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## Chapter 148 of the Padma Purana
148
Padma Purana
The king, known as Prithvi Dhar, had a queen named Indrani, who possessed all the virtues befitting a woman. ||14|| They had a daughter named Vanamala, who was extremely beautiful. From her childhood, she was enamored by the virtues of Lakshmana. ||15|| Upon hearing that Rama, along with Lakshmana, had gone somewhere to fulfill the promise made to his father Dasharatha at the time of his initiation, her parents decided to give Vanamala in marriage to the son of the king of Indra Nagar, a very eligible and handsome young man named Balamitra. ||16-17|| When Vanamala, whose heart held Lakshmana, heard this news, she was filled with fear of separation and began to worry. ||18|| She thought, "I would rather hang myself from a tree, with my clothes wrapped around my neck, and die, than be united with another man." ||19|| "I will go to the forest under some pretext at the end of the day and die there, free from any obstacles." ||20|| "Oh, Lord Sun! Please go away and send the night quickly. I am utterly helpless and fall at your feet, with folded hands. Go and tell the night that this sorrowful woman, who yearns for her beloved, considers each day as long as a year, so please come quickly." ||21-22|| Thus, after making this resolve, the young girl, who had been fasting, received permission from her parents after the sun had set. She then boarded a magnificent chariot, surrounded by her friends, and went to worship the goddess of the forest. ||23-24|| By the will of fate, she arrived at the same place and on the same night where Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana had already settled. ||25|| There, she performed the worship of the forest deity. Afterwards, when everyone had completed their tasks and were sleeping peacefully, Vanamala, whose footsteps made no sound, left the camp like a deer in the forest and went ahead without fear. ||26-27|| Then, Lakshmana, filled with joy, smelled the extremely fragrant scent emanating from Vanamala's body and thought, ||28|| "Here, I see a form like a ray of light. Perhaps it is some noble girl of a good family, destined for great things." ||29||