Tribes in Ancient India c11.24

c11.24

The same story of the union of Prince Kuśa of the great Ikṣvāku family with a Madra princess is told in the *Mahāvastu-Avadāna*, with some variations. At Benares, we are told, there was a king named Kuśa belonging to the Ikṣvāku family. His ministers, in quest of a beautiful bride for the king, reached the city of Kānyakubja in the kingdom of Śūrasena where the Madra king Mahendra ruled. Seeing his beautiful daughter, they approached the king who readily consented to give her in marriage to King Kuśa of Benares. But King Kuśa’s appearance was repulsive, and his wife Sudarśanā, discovering the defects in him, left Benares and returned to Kānyakubja. When he discovered his wife’s absence, Kuśa immediately set out in pursuit. Arriving at his father-in-law’s palace, he tried by various means to regain his wife’s favour, but in vain. Finally he disguised himself as a cook and prepared some delicious soup through which he won the king’s favour. In the meantime, seven Kṣatriya kings from neighbouring countries came to win Sudarśanā, but they were refused. Then Kuśa, practically single-handed, drove all the seven kings away, and having saved his father-in-law’s kingdom, returned with his wife to his own country. The Madra king, Mahendra, on the advice of his son-in-law, gave his remaining seven daughters in marriage to the seven kings who had come to attack him, and thereby strengthened his position.¹