Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.3278

c7.3278

Next morning King Lavaṇa in the hope of seeing the place and people of his dream in reality near the mountain Vindhya started with his retinue on the false pretext that he was going to conduct a victory march When he entered a big forest he met with many familiar places and hunters of his dream. Then he saw the hut where he had lived. The same men and women were there all around. Then he saw an old lady lamenting thus: "Oh my dear sons, where did you go from my lap? My dear daughter, have you forsaken me? Oh prince, you came here abandoning all luxury and the beautiful girls of your palace and married my daughter. But God did not allow even her to be your permanent wife. The river of life has to take worthless and mean paths forced by circumstances. A very virtuous King had to come and live with a caṇḍāla girl.” Hearing this the King went to her and asked all her details. When she repeated the story the king knew that the lady was the mother of his caṇḍāla wife. The King and ministers were surprised to find that his vision was real and within that short period of his meditation he had lived a life of years. This perplexed the King. He then gave the old lady whatever she wanted and after consoling her started for the palace thinking about the wonderful happenings and mysteries of life.