अंशुमती

{ aṁśumatī }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

AṀŚUMATĪ   The daughter of the Gandharva King named Dramila. Her story is narrated in the [Śiva Purāṇa] to illustrate the benefits of performing the Pradoṣa-Vrata. Sūta expatiates on the importance and advantages of Pradoṣa-Vrata to a number of sages in Naiṁiśāraṇya. King Satyaratha was a scrupulous observer of Pradoṣa-Vrata. Unfortunately he defaulted in his observance of the Vrata owing to unavoidable circumstances and, after his death, was born again as the King of Vidarbha. He was killed in a battle by the King of Sālva and his wife, pregnant at that time, fled to a forest. She gave birth to a son on the bank of a river. Then, when she stepped into the river to drink some water, she was carried away by a crocodile. Presently a Brahmin woman named Uṣā happened to pass that way with her son named Śucivrata. Seeing a newborn infant there, that Brahmin woman took him, gave him the name, Dharmagupta and brought him up as her own son. According to the advice of a pious Brahmin named Śāṇḍilya, both Śucivrata and Dharmagupta started performing Pradoṣa-Vrata. Lord Śiva was pleased with them and gave them much wealth. Dharmagupta happened to meet Aṁśumatī, daughter of the Gandharva King, Dramila, one day in a forest and they fell in love with each other. Dramila came to know of their love and so gave his daughter in marriage to Dharmagupta. As a result of the wealth and power which he had acquired by observing strictly Pradoṣa- Vrata Dharmagupta was able to return to Vidarbha, defeat King Sālva and regain his kingdom from him.

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

अंशु—मती  f.  f. N. of a river ( यमुना?), [RV. viii, 96, 13-15]

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अंशु मती

Hedysarum Gangeticum, [Suśr.]