Udayana and Vasavadatta: Love Beyond the Strings of a Veena
A master of the veena and tamer of elephants, Udayana rivalled Manmadha in charm and his ancestor Arjuna in winning beautiful women’s hearts.
Deep in the middle of a thick forest, nestled in the mighty Vindhya Mountains, hundreds of artisans were chiselling large wood logs into a structure, which very few had an idea about. Neither do the woodcutters know about why they were cutting trees for the past few days. The work was shrouded in secrecy. The supervisor had strict instructions to maintain utmost confidentiality about the structure that they were toiling to build. All that they knew was that a powerful person in Avanti had commissioned the work. But nobody knew that it was ordered by Avanti king Pradoyata, one of the mightiest rulers in Aryavarta.
As the sun was blazing on the top of the head, a messenger arrived on a horse and hurriedly strode into the makeshift house to meet the supervisor, Bhadraka. After an hour of confabulations, the messenger left, and the supervisor came out to announce that a few more workers would join them in a couple of days, and the work must be completed within a week. "You will be handsomely rewarded for the work," Bhadraka said before going back into the house. The artisans resumed their work.
The dawn seemed different in Ujjaini, the capital city of Avanti, situated on the banks of the Kshipra river around 50 kos (130 km) from the forest. Ministers and high-ranking officials were summoned to the palace for some important discussion. Tension was palpable as the meeting came just a few months after Avanti's failed invasion of Vatsa -- a relatively weaker kingdom ruled by Udayana, who was more famous for artistic indulgence and fondness for women than his chivalry on the battlefield.
Avanti was the largest among 16 kingdoms in Aryavarta. The royal palace, too, was majestic of all. It was made of different types of wood, with ornate pillars, arches, doorways and statues. It was decorated with golden marigolds and fragrant champak and jasmines. Resplendent lotuses and hemapushpas (chrysanthemum) were floating in the in-house pools. Floors were painted with intricate designs, and gateways were adorned with curtains made of fine silk from China.
After the ministers and officials assembled at the inner chambers of the palace — in view of the sensitivity of the matter, Pradyota arrived in the hall amidst an announcement that heralded his entry. All attendees took seats after the king settled on his throne. An eerie silence followed.
Breaking the silence, Pradyota said: "Avanti is the most powerful kingdom in Aryavarta. We have a dreaded army of one akshauhini. The fear of our conquest makes even Magadha rulers fortify their capital. Our army can strike far-away and wealthy places like Takshashila (Gandhara). But we could not tame a man who does not live up to the great heroic tradition of his ancestors like Chandravamshi Bhishma and Arjuna and has no great army. His only power is his ability to cast charms on elephants like a chakrata (snake charmer), and we could do nothing to nullify his effect."
The king paused as the attendees looked at him with rapt attention. Pradyota continued, "Udayana's art of playing veena (lute) proved to be more powerful than our army. We, too, must learn this spellbinding art. But he will not teach us. So... we must capture him by employing a ruse. Udayana's greatest strength is his ability to tame elephants, and it is his weakness too. I heard he shows great interest in taming wild elephants. Therefore, we are secretly building a giant wooden elephant, which will carry our soldiers inside its belly. We will leave it in the forest near his capital Kaushambi. When Udayana comes to tame the elephant, our soldiers will capture him at once."
The silence continued in the hall. "Immediately, select some of the finest and brave soldiers in the army for this assignment. Keep it a secret until the plan is executed," the king said, looking at his army chief Balabhadra.
"A similar strategy was used by the Yavanas (Greeks) successfully to defeat their rivals. I am sure we too will succeed," said Pradyota. Despite being the powerful king and battle-hardened warrior, the Avanti king yearned to defeat Udayana to obliterate an inglorious record of his father, who killed his master despite being a minister to enthrone his son -- Pradyota.
Shatanika Parnatapa, the father of Udayana, was a great-great-grandson of king Janamejaya, who himself was a great-grandson of Arjuna of the Mahabharat fame. Several decades after the end of Janamejaya's rule, the Kuru kings shifted their capital to Kaushambi after Hastinapur was washed away by floods of the river Ganga. Though the power of Kaushambi declined over time, its lineage brought an excellent reputation to the rulers of Vatsa.
Udayana was born to Shatanika and Mrgavati, the daughter of Vaishali leader. Before the birth of Udayana, Mrgavati had a desire to bathe in blood. To fulfil her wish, Shatanika got a pool of lacquer ready. While she was bathing in the pool, an animal captured her, mistaking her to be a piece of flesh. But the animal dropped her on the top of Udaya hill when it realized its mistake. Later, the disciples of rishi (saint) Jamadagni rescued her and took her to a nearby ashram (hermitage). She gave birth to a son, who was later named Udayana. He grew up and was educated in the ashram. He also became a skilful player of veena (lute).
When Udayana was 14 years old, he gave his bracelet to snake charmers to save a snake. The bracelet was given by Shatanika to Mrgavati. When the snake charmers tried to sell it to Kaushambi traders, they recognised it as a royal ornament and showed it to the king. Shatanika identified the bracelet and enquired about its real owner, which reunited him with his family.
After a few years, Shatanika died. As Udayana was still young, Mrgavati ruled the kingdom as the regent, while Udayana grew indulgent after his arrival in Kaushambi. Even after becoming the king, Udayana did not take any interest in the affairs of the kingdom, leaving everything to his friend and minister Yaugandharayana. The king had only three interests: women, music and other fine arts. A weak king at Kaushambi attracted the attention of the Avanti king, but Udayana repelled the attack, not with his army, but by using his veena. The defeat served a severe blow to the prestige of Pradyota, who was feared as Chanda for his mercilessness and Mahasena for his great army. This embarrassing defeat forced the Avanti king to plan for abducting the Vatsa king.
After a week later, the artisans began assembling the parts into a wooden mechanical elephant. In the next few days, the decoy was ready to move along with soldiers arriving from Ujjaini. On an auspicious muhurta, the army chief set the entourage on its way to Kaushambi to do something that none of the kings had ever done in the past -- kidnapping another sovereign. The entourage trundled through the thick forest and inhospitable mountains. After a few days of travel, the contingent reached the forest near Kaushambi. The soldiers hid in trees waiting for the arrival of Udayana, and parked the decoy elephant in an open ground. They got their spies to spread the word about the presence of a white elephant in the forest. In no time, the information reached Udayana, who expressed his eagerness to tame the rare elephant.
The next morning, Udayana left his fort along with hunting retinue for the forest. On the receipt of the news about Udayana's departure from his palace, all soldiers embedded themselves in the decoy elephant. After reaching the elephant, Udayana began playing his lute, named Ghoshavati. While the Vatsa king was lost in his rendition, the Avanti soldiers descended from the elephant slowly and captured him. Udayana was shocked at his arrest. But he was swiftly dispatched to Ujjaini in a specially-created horse-drawn cage.
The sudden disappearance of the king created uproar in his camp. The members of Udayana's retinue spread across the forest to find out the king's whereabouts. The message was passed on to his minister Yaugandharayana. The minister immediately reached out to the king's mother, Mrgavati, and informed her about the king going missing.
"How did Udayana disappear from the forest, Yaugandharayana?" a shocked Mrgavati asked.
Yaugandharayana, a shrewd minister, said, "Raja Mata (the king's mother), the king appears to have gone to tame a wild elephant alone. There are no signs of anybody else entering the forest, but the nature of the wild elephant raises suspicion. I shall put our spy network on alert."
"Hmm! Get it done fast," said Mrgavati, and retired to her personal chambers in the palace.
Udayana's horse-drawn cage entered Ujjaini, one of two prime centres of trade and commerce in India, as it was situated on the way that connects the north and the south. The other centre was Takshashila in Gandhara on the western frontier that received traders from far off lands.
The carriage snaked through roads dotted by magnificent houses; opulence was everywhere to see. At the palace, Pradyota's minister was waiting to receive Udayana as the Avanti king wanted to treat him as another king and not as a captured person. The abduction was merely a result of Pradyota's conflicting thoughts that he didn't want to lower his self-respect by asking Udayana to teach him veena. But Udayana had a great lineage that inspires awe and respect. Pradyota did not want to belittle him either. Therefore, his minister waited at the gate to receive Udayana with a welcome that befitted a king.
Upon his arrival, the minister received Udayana and ushered him to Pradyota's inner chambers. The Mahasena — a title that the Avanti king earned for commanding a huge army — was at the doorway to receive Udayana, who was surprised by the welcome that contradicted the manner in which he was captured.
Pradyota welcomed Udayana into the palace. "Welcome to Avanti, the Vatsa raja."
Despite being sullied by the royal welcome accord to him, Udayana's anger for the insult meted out to him by getting him captured through deceit did not subside. "If you want to capture me, you should have fought against me on the battlefield. Is it appropriate for a king to conduct himself in such a deceitful manner? Why do you have an army? You behaved like a robber. Alas, how can I expect you to follow dharma when you have stolen the throne from a rightful claimant?" Udayana burst out all his anger.
The Avanti king was not pleased by the choice of words used by Udayana. But he remained calm, and said, "O, the descendant of Pandavas, I had no other choice. The foremost dharma of a king is to protect his subjects. In pursuit of that, the king should acquire whatever makes his kingdom strong. A strong king keeps enemies away and ensures peace, which brings prosperity."
"How does my ignominious capture help you fulfil your dharma as a king?"
"I wish you to teach me the art of controlling elephants through veena (lute)." Pradyota demanded. " Until then, you shall be our royal guest in the palace."
Udayana began thinking about the proposal which was presented and demanded as a ransom. There was silence in the room, where nobody else was present.
With a sparkle in his eyes, Udayana replied, "I will teach you the art of veena only on one condition."
"Yes, tell me," the Avanti king asked.
"I hope you remember that a person who teaches is a guru (teacher), and the person being taught is a disciple. You should follow the guru-shishya (teacher and disciple) tradition in toto," Udayana demanded with a mischievous smile, which brought back a glow on his face. Apart from taming elephants, Udayana was the most handsome king in Aryavarta, which made women fall for him — an attribute that he shared with his ancestor Arjuna.
The Mahasena was taken aback by Udayana's wise answer. Though Pradyota respected Udayana's skill and lineage, he could not accept a young person and a king of considerably less influence and power as his guru. The condition was unacceptable for the Avanti king.
After a moment, Pradyota replied: "O, Vatsa raja, I am senior to you in age. As such, I cannot treat you as my guru. So I would request you to teach this skill to a girl in my family."
Even before Udayana replied, the Avanti king hastened to add: "But she is an ugly hunchbacked girl. So a curtain would keep you and her separated. You must not try to see her."
Udayana agreed to the proposal. He was accommodated in the palace. Pradyota ordered arrangements to be made in Narthanasala (ballroom) for veena classes. A curtain was put in place, dividing the ballroom into two parts which had separate entrances.
By the time Udayana reached the ballroom, the girl was already present -- albeit he could not see her. Udayana too neither had an urge nor curiosity to see the hump-backed girl. After the customary invocation of goddess Saraswati, Udayana began his teaching.
The girl had shown a tremendous interest in learning. Udayana was astonished by the girl's extraordinary talent to pick up the subject. The teaching continued for several days. Her mellifluous voice floored Udayana, but he regretted her physical handicap.
As days passed, Udayana was homesick. Despite his comfortable stay at the palace, Udayana missed the freedom of his kingdom. So he decided to hurry up his teaching. However, one day, she could not follow Udayana's instructions even after repeating them many times. Already impatient over his stay at Ujjaini, Udayana snapped at her calling her the "hunch-backed idiot". Angry with the remark, the girl retorted by calling Udayana "an ugly leper".
This remark shocked Udayana, who was considered to be the most handsome king. For the Vatsa king, this remark transgressed all limits of decency and patience. He felt it to be enough. Udayana strode ahead in anger and pulled away the curtain.
The moment he saw the girl, he froze. He lost words and the understanding of time. The girl sitting in front of him was extraordinarily beautiful. She looked like an angel on the earth. Her charming smile was enough to bring men to their toes. Most poets could be at a loss of words to describe her beauty. Fighting battles may not be difficult for winning her hand. The girl was none other than Vasavadatta, the princess of Avanti.
While Udayana froze in surprise, the state of Vasavadatta was no different. Though she was shocked by the sound of Udayana's sudden advancement towards her, she was astonished the moment she saw Udayana. It was like the god of love piercing her heart with the arrows of enchantment. She couldn't blink her eyes. She stood still motionless for minutes.
Slowly, they returned to their senses. Udayana stepped forward and introduced himself as the king of Vatsa and the descendant of Arjuna. Addressing the Avanti princess, he said, "O embodiment of beauty, who are you? Are you real, or are you my dream? Or have you been sent by Lord Indra to make my life merrier?"
Vasavadatta was shy and also happy. She lifted her eyes full of joy and love. "I am Vasavadatta, the daughter of Avanti king Pradyota Mahasena," she replied.
Her answer once again pushed Udayana into shock. But he soon burst into laughter to the dismay of Vasavadatta. "O princess, your father made me a leper and you a hunch-back girl to keep us away from each other. He appears to have feared that we would like each other. And, in my opinion, your father guessed it right."
“And my charming princess, if I may ask you, what is your opinion about your father's fear?”
A shy Vasavadatta — with an unconcealed smile on her face — ran out of the ballroom without answering Udayana's question. The Vatsa king did not need an answer as he had got one. He was delighted. Though Udayana was famous for his fondness for women, he found his lady of life in Vasavadatta.
Both of them spent the rest of their day thinking about each other. It was as if others did not exist. Each other's image was lingering in their memories; sleep too did not help as dreams were about each other.
As the sun rose, Udayana and Vasavadatta got ready to do their best. Udayana reached the ballroom first and waited for Vasavadatta. After a while, the Avanti princess arrived. She gave subtle hints about her love for Udayana. The courtship began between them from that day. After a few days, they decided to run away from Ujjaini to get married as they feared Pradyota would not accept their marriage. Caught in the charm of the Avanti princess, Udayana was ready to take on the Mahasena's army. He sent a coded message to his minister through Vasavadatta's friend.
In a couple of days, the messenger reached Kaushambi and delivered the message to the minister. After realising that his king was in Ujjaini, the minister left for Avanti in disguise along with Vasantaka, a jester in the court of Udayana. The minister reached Ujjaini as a mendicant and the jester as his disciple. He gained entry into the palace and met Udayana with the help of Vasavadatta. They hatched a plan to escape from Avanti along with Vasavadatta.
The minister realised that Udayana was in love with the Avanti princess. Though the elopement could worsen Vatsa's relations with a mighty kingdom like Avanti, Yaugandharayana believed that Pradyota could accept the relation eventually. So the plan was modelled along the lines of Subhadra's marriage with Arjuna in Mahabharat, wherein the lady would drive her man out of the town.
According to the plan, Vasavadatta sought permission of Pradyota to leave the fort on an elephant for teaching certain lessons. Before the Avanti king granted his permission, Yaugandharayana got his loyal mahout to infiltrate into the royal Avanti staff and got a strike force of horse-mounted soldiers stationed at some distance from Ujjaini. Udayana and Vasavadatta left Ujjaini on the elephant, which had separate compartments for them.
When Udayana and Vasavadatta did not return by evening, Pradyota sent his soldiers to look for them. By the time Avanti soldiers could find them, Udayana and Vasavadatta joined the Vatsan strike force, which was arranged to provide security cover for them. The Vatsan forces engaged with the Avanti contingent and made them retreat. Udayana and Vasavadatta later switched to a chariot and left for Kaushambi.
Pradyota was furious with Udayana for getting his daughter to elope with him and decided to wage a war against Vatsa. But his queen cooled him down by advising him to accept the marriage.
“Aryaputra, I suggest you consider this matter with a cool mind. Vasavadatta might have gone away with Udayana without our blessings, but her choice is not bad in any manner. Udayana is a student of rishi Jamadagni. He is the most handsome king in Aryavarta. Moreover, he is the descendent of Pandavas. This relationship gives immense happiness to our daughter and great respect to our family," the queen explained.
The Avanti king silently nodded in agreement with his wife. Later, they performed the marriage ceremony using the portraits of Udayana and Vasavadatta at Ujjaini. Pradyota sent his sons -- Gopaka and Palaka -- to Kaushambi with enormous gifts, accepting Udayana as his son-in-law.
Yaugandharayana was one of the happiest with the matrimonial alliance between Avanti and Vatsa. He always wanted to restore the lost glory of the Kurus by making his friend and king Udayana perform great sacrifices like Ashwamedha or Rajasuya, which his forefathers Pandavas had performed centuries ago. A king who performed this sacrifice gets the title of Chakravarti or the emperor. But there were two impediments — Avanti and Magadha. After Udayana's marriage with Vasavadatta, Avanti was firmly in alliance with Vatsa. His next goal was to get Magadha into the Vatsa camp. Astrologers had predicted that Udayana would marry Magadha King Ajatashatru’s sister Padmavati. So Yaugandharayana decided to bid his time to make his next move.
Udayana was ecstatic. He got the companion that he desired. The greatest risk that he took by eloping with Vasavadatta, which had the potential to burn Kaushambi to ashes, gave an unexpected and happy result. However, his world shrunk to the palace, and he had no work other than to be with his lady love.
Months passed since his marriage, but Udayana had not shown any interest in the kingdom's affairs. The administration was completely left to his minister Yaugandharayana. As the minister was a talented person, Udayana's absence did not affect the administration. However, the absence of an active king gave an opportunity to his enemies to try their luck in settling old scores. Vatsa's northwest neighbour Panchala was the most notable rival who was waiting to attack Udayana’s kingdom.
Panchala King Aruni attacked the northern frontiers of Vatsa and occupied some areas of the Vatsa kingdom, lying north of the river Ganga. While most of the Vatsa kingdom was spread between the Ganga in the north and the Yamuna in the south, some areas lie beyond the Ganga and were sometimes turned indefensible. The Panchala kingdom, with its capital at Kampilya, was bigger than Vatsa and therefore had commanded a larger army than that of Udayana.
Despite having occupied many areas, the Vatsa army alone was not enough to repulse Aruni. Though Avanti's massive army could have been at the disposal of Udayana, he did not want to take his father-in-law's help as he felt it would be insulting. The defeat at the hands of a traditional enemy Panchala was not bearable for the Kuru descendant and also Yaugandharayana.
Panchalas, the forefathers of Aruni, and Kurus, the ancestors of Udayana, had a traditional rivalry, tracing back several generations. While the Panchalas ruled their kingdom from Kampilya, the Kurus reigned from Hastinapura. Traditionally, the Kurus and the Panchalas were the most respected dynasties. Though both the kingdoms were comparable in power and wealth, the Kurus became more potent over time. The rivalry lingered on even though Arjuna became the son-in-law of the Panchala dynasty. By occupying some parts of Vatsa, Aruni had dealt a severe blow to the respect of Udayana.
While deciding to bid for time, Yaugandharayana hatched a plan to recover the occupied areas from the Panchala king. He encouraged Udayana to go on a hunting expedition to distract himself from the ignominy of defeat. The Vatsa king, agreeing to his minister’s advice as usual, went to a forest near Kaushambi, along with Vasavadatta. He was accompanied by Yaugandharayana and a battery of courtiers.
At the forest, however, Yaugandharayana excused himself from accompanying the king for the hunt. Udayana went ahead with hunting his courtiers, leaving Vasavadatta at the royal camp. This was the moment for which the minister was waiting for. He proceeded to Vasavadatta's tent and sought her private audience, which she granted without any hesitation.
"Maharani, I have come here to discuss with you an issue of great importance to the royal family and the kingdom. I request you to give a patient hearing and consideration before coming to a judgment," said Yaugandharayana, who was praised by none other than Chanakya Vishnugupta several centuries later for his shrewdness.
Vasavadatta continued to listen silently.
"As you know, Vatsa is surrounded by powerful kingdoms like Avanti, Panchala, Koshala and Magadha. Though your father could repulse any attack on Vatsa with his great army, it would not be respectful to seek such help. Apart from this, it was a dream of Udayana's father to restore the previous glory of the Kurus."
Vasavadatta nodded in agreement.
“Such glory would require a digvijaya (victory) followed by great Vedic sacrifices. For this, we need to strengthen our kingdom through various alliances, especially with Magadha. And for this....” He paused in hesitation.
The queen of Vatsa asked him to continue.
"And for this... Maharani... Vatsa and Magadha must enter into a matrimonial alliance," the minister said.
"Minister! What are you saying! Are you in your senses?" blurted out Vasavadatta, who turned red with anger.
"I apologise to you, Maharani. But this is the only way. I would advise you to think about it with a cool mind," said the minister, with conviction over his proposal. Yaugandharayana's confidence forced Vasavadatta to consider his idea.
Mellowed down, Vasavadatta countered the minister's idea by saying, "Even if I agree to your idea, my king will not marry anybody. So how would you act on your plan?"
"I know very well about that, Maharani. The king loves you so much that he would rather leave the kingdom than sharing his affection with somebody else."
In that case, how will you do what you want to do? Vasavadatta asked.
"That's why we have to enact a drama to create a smoke-screen for the king. We will make him believe that you have died in a fire accident and that I, too, have been killed while trying to rescue you from the fire. After that, we will put our plan in action," the minister.
Vasavadatta was aghast. "Can my husband bear such painful news? He loves me immensely, and you are his strength."
"There is no other option, Maharani," he said curtly. "Our other ministers are able to administer the kingdom."
Vasavadatta reluctantly agreed. Yaugandharayana quickly ordered his loyal people to put his plan into action. After he left the camp with the queen, they burnt the queen's tent. All necessary steps were taken to ensure that Udayana believed that his queen was really dead. The Vatsa king was informed about the fire accident when he returned from hunting.
Udayana was devastated by the tragic news. He cried inconsolably and tried to jump into the raging fire. The loss of his best friend Yaugandharayana was also unbearable. Another minister Rumanvat stopped Udayana from ending his life. Udayana cursed himself for leaving Vasavadatta at the camp.
Yaugandharayana and Vasavadatta went to the frontier of their kingdom through the forest on a chariot but crossed into the territory of Magadha in disguise. He dressed as a hermit, while Vasavadatta wore the clothes of an ordinary woman. After walking for some time, they reached a hermitage. They paused for a while, sensing heightened activity in what was otherwise a calm forest.
Shortly after, a palanquin carried by bearers and escorted by a battery of soldiers, arrived at the hermitage. A woman stepped out of it. She was beautiful and was graceful in her conduct. She appeared to be from a royal family. After she was escorted into the hermitage, Yaugandharayana found from the bearers that she was none other than Princess Padmavati, the sister of Magadha King Ajatashatru. She was the woman whom he wanted Udayana to marry.
Padmavati took the blessings of the sage and came out to meet the residents of the hermitage. She wished to give gifts to them in an act of benevolence and asked her jester to make an announcement.
"Gracious princess of Magadha and dear sister of great king Ajatashatru wishes to grant boons to you. You could seek any wish that you may want. Be it money, gold, land or anything. Don’t let go of this golden opportunity," the jester announced.
When Yaugandharayana's turn came to seek his wish, he said, "O benevolent princess, you are the most compassionate royal in Aryavarta. Dharma lies in your blood. Your grace radiates to far off lands."
The jester cut him short and demanded him to reveal his wish.
Yaugandharayana continued: "I am a mendicant. I have no desire for gold, money or land. But I need a little help." Padmavati listened patiently while the jester hastened to say that nothing was beyond the reach of the princess, and he could ask for his wish without hesitation.
"My sister Avantika's husband is a trader. He had gone to far off lands for trade, leaving her under my protection. But as I am a monk, I cannot look after her and fulfil this responsibility. So I wish the princess would give shelter to my sister till her husband comes back."
Though the jester tried to question his wish, the princess intervened and agreed to give asylum to Avantika, the new name of Vasavadatta, which literally means the lady of Avanti.
In the meantime, another monk arrived at the hermitage and introduced himself as coming from the Vatsa kingdom. Hearing this, Yaugandharayana inquired if everything was well in Vatsa.
“There is hardly anything good at Vatsa. King Udayana lost his wife in a fire accident. His minister, too, has died while trying to save the queen. The king has almost gone mad with the loss of his beloved queen. He is inconsolable, though minister Rumanvat is trying to keep him steady,” the visiting monk said.
His account moved Padmavati, who was lost in her thoughts. Her eyes welled. She said the king must be a lovable man. Looking at Padamavati's reaction, Yaugandharayana felt his job was half done. The Princess and her entourage left for Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha.
Padmavati was fascinated by the stories of Udayana's gentle nature and looks. She constantly asked Avantika (Vasavadatta) to tell her the stories that she heard about Udayana. The Vatsa queen, too, dutifully played her part in arousing Padmavati's interest in Udayana, though she hated to share her loving husband with anybody.
Gradually, Avantika became Padmavati’s best friend, while the Magadha princess began to love Udayana. The Vatsa king, however, continued to remain in his cocoon even six months after the fire accident.
Based on Yaugandharayana’s instructions minister Rumanvat met rajamata Mrigavati to discuss the king's disinterest in the affairs of the kingdom. He pleaded with her to prod his son to focus on the kingdom as the Panchalas continued to occupy the kingdom's territory. He asked her to convince Udayana to travel to Rajagriha to seek Ajatashatru’s help in defeating the Panchala king. The Vatsa king accepted his mother’s advice reluctantly.
Magadha was considered to be the second most powerful kingdom after Avanti. The Magadha royal house was also related to the Kosala royal family as Ajatashatru's mother Kosala Devi was Kosala King Prasenajit's sister. The Kosala king was, therefore, an uncle of Ajatashatru. Kosala was also the neighbour of Panchala. If Ajatashatru agreed to side with Udayana, no power could defeat the combined might of Vatsa, Avanti and Magadha.
Udayana, accompanied by his minister Rumanvat, went to Rajagriha to hold deliberations with Ajatashatru. The Magadha king, who was known to be the most ambitious and no-nonsense ruler, rolled out the red carpet for Udayana. After deliberations, Ajatashatru agreed to support Udayana against Panchala king Aruni. However, he wished Udayana to marry his sister Padmavati, who Ajatashatru knew liked him. Though his heart beat for his beloved queen Vasavadatta, Udayana agreed to marry Padmavati in view of his kingdom's interest. Soon he got married to Padmavati in Rajagriha. After the marriage, he stayed back in the Magadha capital for some more time at the request of Ajatashatru.
Though Vasavadatta came into the view of Udayana at Magadha palace a few times by mistake, he was made to believe that such an encounter was a dream — a sweet dream at it. Despite it being highly difficult, Vasavadatta kept herself away from her beloved husband. The Vatsa army, with the help of Magadha, defeated the Panchala king and recovered the lost territory.
After hearing about the marriage of Udayana with the Magadha princess, the Avanti king Pradyota and his wife sent gifts to the Vatsa king through their emissaries. Udayana accompanied by Padmavati received the gifts. Along with the gifts, they hand over to the Vatsa king the portraits of Vasavadatta and himself.
Looking at the portrait of Vasavadatta, Padmavati wondered why the Avanti king sent the portrait of Avantika. She revealed her doubt to Udayana, and added that she always stayed away from strangers.
A curious Udayana ordered palace women to bring in Avantika. Though reluctant to reveal her identity, Vasavadatta appeared in front of Udayana, covering her face with a veil.
While it was considered inappropriate to force a woman to remove her veil in front of a stranger, Udayana removed her veil to find out that she was his beloved Vasavadatta. There was no bound to his happiness. Padmavati was astonished to find that Avantika was none other than Vasavadatta. She sought her forgiveness if she had ill-behaved with her. Vasavadatta comforted Padmavati and embraced her saying that she had always been nice to her.
Adding to happiness, Yaugandharayana arrived at Rajagriha and sought forgiveness from Udayana for causing immense trouble to him and his queen. The Vatsa king accepted his apology as he did everything in the interest of the kingdom.
Later, Udayana performed great sacrifices, undertook more conquests, defeated several kingdoms, and entered into several more matrimonial alliances!
(This story is inspired by Kalidasa's Swapnavasavadattam)
(The story is retold as part of Roving Eyes: Love, Lust and Battles for Women)
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