Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.1628

c8.1628

PADMĀVATĪ VI. Wife of a Vaiśya named Praṇidhi. Once Praṇidhi went to a neighbouring village for trade. Padmāvatī and her companions were one day bathing in a river nearby when a Śūdra passed that way. Attracted by her dazzling beauty he remained there talking to her. The Śūdra named Dharmadhvaja was greatly enamoured of her and the companions of Padmāvatī, noticing that, just to make fun of him said "If you abandon your life at the point where the rivers Gaṅgā and Yamunā meet you can attain Padmāvatī." Without any hesitation, thinking that what they said was true, he went and ended his life at the place suggested. Immediately he became a replica of Praṇidhi and stood before Padmāvatī. The real Praṇidhi also came there then. Padmāvatī was in a fix to choose the real husband. Mahāviṣṇu appeared before them and asked Padmāvatī to accept both of them as her husbands. Padmāvatī pleaded it was forbidden for women of her community to accept more than one husband and then Mahāviṣṇu took all the three along with him to Vaikuṇṭha. (Kriyā Khaṇḍa, Padma Purāṇa, Chapter 4).