Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.3407

c9.3407

2) Birth. There was a city called Kauśāmbī situated in the middle of the famous kingdom known as Vatsa in North India. The palace of king Śatānīka, born of the family of Arjuna, was in Kauśāmbī. Viṣṇumatī was the queen of Śatānīka. She had been childless. One day while Śatānīka was hunting in the forest, he met with the hermit Sāṇḍilya, by whose blessings Viṣṇumatī conceived and gave birth to a son. That son was Sahasrānīka. When he came of age, Śatānīka left the country with his son and went to the heaven to help the gods in their battle with the Asuras, and he died there. Sahasrānīka became a mighty emperor. Once he got an invitation from Indra to go to heaven and help the gods to fight the Asuras. After having defeated the Asuras, one day, he was walking with Indra in the Nandana Park, when he saw the gods playing with their wives in the park. Immediately the unmarried king became thoughtful and Indra read correctly, the reason for the sudden change in the king and said to the king. “Oh King! Don’t be worried. A girl becoming you in every aspect, is born in the world. Her name is Mṛgāvatī.”