Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.3046.2

c9.3046.2

Śvetaraśmi will rise at the touch of a chaste woman." The King at once went to the palace and brought his chief queen who was kept closely guarded and asked her to touch the elephant. But he did not rise. Then he ordered all the rest of his wives in turn to touch the elephant. Still the elephant did not rise. When he found that none of his 80,000 wives was a "chaste woman", the King was ashamed of himself. Then he brought every one of the women in his kingdom and made them touch the animal one by one. But it was all in vain. At this stage, when Ratnādhipa was very much depressed, a merchant named Harṣagupta from Tāmralipti happened to come there. He was accompanied by his wife Śilavatī. She touched the elephant and immediately it stood up. Ratnādhipa was very much pleased and married Śilavatī's sister Rājavattā. After offering many rich presents to Śilavatī and Harṣagupta Ratnādhipa took Rājavattā on the back of Śvetaraśmi to a deserted island Catuśśaladvīpa and left her there under the protection of several women attendants. The King spent his nights at Catuśśaladvīpa and days in his own palace. One day Rājavattā was remaining alone in her residence. The attendants had gone out to attend to various duties. At this time a man happened to arrive there from somewhere. He was Bhavanasena, the son of a Vaiśya. He reached the island with the help of a piece of wood which was floating in the sea after a shipwreck.