Vedanidhi
Vedanidhi was a brāhmaṇa, also called Agnipa. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa names him as the father of the young celibate man at the centre of the account of the five gandharva maidens (Chapter 128).
The account in which he appears
His son was brought up in brahmacarya (the life of celibacy and study) in Vedanidhi’s household. The son met five gandharva maidens, the daughters of Sukhasaṅgīti, at the Acchoda lake. There the young man and the maidens cursed one another, and the śāpa (curse) made all six of them piśācas (evil spirits).
The ṛshi Lomaśa told them how to be freed: the Māgha bath at Prayāga. The bath freed all six from the piśāca śāpa, and with Lomaśa’s approval the son married all five maidens. This account is the story of the five gandharva maidens.
His names
The name Vedanidhi means “treasury of the Veda.” The other name, Agnipa, means “drinker of Agni” or “fed by fire.” The Purāṇa shows him as a brāhmaṇa householder whose son became the central figure of this account of liberation.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 128