यातुधानी

यन्त्रोपारोपितकोशांशः

Purana Encyclopedia

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

YĀTUDHĀNĪ : A Rākṣasī who was born from the sacrifi- cial fire when King Vṛṣādarbhi performed a yāga. As directed by the king, she proceeded to the forest to des- troy the Saptarṣis. She remained there as the owner of the tank in which the sages used to take bath. Seeing her standing alone there, they enquired who she was. She answered that she was guarding the tank. She allow- ed them to enter into the tank after each of them explain- ed the meaning of his name. Accordingly, the sages Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Viśvāmitra, Gautama and Bharadvāja explained the meaning of their names be- fore getting down into the tank. At last when sage Śunassakha's turn came, he said that he was not pre- pared to explain in detail, the meaning of his name and that she should be satisfied with his statement that he was the sage Śunassakha. Yātudhānī became angry on hearing it and insisted on his giving the meaning of his name. Śunassakha with a single stroke with his “tridaṇḍa” (trident) killed her. Śunassakha was really Indra himself. (M.B. Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 93).


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*5th word in right half of page 895 (+offset) in original book.