Part 31: Bālacandrā

One day he saw a maiden held by a noose in the river. Told (to do so) by Vegavatī and compassionate himself, Śauri freed the maiden from the noose. She was in a faint and Śauri restored her by sprinkling water. Then she circumambulated Vasudeva and said: “Today magic arts of mine have been subdued by your power. Moreover, hear:

There is a city Gaganavallabha on Mt. Vaitāḍhya. Vidyuddaṃṣṭra of Nami’s line was king there. One day he saw a muni standing in statuesque posture in West Videha. ‘Look! This is some portent of calamity.’ Vidyuddaṃṣṭra took him to Mt. Varuṇa and had him beaten by Khecaras, saying, ‘Kill him.’

The muni being engaged in pure meditation, his omniscience arose; and the Indra Dharaṇa came for the omniscience-festival. When he saw them (the Vidyādharas) hostile to the sage, Dharaṇa quickly destroyed their magic arts from anger. They, miserable, said: ‘We do not know v/ho he is. We were ordered to do this act against the muni by Vidyuddaṃṣṭra only, who incited us, saying, “He is a portent of calamity.”’ Indra Dharaṇa said: ‘I have come on account of his omniscience-festival. O villains, what shall I do to you, ignorant as you are! Because of your grief, the magic arts will submit again to you, (if you are) devout laymen. They will destroy instantly the hostility to sādhus and to those who have taken refuge with them. The great magic arts, Rohiṇī and others,^[1] will not submit to any man or woman in the line of Vidyuddaṃṣṭra, evil-minded. But they will submit at the sight of a sādhu or a great man.’

After saying this, the Indra Dharaṇa went to his own house.

In former times a maiden in his line, Ketumatī, who was subduing magic arts here, was married by Viṣṇu Puṇḍarīka.^[2] I, a maiden of his line, named Bālacandrā, have the magic arts subdued by your power. Marry me submissive (to you), moonfaced one.”

Asked by her, “What shall I give you in return for the submission of the magic arts?” Vṛṣṇi’s son said, “Give a magic art to Vegavatī.” She took Vegavatī and went to Gaganavallabha and Vasudeva went to the same hermitage.^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See I, n. 218; Abhi. 2. 153-4; III, p. 41.

[2]:

This is not mentioned in Puṇḍarīka’s biography, Triṣaṣṭi⁰ 6 3. In the Vasudevahiṇḍi, p. 265, she is said to be the wife of Vāsudeva Puruṣottama. She is not mentioned in his biography, Triṣaṣṭi⁰ 5.4, either.

[3]:

Where he had been staying with Vegavatī.