Story of Sudevā

The wife of Ikṣvāku who was the son of Manu. This Sudevā was the daughter of Devarāta the King of Kāśī. Ikṣvāku and Sudevā are said to be the incarnations of Viṣṇu and Devī Lakṣmī respectively. While the couple were walking about in the forest, they saw a she-hog. That hog was the cursed form of a Brahmin woman named Sudevā. Sudevā, the wife of Ikṣvāku gave the merits she had earned in one year by her good deeds to Sudevā the she-hog and liberated her from her curse. This story occurs in Padma Purāṇa Bhūmikhaṇḍa, Chapter 42. The story is given below:

Once King Ikṣvāku and his wife Sudevā were hunting on the banks of the Gaṅgā. Then a big hog came there with his wife and children. The hog was afraid of Ikṣvāku. So he said to his wife:—"Look! beloved! Ikṣvāku the valiant, the son of Manu, is come for hunting. I am going to fight with him." His wife said. "How did you get this bravery to fight with the king, you who always try to evade the forest-men?" "It is not bravery, my love. It is because I could go to heaven if I fight with the king valiantly and meet with heroic death", replied the hog. The wife tried her utmost to dissuade her husband from his attempt. The children also tried to stop him. They could not change his mind. So all of them decided to help him as much as they could in his fight. They got ready for a fight against Ikṣvāku and his army.

The king’s army saw the preparations of the hogs and their resolute stand. Struck with fear, they informed Ikṣvāku about it. The king ordered the noble hog to be caught. Ikṣvāku and his wife mounted on horse and followed the army. All the hounds ran towards the hogs barking. The army sent a volley of arrows at the hogs. The hog and his wife stopped the arrows. The army could not defeat the hogs. At last the king himself killed the hog with a club. While the king was looking on, that noble hog was changed to a noble Gandharva with four hands and divine clothes and ornaments. Leaving his old body of hog on the earth he rose up into the sky like the Sun and went to heaven. Seeing this sight Sudevā was struck with fear. She got down from the chariot and called the wife of the hog towards her. The wife of the hog, wounded all over, came to the queen Sudevā. Sudevā asked her about the previous history of her dead husband. The hog’s wife said: "Lady! If you feel interested I shall tell you about the previous life of my dead husband and myself."

"My dead husband was a Gandharva named Raṅkavidyādhara, in the previous birth. Once he sat in the shade of a tree near the hermitage of Pulastya and began to sing with accompaniment. As the singing caused disturbance to his solitude the hermit Pulastya came and requested the Gandharva to shift to some other place. Raṅkavidyādhara did not like to comply with the request of the hermit. At last Pulastya removed his hermitage to another place. Raṅkavidyādhara walked in search of Pulastya. Finally the Gandharva saw Pulastya. Seeing that he was alone, the Gandharva took the shape of a hog and entered the hermitage and began to wound with his tusk and to molest that radiant sage Pulastya. Thinking it to be a mere animal Pulastya suffered it for a long time. The hog continued its actions of molestation. It passed excrements in front of the sage, danced before him, played in front of him, fell down in the courtyard and rolled and did various other things. As it was an animal Pulastya forgave him. One day Raṅkavidyādhara entered the hermitage as a hog, roared aloud, laughed aloud, cried aloud, sang aloud and in various other ways tried to change the mind of the hermit. Seeing all these, Pulastya began to think that it was not a hog. "A hog will not try to molest one continuously. I forgave him thinking him to be a mere animal. This must be that wicked Gandharva." Thus recognizing him Pulastya got angry and cursed him thus: "You tried to violate my penance in the shape of a hog. So you, great sinner; take the next birth as a hog." With grief the Gandharva ran to Indra and informed him of everything. Indra requested Pulastya to liberate the Gandharva from the curse. Accordingly Pulastya gave him remission that he would regain his original form when he was killed by the hands of the immensely good king Ikṣvāku."

Sudevā was amazed on hearing this story of the dead hog, and asked her again. "You hog! You speak like a human being. How is it?"

The wife of the hog continued the story. "Lady! I also have taken rebirth as a hog. In my previous birth I was the daughter of a Brahmin named Vasudatta (Vāsudeva) in the city of Śrīpura in Kaliṅga. They named me Sudevā (Vasudevā). Because of the unlimited caressing and fondling of my father I grew up as an arrogant girl. In the meanwhile a Brahmin youth named Śivaśarmā, who was well-versed in all the branches of knowledge, and whose parents were dead, came to my house. My father gave me to that brahmin. I lived with him in my father’s house. Being proud of the wealth and prosperity of my parents I did not care to render the services due to my husband. My husband who was a peaceful man bore everything. By and by I became wicked. At last because of my wickedness and immorality my husband left the country. My father hated me and expelled me from the house. My father feared that some calamity would happen to me as Kaṃsa was born to Padmāvatī, the wife of Ugrasena, by her illegal connection with persons other than her husband."

Hearing about the birth of Kaṃsa, Sudevā asked the she-hog to tell her about the circumstances which led to the illegal connections of Padmāvatī. The wife of the hog continued. "In days of old there was a king in Mathurāpurī named Ugrasena, who married Padmāvatī the daughter of king Satyaketu of Vidarbha. While the couple were living happily in Mathurāpurī Satyaketu wanted to see his daughter. He sent a messenger to Mathurāpurī and brought Padmāvatī to Vidarbha. She walked along the vicinity of the palace in which she was born, enjoying the beauty of the scenery. She walked on and arrived on the mountain called Puṣpavān, and sat on the bank of a lake. At that time a Gandharva named Godila (Dramila) came there. He fell in love with her. He took the shape of Ugrasena and came near her and talked with her. Thinking that her husband had come from Mathurā to see her she embraced him. After a while she understood that the visitor was not her husband. She began to curse him. The visitor admitted that he was Godila an attendant of Vaiśravaṇa. Godila went on his way. But she had become pregnant by that time. Her parents tried in various ways to destroy the child in her womb. One day the infant lying in her womb told her thus: "Mother! you do not know who I am. I am the rebirth of a powerful asura named Kālanemi. In ancient days Viṣṇu killed me in a battle between the gods and asuras. I have entered into your womb for revenge. Mother! you need not take the trouble to destroy me." Saying so, the infant stopped speaking. After ten years Padmāvatī gave birth to the mighty and strong Kaṃsa. He was killed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa and he attained heaven."

Sudevā was struck with wonder at the story of Kaṃsa. She asked the she-hog to continue her own story. She continued her own story. "I have said that my father expelled me. Being shameless I walked away from there soon. Nobody helped me. Those who saw me scolded me. Days passed. Afflicted by a horrible disease, and travelling in this manner, I came to a big house. I entered the courtyard and begged for alms. It was the house of my husband Śivaśarmā. When I abandoned him he married another woman named Maṅgalā and was leading a prosperous life. Maṅgalā gave me food. Śivaśarmā asked me who I was. I told him my story. He remembered me, his former wife. Maṅgalā also felt compassion for me. They gave me gold ornaments and made me stay there. But my conscience pricked me. Thus burning internally I died.

My soul went to hell. After the suffering of a very long period, I took birth again as a Jackal. Then I became a dog, and then a snake. After that I passed through the births of a hen, a cat and a rat. Thus Brahmā had put me in the wombs of all kinds of animals. Now I have taken the birth of a she-hog. Lady! Your husband Ikṣvāku is the incarnation of Viṣṇu in portion and yourself, that of Lakṣmī in portion. If you would give me the merits you have earned for one day by your good deeds, I could leave off all these mean births and attain heaven."

The eyes of Sudevā were full when she heard the story of the hog. She gave to the she-hog, the merits she had earned by good deeds for one year. The hog was changed to a divine woman of youth and beauty. Immediately a divine chariot came down from heaven and took her to heaven, while everybody was looking on. Ikṣvāku and Sudevā returned to their palace much pleased at the redemption of the she-hog.