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Puranic encyclopaedia

by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222

This page describes the Story of Satyavati included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).

Story of ٲⲹī

The mother of ղ.

A short history.

ٲⲹī was the daughter of the celestial maid . Because of a curse she lived as a fish in the river Ganges. Once the semen of King Uparicaravasu happened to fall in the Ganges and this fish swallowed it in consequence of which it became pregnant. A fisherman caught this fish and cut it. He got two human babies, male and female from the stomach of the fish. The fisherman gave the two infants to the King who took the male child. This child later became the Matsya King. The female child had the smell of fish. The King called her Matsya-Gandhī (She who has the smell of fish) and gave her back to the fisherman, who took the child to his hut and brought her up as his daughter. As the child was dark in complexion the fisherman called her ī. Thus the girl was known by two names ī and Matsyagandhī. Later she got the name ٲⲹī also.

The fisherman was engaged in the work of ferrying people across the river. Matsyagandhī helped her father in this work. She became a full-bloomed young woman. One day the hermit ʲś came by that way and when he saw Matsyagandhī, he fell in love with her. She ferried the hermit across the river. In the middle of the river ʲś created an artificial fog inside which ʲś took Matsyagandhī as his wife. From that moment Matsyagandhī became ūīgandhī (she who has the smell of ūī (musk). ī became pregnant and delivered instantly. ʲś, left the place after having blessed her that she would not lose her virginity.

The son born to ī, immediately grew up to be a youth. After promising his mother that he would come to her when she thought of him, the youth went to the forest for penance. The name of the son was ṛṣṇa. This ṛṣṇa later became famous by the name ղ. ٲⲹī again engaged herself in helping her father.

One day ŚԳٲԳ, a King of the lunar dynasty came to the forest for hunting. The fragrance of musk emanating from the body of ūīgandhī spread throughout the whole forest. The King walked on through the forest tracing the origin of the smell of musk and reached the fisherman’s hut. The King fell in love with ٲⲹī. The King had a son named īṣm by his first wife Ҳṅg. īṣm made it easy for the King to marry ٲⲹī. Two sons 侱ٰṅg岹 and վٰīⲹ were born to ŚԳٲԳ by his wife ٲⲹī. 侱ٰṅg岹 was killed in his boyhood. վٰīⲹ became a youth and married and the daughters of the King of śī. վٰīⲹ met with untimely death before a child was born to him. When ٲⲹī saw that the family was about to become extinct, she thought of her son ղ, who instantly arrived at the palace. From ղ, got the son ṇḍ and , the son ٳṛtṣṭ. Both the sons ٳṛtṣṭ and ṇḍ got married. ṇḍ died. The death of her son struck heavily at the heart of ٲⲹī. She did not wish to live much longer after this. She mentioned about the fearful things yet to happen. Then taking her daughters-inlaw and with her, ٲⲹī went to the forest to do penance and finally attained heaven. (Ѳٲ Ā徱 Parva, Chapter 127). (For further details see under , ղ and ŚԳٲԳ).

Names.

śī, ҲԻ󲹰ī, ҲԻ󲹱ī, ī ٲ, ī, ۴ᲹԲԻ and such other words are used in the Ѳٲ as the synonyms of ٲⲹī.

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