Maṅki of the Śābhramatī

Maṅki

Maṅki was a ṛshi and the son of the ṛshi Kaupitaka. He did tapas (austerity) on the bank of the Śābhramatī river for fourteen years without a break, because he wished for sons. His tapas bore fruit, and he obtained the sons he wanted. The place of his tapas came to be called the Maṅkitīrtha. It is a holy bathing place on the Śābhramatī that keeps his name alive.

His father

Maṅki was the son of Kaupitaka, a ṛshi. The Padma Purāṇa gives no more about Kaupitaka. (Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 143)

Fourteen years of tapas for sons

Maṅki wished for sons (putra-kāmanā). He did tapas on the bank of the Śābhramatī for fourteen years, without stopping. His tapas was rewarded and he obtained the sons he sought. This shows the power of the Śābhramatī river to grant wishes sought through tapas. (Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 143)

Maṅkitīrtha

The tīrtha (holy bathing place) that took Maṅki’s name is the Maṅkitīrtha. It stands on the Śābhramatī, at the place of his fourteen years of tapas. It recalls that honest tapas at the Śābhramatī can fulfil a wish. (Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 143)

Sources

• Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 143