queen of the great king Dharmamūrti. He was the goldsmith of her earlier life, born again as the lord of the seven islands (sapta-dvīpādhipati) through the puṇya of his selfless service. The two were joined again across births by the bond formed when they took part together in the lavaṇācala dāna. This is in the Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21.

The teaching of Vasiṣṭha

Vasiṣṭha Maharṣi told the story of Līlāvatī to king Dharmamūrti. The king had asked why his body shone with such great tejas (radiance). Vasiṣṭha told him the whole story of his earlier birth (pūrva-janma). He taught that the tejas of a king comes from the selfless service and bhakti of earlier lives. The story shows the power of a gift given from bhakti at a holy tīrtha. It shows that no social station stands in the way of liberation when the inner devotion and the dharmic action are true. The source is the Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 21