धर्मदत्त

{ dharmadatta }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

DHARMADATTA I   A king of Kosala. He had a wife named Nāgaśrī. By her chastity she became a celebrity and got the name of Arundhatī of the earth. They got a daughter named Tārādattā. Once when Dharmadatta and Nāgaśrī were engaged in conversation both remem- bered their lives in their previous births. It was not allowed to speak about previous births in open and if anybody did so death was the penalty. But Nāgaśrī could not control herself and prepared to accept the worst. Nāgaśrī told her husband thus: “I am just reminded of my life in my previous birth. I will tell you my story. I was the servant maid of a brahmin named Mādhava in this same place. I had a husband named Devadāsa then. My husband was the son of a merchant. We made a small house of our own and lived there peacefully. Each of us would bring food from where we worked and everyday we used to set apart a portion of what we got for guests and the pitṛs. We were satisfied with what was left after that. If we got more than one set of clothes we would give it to the poor. Then there came a famine in the country. Our earning also was reduced daily. We lived in hunger. One day a hungry and tired sannyāsī came to our place and we gave him the whole of our food. My husband died that day and I gave away my life jumping into the funeral pyre of my husband. Then I was born in the family of a King and became your wife.” Dharmadatta also got back the memory of his previous birth. He said he was the Devadāsa of Nāgaśrī's previous life. The moment they finished talking about their previous births both fell down dead. Orphaned Tārādattā then lived under the care of her mother's younger sister. After some time a Maharṣi came to their house and by his blessing Tārādattā got a husband named Kaliṅgasena. Kaliṅgasena was a brave and daring Prince. Very soon they got a daughter and she was named Kaliṅgasenā. [Kathāsaritsāgara, Madanamañjukā laṁbaka, Taraṅga 2] .
DHARMADATTA II   A Brahmin who lived in the city of Karavīra. One day while Dharmadatta was going to the temple with material for pūjā he came across a demoness named Kalahā on the way. The brahmin threw the pūjā materials in his hand on to the face of the demoness. When a tulasī leaf touched the demoness she got back the memory of her previous birth. Kalahā then abandoned her cruel nature and begged Dharmadatta to advise her as to how she should get a release from her demonaic life. Taking pity on her Dharmadatta gave her all the ‘puṇya’ he had obtained by observing Kārttikavrata. [Chapters 106, 107, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Padma Purāṇa] ; [Chapters 2, 4, 24, 25 Skanda Purāṇa] . Dharmadatta and Kalahā were born as Daśaratha and Kaikeyī in their next births as a result of the accumulated Puṇya obtained by observing Kārttikavrata. [Sāra khaṇḍa, Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa] .

प्राचीन चरित्रकोश

धर्मदत्त n.  एक ब्राह्मण । यह करवीर नगर में रहता था । एक बार पूजासाहित्य ले कर, यह मंदिर में जा रहा था । राह में इसे कलहा नामक राक्षसी दिखी । उसे देखते ही यह भये से गर्भगलित हो गया । थोडा धीरज बॉंध कर, इसने पास का पूजासाहित्य उस के मुख पर फेंक दिया । उस साहित्य में से एक तुलसीपत्र कलहा के शरीर पर गिरा, एवं उस से उसे पूर्वजन्म का स्मरण हो गया । अपना क्रूर स्वभाव त्याग कर, दुष्ट राक्षसयोनि से मुक्ति का उपाय, कलहा ने धर्मदत्त से पूछा । धर्मदत्त के हृदय में कलहा के प्रति दया उत्पन्न हो गयी, एवं इसने अपने कार्तिक व्रत का पुण्य उसे दे दिया । इससे उसका उद्धार हुआ [पद्म.उ.१०६-१०८] ; [स्कंद. २. ४.२४-२५] । कार्तिकव्रत के पुण्य के कारण, अगले जन्म में यह दशरथ बना । कलहा इसके आधे पुण्य के कारण, इसकी पत्नी कैकयी बनी दशरथ देखिये; [आ.रा.सार.५] ।
धर्मदत्त II. n.  कश्यप का स्नेही । कश्यपपुत्र गजानन को यह हमेशा अपने घर भोजन के लिये बुलाता था [गणेश.२.१४] ।

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

धर्म—दत्त  m.  m. N. of a poet and a writer on rhetoric, [Cat.]

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धर्म दत्त