Story of Pṛthūdara

A celebrated Yakṣa. This Yakṣa got a daughter named Saudāminī. Her father took her to different mountains to entertain her. One day while she was playing with her companion Kapiśabhrū she met a Yaksaputra named Aṭṭahāsa. They fell in love and Saudāminī’s father agreed to their marriage and fixed it. After fixing the marriage Pṛthūdara took his daughter to his house. Next day her companion Kapiśabhrū came to Saudāminī in a sorrowful mood and when she asked her the reason she said "Friend, how am I to report to you this sad news. On my way to you I passed through a garden named Citrasthala in the valley of the Himālayas. To have some sport with the love-stricken Aṭṭahāsa his friends staged a drama in which Aṭṭahāsa was made Vaiśravaṇarāja and his brother Dīptaśikha, Nalakūbara, and the rest, his ministers. They were thus acting and enjoying when Nalakūbara himself came that way and seeing his servant Aṭṭahāsa in the robes and form of his father was angry and calling Aṭṭahāsa to his side said: "A servant like you is ambitious of becoming a king. Let this ambition be the cause of your downfall. You will be born as man." Aṭṭahāsa was shocked and he craved pardon "Oh Lord, I did this only for some entertainment. I did not do it with any desire for a big position. Pardon me for my mistake. Nalakūbara then by his divine power understood everything and taking pity on him consoled him and said "She with whom you are in love will be your wife in your life as man. Your brother Dīptaśikha will then be born as your son. Both of you will then be released from the curse. Dīptaśikha after ruling the country for some time will also be free from this curse." Aṭṭahāsa and Dīptaśikha soon disappeared by the power of the curse.

Aṭṭahāsa was born as king of Trigartta in the name of Pavitradhara and Saudāminī became his wife. A son was born to them named Dīptaśikha and as soon as he was born the parents were released from the curse and entered heaven. (Śaśāṅkavatīlambaka, Kathāsaritsāgara, Taraṅga 6).