Bhaktimālā

Bhaktimālā · bhakti-mālā, “garland of bhakti”

Bhaktimālā was the wife of Haridāsa, the devoted envoy of King Mahābala of Ujjayinī, and she was intent on the service of good people. The Vaitāla tells Vikramāditya of her in the Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa.

To Bhaktimālā was born a lotus-eyed daughter, accomplished in all vidyās, named Mahādevī, who asked to be given only to a man greater in qualities than she. While her father chose the brāhmaṇa Buddhikovida and her brother Mukunda promised her to Dhīmān, the son of his guru, Bhaktimālā was impressed by the skill of a vipra named Vāmana, a disciple of Drauṇi, skilled in the śabdavedhī arrow that strikes a target by sound alone. She honoured him with dakshiṇā, tāmbūla and the like and chose him for her daughter. So three worthy brāhmaṇas, chosen by the father, the son and the mother, came to receive Mahādevī.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 2, Chapters 1–23

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 2, Chapters 1–23