Śyāmābālā

Śyāmābālā was the daughter of King Bhadraśravas and Queen Suratacandrikā of Saurāshṭra in the Dvāpara Yuga. She kept the Guruvāra vow (the Thursday vow of Lakshmī) with full faith, and through the grace of Lakshmī she was married to Māladhara, son of King Śrīsiddheśvara, and became prosperous. She is also remembered for showing her husband that salt is the essence of the kingdom.

Her birth and nature

Śyāmābālā, the daughter of Bhadraśravas and Suratacandrikā, was a truthful girl who delighted her father. The Padma Purāṇa calls her one who had tapas (austerity) as her wealth. This points to a quality of tapas and moral purity in her, though she was born in a royal house.

Meeting Lakshmī

Lakshmī came in the form of an old brāhmaṇa woman. Śyāmābālā’s mother struck her, and she fled weeping. Śyāmābālā was playing nearby. She heard the old woman weeping, went to her, and asked with great compassion what had caused her pain.

Lakshmī spoke with a voice that shook with grief. She told Śyāmābālā the whole account, including the details of the Guruvāra vow. This vow was very hard to obtain. Śyāmābālā heard it and kept it faithfully, as the sacred texts lay down, with full faith and devotion.

Her marriage

Three Thursdays passed, and the fourth came. On that day, by the grace of Lakshmī, Śyāmābālā’s marriage took place. Māladhara, son of King Śrīsiddheśvara, took her as his wife. He had royal lustre.

The salt

In her husband’s prosperous home, Śyāmābālā showed her wisdom through the matter of the salt.

• Her father came to visit. He was poor, and her parents’ house was in ruins. She sent him home with money hidden in a vessel, and at home it turned to charcoal.
• Later, when her mother visited, Śyāmābālā took salt from her mother’s house and brought it home. She called it “the essence of the kingdom”.
• She cooked food without salt and served it to her husband Māladhara. He was sad at the tasteless meal. Then she gave him the salt.
• The king ate with satisfaction and said again and again, “Blessed, blessed!” Salt, like virtue, is the base of all prosperity.

Her mother and the vow

In time Śyāmābālā persuaded her mother Suratacandrikā to keep the vow of Lakshmī on four Thursdays. This brought the royal family back to prosperity.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 11