Kadambari
One day, at the court of king shudraka, a virgin of chandala caste came and presented a parrot to him. It was a highly intelligent parrot, which could speak about different Holy Scriptures. The king was amazed at the parrot’s knowledge and asked, “Who are you? How did get so much knowledge? Because of whose curse were you born as a parrot? What were you in your last life?” so, the parrot began its story.
“At the mountain of Vindhya, there is a lake. Near the lake, there is a tree laden with many holes in which many parrots lived. In one among such holes, my parents also lived. After many year of marriage, when they became old, I was born to them. My mother died of complications during the birth of me. My father could not fly because of his old age. Therefore, he used to feed himself and me from the leftovers thrown by other parrots. One day, there was some commotion in the jungle. A band of hunters had entered the forest. They hunted some animals and after some time came to rest beside the lake. After they rested for some time, all except one went back home. That hunter climbed the tree. He began to choke all the parrots and throwing them down. The parrots began to scream with fright. Some parrots flew away. But my father could not fly as he was old. So he hid me among his feathers. The wicked hunter choked my father and threw him down. Fortunately he did not see me. Tired and weary I was, I slowly tried walk towards the bush nearby and hid in it. The wicked hunter put all the parrots including my father in his bag and went home. Along with the grief of losing my mother I had to suffer the grief of losing my father also. I tried to walk towards the lake but fell down unconsciously. Fortunately, Hareeta, the son of sage Jabala came for a bath in the lake, took pity on me, bathed me, and took me to his ashram. The moment sage Jabala saw me, he exclaimed,”one has to pay for his own deeds”. Curious, the other ascetics surrounding him asked him about my story. Thus sage Jabala began my story.
“The city of Ujjaini was ruled by a just king called Tarapeeda. He had a beautiful wife called Vilasavathi and a wise minister called Shukanasa. Tarapeeda had everything that he could wish for but he had no children. After much penance and austerities, Vilasavathi dreamt that the moon had entered her stomach. From that day, she became pregnant and bore a son who was named Chandrapeeda. On the same day, Shukanasa’s wife Manorama also bore a son called Vaishampayana. Chandrapeeda and Vaishampayana went to the same gurukula, learnt all types of knowledge. They were also best friends who were inseparable. While returning from gurukula, they were given a grand welcome. After returning, Chandrapeeda was crowned as the crown prince. The next day, Chandrapeeda showed his hunting skills in the forest. The very next day, while Chandrapeeda and party were going on hunting, Chandrapeeda saw a very beautiful deer which he wanted to capture. But the deer was a magical deer and after giving a chase to him, disappeared. By now, Chandrapeeda had wandered into the depth of the forest and he was lost. So, he decided to spend the night there. Then he saw a ruined temple and decided to explore it. Then he heard a melodious voice coming from the temple. On looking, he found that it was coming from a beautiful maiden singing in the temple. He looked at her in wondrous eyes. When she finished her song, she stood up, beckoned him to follow her and went straight into the forest. He followed her into the small hut and sat down on the stone bed. After telling her about him, he asked her about her whereabouts. She began to tell her tragic story amidst tears-
“I am the daughter of the gandharva king who rules the kingdom of Hemakoota. My name is Mahashwetha. My best friend is Kadambari, the daughter of chitrasena, the best friend of my father. One day, I and few of my friends were roaming in the garden. Then I got a scent of a flower. Following the scent, I came at the foot of the hill. An ascetic surrounded by other ascetics was carrying the flower. I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. But I couldn’t tell it to him. I asked another ascetic near him about him. He told, “My name is Kapinjala. I am best friend of Pundareeka here. He is the son of a sage.” Pundareeka saw me and gave me the flower telling that I wanted the flower. I took the flower and went home. But my mind was filled with Pundareeka. I didn’t have any interest. Then from my friend I learnt that Pundareeka was also craving for me. Then my mind couldn’t rest. One day, Kapinjala came and told me,” Pundareeka is craving for you. He sits on a rock bends his head and thinks. I am afraid for his life. Please come if you want him alive. I didn’t want him dead. So I went with him. By the time we went there, Pundareeka was dead. My sorrow knew no bounds. I started weeping. Just then a man came, riding in a flying chariot and took Pundareeka away. Kapinjala jumped on the chariot and in spite of that man’s repeated efforts to stop him, he went with him on the flying chariot. I decided to die as my life was worthless without him. But just then I heard a voice from the sky tell that he would come back to life and I had to live. So I live on this hut as an ascetic eating only a little needed to keep me alive. “Thus, she finished her story.
Chandrapeeda asked her what had happened to Kadambari. She told as Kadambari was of a marriageable age, her parents asked her to marry but she didn’t agree as Mahashwetha hadn’t married. Just then a person came and gave her a letter. Mahashwetha introduced him to chandrapeeda as Kadambari’s messenger, Keyuraka. The letter said Kadambari wouldn’t marry until Mahashwetha found Pundareeka. Mahashwetha decided to go to her to console her and invited Chandrapeeda to come with her. Chandrapeeda agreed and went with her. At Kadambari’s place, Chandrapeeda fell in love with her the first time he saw her. Kadambari too fell in love with him. But they didn’t express their feelings. He stayed with her for 4 days and returned to his kingdom. After some days, Kadambari called him to her house but Chandrapeeda had to look after his kingdom. He was in a fix.
Meanwhile, Vaishampayana had seen Mahashwetha while taking Chandrapeeda home. He had fallen in love with her. Chandrapeeda found his friend missing the next day. He went in search of him. After 3 days, he found him lying dead in Mahashwetha’s hut. When asked, Mahashwetha said Vaishampayana had come and proposed her. She got angry and cursed him to be a parrot. Immediately he fell down and died. Chandrapeeda let out a cry and fell down on Vaishampayana, dead. After that seeing Vaishampayana’s face carefully, she recognized him as Pundareeka reborn. Just then Kadambari entered to view Chandrapeeda dead. Just then a voice from the sky was heard telling he would come back. That Vaishampayana is now born as a parrot. “
Thus, Jabala concluded the story. It was told that my father, the sage was conducting an austerity to turn me back to human according to whom I should not go anywhere until it is complete. But I was dying to meet Mahashwetha. So, I took off running. On the way, this virgin of chandala caste found me and took me here.”
King Shudraka was amazed and called the virgin. When she came he asked who he was. She smiled and replied that he was Chandrapeeda. Then he was reminded of his past, remembered Kadambari and fell down and died along with the parrot.
Meanwhile, Kadambari was holding Chandrapeeda’s body and crying. Suddenly, Chandrapeeda’s body woke up and hugged her. Chandrapeeda was alive. At the same time Pundareeka and Kapinjala came from nowhere. Mahashwetha asked Kapinjala what had happened. He told that the person in the chariot was lord moon himself and as Pundareeka was his best friend before he was born on the earth as a human because of a curse, he had taken his body away. After that chandrapeeda married Kadambari and Pundareeka married Mahashwetha and they lived happily ever after.