Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.945

c4.945

in the lake of the giant King Kapālasphoṭa. Aśokadatta requested her to show him that lake. At first Vidyucchikhā dissuaded him from this attempt. But he was stubborn. So she took him to a place away from the lake and showed it to him. The lake was full of golden lotus flowers. It was a pleasing sight. Aśokadatta immediately got down into the lake and began to pluck the flowers. The guards came and opposed him. He killed a few of them. The others went to their master and informed about the theft. Kapālasphoṭa with his weapons came shouting and roaring and saw his elder brother Aśokadatta. He was overpowered by joy and wonder. Throwing away his weapons, with love and devotion towards his elder brother he bowed before him. “My brother! I am Vijayadatta your younger brother. By the will of God I lived as a giant so long. You might have heard this from father. Because we have met now by good luck I remembered that I was a Brahmin. My giantness is gone. On that day something obscured my mind. That is why I became a giant”. When he heard the words of his younger brother Aśokadatta embraced him. Both shed tears of joy. At that time Prajñapti Kauśika the teacher of the Vidyādharas came to them and said, “You are Vidyādharas. All this happened due to a curse. Now you and your people are liberated from the curse. So learn the duties and functions of your class and with your people take your proper place in the society.” Having taught them everything they required he disappeared. Thus the Vidyādhara brothers, having plucked golden lotus reached the peak of the Himālayas through the sky. Aśokadatta went to Vidyutprabhā who also having been liberated from curse became a Vidyādhara girl. With that beautiful girl the two brothers continued their journey and reached Kāśī where they bowed before their parents. That reunion appeared to be a dream or something nearing madness to their parents. They could not believe their eyes. Aśokadatta and Vijayadatta each saying his name bowed before them. Their parents lifted them up and embraced them and kissed them on the head, and cried for joy. They did not know what to do or what to say. Their minds were incapable of thinking. Everybody heard this and was amazed at it. The King was also filled with joy. He came there and took them to the palace. Aśokadatta gave all the lotus flowers to the King, who was happy and joyful at the achievement of more than he had hoped for. Everybody appreciated them. Govindasvāmī, in the presence of the King asked Vijayadatta to tell his story from the moment he turned a giant in the burial-place; “We are very curious to hear it” he said. Vijayadatta began to say “Father, you have seen how because of my mischief, I had broken that skull and some viscous liquid fell into my mouth and I changed to a giant. After that the other giants gave me the name Kapālasphoṭa. They invited me into their midst. We lived together. After a few days they took me to the presence of the King of the giants. As soon as he saw he was pleased with me and appointed me as the commander-in-chief of the army. He who was overconfident in his power went to war with the Gandharvas and was killed in the fight. From that day onwards all the giants came under my control. Then I met with my brother who came to pluck the golden lotus flowers from my lake. With this all the previous conditions of my life had vanished.