Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.497

c4.497

AMŚUMATĪ. The daughter of the Gandharva King named Dramila. Her story is narrated in the Śiva Purāṇa to illustrate the benefits of performing the Pradoṣa-Vrata. Sūta expatiates on the importance and advantages of Pradoṣa-Vrata to a number of sages in Naimiśāraṇya. King Satyaratha was a scrupulous observer of Pradoṣa-Vrata. Unfortunately he defaulted in his observance of the Vrata owing to unavoidable circumstances and, after his death, was born again as the King of Vidarbha. He was killed in a battle by the King of Sālva and his wife, pregnant at that time, fled to a forest. She gave birth to a son on the bank of a river. Then, when she stepped into the river to drink some water, she was carried away by a crocodile. Presently a Brahmin woman named Uṣā happened to pass that way with her son named Śucivrata. Seeing a newborn infant, that Brahmin woman took him, gave him the name, Dharmagupta and brought him up as her own son. According to the advice of a pious Brahmin named Śāṇḍilya, both Śucivrata and Dharmagupta started performing Pradoṣa-Vrata. Lord Śiva was pleased with them and gave them much wealth. Dharmagupta happened to meet Amśumatī, daughter of the Gandharva King, Dramila, one day in a forest and they fell in love with each other. Dramila came to know of their love and so gave his daughter in marriage to Dharmagupta. As a result of the wealth and power which he had acquired by observing strictly Pradoṣa-Vrata Dharmagupta was able to return to Vidarbha, defeat King Salva and regain his kingdom from him.