PUÑJIKASTHALĀ A nymph. She was the servantmaid of Bṛhaspati. One day she was collecting flowers for her Guru in a garden when a set of young men and women came to the garden for amorous sports. They were roaming about in the garden in pairs doing all sorts of erotic acts and Puñjikasthalā stood watching them for some time with passion aroused in her. She returned to the āśrama thinking all the way about her miserable lot of having no husband to enjoy a similar life. She was full of lust when she returned to the āśrama and on seeing Bṛhaspati she caught hold of him by the hand and pleaded to satisfy her passion. Bṛhaspati was angry at this improper request and cursed her “You have become rotten. You have become lustful by seeing the amorous sports of others. May you be born as a monkey. Get out of this āśrama.” Puñjikasthalā came to her senses and regretting her hasty act begged her Guru to grant her release from the curse. Bṛhaspati felt pity on her and said “Go and enjoy to your full sexual life with a lover whom you like best. Then you will get a son from the vitality of Śiva. When that son is born you will be released from the curse and you will go to heaven.” She became immediately a monkey girl named Añjanā and started living in a forest of that name itself. She fell in love with a monkey boy named Kesarī there and lived for many years enjoying an amorous life. She did not get a child even after several years and then she prayed to Śiva for a child. It was at that time that Pārvatī and Parameśvara played amorous sports in the form of monkeys and Pārvatī became pregnant. Pārvatī expressed reluctance to be the mother of a monkey child and then Śiva by his divine powers deposited his semen virile through Vāyubhagavān (god of wind) into the womb of Añjanā who was then praying to him for a child. Coming to know of this through Nārada and fearing that his lordship over the monkeys would be lost if such a monkey were born to Añjanā Bāli poured into the belly of Añjanā molten liquid of pañcaloha (five metals). Añjanā was not the least injured and she gave birth in due course to a monkey son who became the celebrated Hanūmān, the life-force of the Rāma- Rāvaṇa tussle.
[Pūrvakāṇḍa, Kamba Rāmāyaṇa] ;
[Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa] . This Puñjikasthalā belongs to the famous set of eleven devakanyakās. They are: Menakā, Sahajanyā, Karṇikā, Puñjikasthalā, Ṛtusthalā, Ghṛtācī, Pūrvacitti, Ullocā, Pramlocā, Urvaśī and Vīśvācī. These were the celebrated courtezans of Svarga.
[Chapter 123, Ādi Parva] . Puñjikasthalā was the dancer at the court of Kubera.
[Chapter 10, Sabhā Parva] . She took part in the Janmotsava of Arjuna.
[Chapter 122, Ādi Parva] .