Kīrtimālī

Kīrtimālī is the princess whom Bhadrāyu married after his victory over Hemaratha and the recovery of his kingdom. In her past life she was Piṃgalā, a gaṇikā (courtesan) who lived with Maṃdara at Gokarṇa. Maṃdara was the past life of Bhadrāyu.

Piṃgalā and Maṃdara both came into contact with the sacred power of the Caturdaśī tithi (lunar day) and of Gokarṇa kshetra (a sacred place). This contact changed the course of her karma and led to her birth as a princess. In this life she was joined again with the man who had been Maṃdara, now the prince Bhadrāyu. Their life together began in pāpa (sin). It ended in rule by dharma and in moksha (liberation).

Past life as Piṃgalā

In her previous life, Kīrtimālī was Piṃgalā, a gaṇikā who was the companion of Maṃdara at Gokarṇa. Maṃdara was a man of pāpa. The Gokarṇa Caturdaśī Māhātmya tells how both of them came under the power of the Caturdaśī tithi. Even though they had neither intention nor purity, the sacred power of that day was the cause of their later rise.

Rebirth as a princess

Piṃgalā was reborn as the princess Kīrtimālī. The Purāṇa presents her as a woman of beauty and dharmic conduct. She was born to be reunited with the one who had been Maṃdara and was now reborn as the prince Bhadrāyu. The merit she gained at Gokarṇa on Caturdaśī in her past life stayed with her as devotion to Bhagavān Śiva and to dharma.

Marriage and rule

After Bhadrāyu’s victory, by the vara (boon) of Bhagavān Śiva and as their shared karma unfolded, Kīrtimālī was married to Bhadrāyu. Together they ruled for ten thousand years. Their rule followed dharma and was prosperous.

At the end of their long reign, both Bhadrāyu and Kīrtimālī went up to Śivaloka, the world of Bhagavān Śiva. This was the moksha that came as the final fruit of their meeting with Gokarṇa and Caturdaśī in their previous lives.

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Uttarārdha, Chapters 10–14