Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.2013

c7.2013

There was once a city called Mākaṇdī on the banks of the river Gaṅgā. In that city lived a sage who observed silence as a Vrata. One day when he went begging he saw a beautiful girl in a Vaiśya’s house and the false ascetic was attracted by her. Breaking his silence he said “What a pity!” and left the place. The Vaiśya was worried why the sage said so and approached him and asked why he broke his silence to say so. The sage said: “Your daughter is ill-omened. If you give her in marriage all of you remaining will perish. So pack her in a box and with a torch burning on the top of it set it afloat on the river.” The Vaiśya did so.