Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.4716

c9.4716

Citrāṅgadā was the fourth daughter of Viśvakarmā. Ghṛtācī was her mother. The young and beautiful Citrāṅgadā one day went to bathe in the river in the Naimiṣa forest. When she got into the water the prince Suratha, the son of King Sudeva came there. Their eyes met. Both fell in love with each other. In spite of the advice of her maids she succumbed to the desire of the King. Knowing this her angry father Viśvakarmā came to her and said, "Since you have deviated from the path of righteousness and abandoned your soul to a libertine, you will not have marriage, and hence you will not enjoy the pleasures of having a husband or child." As soon as she was cursed, the river Sarasvatī carried the prince Suratha thirteen yojanas down along with her current. Because the King was washed away by the current Citrāṅgadā fell down unconscious. The maids sprinkled the water from the river Sarasvatī on her face. Still she lay there as dead. Thinking that she was dead, her maids went in different ways to fetch firewood and fire. When the maids were gone, she came to herself and looked on all sides. Seeing none of her maids in the vicinity, she felt miserable and jumped into the river Sarasvatī, and the current carried her down and pushed her into the river great Gomatī. Being aware of her future, the great river Gomatī pushed her down and placed her in a big forest where lions, leopards, tigers etc. lived in plenty.