Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1481

c9.1481

Though Priyavrata, son of Svāyambhuva Manu was at first averse to marriage he, at last, married, on the insistence of Brahmā, a woman called Mālinī. For long he had no issues and sad at heart he got a putrakāmeṣṭi yajña performed by Kaśyapa-prajāpati as a result of which Mālinī got pregnant, and delivered in the twelfth year. But, the child was still-born and Priyavrata set out with the corpse for the burning ghat. But, he could not make up his mind to give it up and so decided himself also to court death. Then he saw a divine plane stop there with a woman in it, who spoke to him as follows: "I am Devasenādevī, the mental daughter of Brahmā and wife of Skandadeva. It is I, who grant son to the sonless, wife to the wifeless, husband to the husbandless, wealth to the poor and the results of their actions to all." So saying the Devī took from Priyavrata the corpse of his child and brought it back to life.