Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.1015

c8.1015

A Gandharva princess named Padmāvatī grew up to be a beautiful maiden at that time. She was in love with Muktāphalaketu. Padmāvatī was one day plucking flowers from a pond in the Gandharva land thinking about Muktāphalaketu who had gone to war against the asuras. A demoness who was going to eat flesh in the battle-field of the devas and asuras saw Padmāvatī, took her and went up. Muktāphalaketu coming to know of this went up with her and got back Padmāvatī who was struggling in the hands of the demoness like streaks of lightning among clouds. Then he asked her maids about her and they said, “She is the daughter of the Gandharva King Padmaśekhara. Padmāvatī is her name. She is unmarried. But she is betrothed to the son of Candraketu named Muktāphalaketu, who is born to destroy Vidyuddhvaja. She has come here to practise penance for the success of her father and Muktāphalaketu in this war between devas and asuras.”