Madavatī
Madavatī · mada-vatī
Madavatī was the daughter of a vidyādhara and became the queen of King Dharmavallabha of Puṇyapura. The Vaitāla tells Vikramāditya of her in the Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa.
In the ocean
The minister Satyaprakāśa sought a fitting wife for his king and found none. At the ocean he praised Samudra, and the ocean, pleased, showed him in the water a tree with leaves of coral and fruits of pearl, on which sat a lovely girl. Within moments the girl and the tree sank again. The king came and saw the same; he entered the ocean and reached Pātāla with the girl. He asked her to take him by gāndharva marriage. She laughed and said: “Best of kings, when kṛshṇa-paksha caturdaśī comes, I shall come to the Devī temple and meet you.”
The śāpa
On kṛshṇa caturdaśī the king went to the Devī temple, sword in hand, and the girl was there. A rākshasa named Bakavāhana came and touched her, and the king cut off his head. She then said: “King, I am the daughter of a vidyādhara. My name is Madavatī. Once I went to the forest and could not reach my parents at home at mealtime. My father learned all by dhyāna and pronounced a śāpa on me, that on kṛshṇa caturdaśī a rākshasa would seize me, and that it would end when a king chose me. By your grace I am today released from the śāpa.”
She came to the palace and was married to the king, and there was a great festival in the city.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 2, Chapters 1–23
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 2, Chapters 1–23