1) Birth. #Pramadvara was the daughter of the nymph Menaka born of the Gandharva Visvavasu. As soon as the child was born, Menaka threw the child into the forest and left for Devalpka.
Sthulakesa, a sage who was engaged in penance in that forest in a hermitage heard the cry of a child and came out of his asrama. On seeing a new-born child lying unclaimed and uncared for, he took the child to his asrama and named her Pramadvara and brought her up. And because she surpassed all of her sex in goodness, beauty, and every quality, the great Rishi called her by the name of Pramadvara.
She grew into a charming maiden and one day Prince Ruru coming that way while hunting saw her and fell in love with her. The sage was pleased to give her in marriage to the King and so fixed the date of marriage.
The day previous to her marriage she trampled over a poisonous snake while walking in the forest with her companions and immediately she fell dead by the bite of the serpent. Ruru’s grief was uncontrollable. He wept bitterly crying aloud “If I have from my very birth with great devotion taken vows, let Pramadvara rise up alive.” Then a devaduta (messenger from god) appeared before h:m and said that all his wails were of no avail since it was only in the order of things that one whose ayus (period of life on earth) was over should die. Ruru then enquired of him a way of escape from this inevitable calamity and then the devaduta said that if Ruru was prepared to surrender half of his ayus in favour of Pramadvara she would come back to life. Ruru agreed, and they went to Dharmaraja (god of Death) and told him of his wish. Dharmaraja brought back Pramadvara to life and she stood before Ruru as if just woken up from sleep. Their marriage was duly conducted. (Chapters 8 and 9, Adi Parva).
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