Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.4719

c9.4719

Viśvakarmā, transformed into a huge monkey, was causing havoc and devastation in the forest. Once the five-year-old son of Ṛtadhvaja, called Jābāli had gone to bathe in the river. The Viśvakarmā monkey chased this boy and caught him and taking him to the top of a Banyan tree, placed him close to the branches and tied him fast with creepers. After this the monkey went to Mahāmeru. As the second adventure, the monkey separated Damayantī from her father Añjana, a Guhyaka. Damayantī was born to Añjana by the celestial maid Pramlocā. Hermit Mudgala had once prophesied that this Damayantī would become the prominent wife of a King. The delighted Damayantī was once about to get into the water of the holy bath Hiraṇvatī, with her maids when the Viśvakarmā-monkey ran to the spot and the terrified Damayantī jumped into the river and was carried down by the current. She floated down and got into a forest. It was in this forest that Jābāli was tied to the banyan branches. Damayantī saw Jābāli. Each said to the other about the cruel deeds of the monkey. After that according to the advice of Jābāli, Damayantī went to the temple of Śrīkaṇṭheśvara on the basin of the river Yamunā. After worshipping Śrīkaṇṭheśvara, she wrote on the wall of the temple, a poem about the misfortunes of herself and Jābāli and stayed in that place engaged in worshipping god.