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INTERVENING STORIES
In the Mahabharata (12. 347) Madhu and Kaitabha are said to be two Mahāsuras. They steal away the Vedas from Brahmā. Brahmā requests Hari (Bhagvan) to recover them. Hari becomes Hayagriva (horse-headed) and goes to the Rasātala. He starts singing. Hearing the sweet voice those Asuras go there. In the meanwhile Hari removes the Vedas and restores them to Brahma. The Mahāsuras attack Hari. Hari kills them. According to the Padmapurana (5. 37) and Harivamsapurana (3. 13) these Mahāsuras are said to be the embodiments of Tamasa and Rajasa. They challenge Brahma who is engaged in creation of Śrsti by the help of Satva. Brahma explains the reality and sends them to Hari. There they request that when they are killed, they should be reborn as his (Hari's) sons. Hari accepts their request and kills them. In the Bhagavatapurana (10. 55), Pradyumna is called as an incarnation of Kamadeva who was previously burnt by Rudra. Pradyumna is kidnapped in his childhood by Asura Sambara and the latter is slain by the former. Here Pradyumna and Sambara are not brothers and they are also not related to Madhu and Kaiṭabha. Thus these are iudependent stories.
B-Stories of General Prudence
58. Yakṣadatta and Mitramati:
While reminding Sugrīva of his duty and cautioning him to become alert on his work of tracing out Sīta, Lakṣmaṇa refers to the intance of the assistance rendered by a Yogin to Yakṣadatta. Hearing this Śrenika requested Gautama to narrate the story of Yakṣadatta. Then Gautama related the story (48. 12-32) illustrating as to how a timely and selfless help can avert indecent act and can bring about the union of the separated persons.
Yakṣadatta, the son of king Yakṣasena of Krauñcapura (Kuñcapura) and queen Rajila (Railla), was enamoured of a certain lady. Once while proceeding to meet her he was prevented by a monk and told that she was his own mother. The monk further narrated that Bandhudatta, the merchant son of Kanaka and Dhanya of Mṛttikāvatī married Mitramati. Once Bandhudatta was away from the city on some trade voyage. His father became suspicious of the pregnancy of Mitramati and exiled her. In course of time she gave birth to a son and moved away to clean her body leaving the child behind. Unfortunately the child was stolen away with the blanket covered round him by a dog and taken away to the king of that city. The child was duly brought up by the king. On the other hand Mitramati was given shelter by some worshipper of deities (devārcika).
