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J C Jain
by Śiva, supreme god of the Hindus; besides, the entire scene involves a touchy and problematic question of purity better spared Vasudeva A very mild kind of counterpart confirmation does occur in the VH, when Samba's father Kanha (Krsna) consents to Suhiranna remaining "in the services" of the prince (sevatu nam Suhiranņā), i e. as Samba's courtesan However in doing so he refrains from dismissing her simply as an unchaste girl : instead, Kanba calls the girl his daughter-in-law, and says that she will eventually be honoured later along with the other princesses. The scene is not nearly as dramatic or powerful as Śiva's total confirmation from the heavens, but it serves its purposes and is in keeping with the far more restrained and pious tone of the VH. And although Suhiranna does honourably marry Samba along with 108 other princesses, Vasudeva himself later accuses his grandson of being a frog 1 a well" for being too easily satisfied with the women that come to him so readily
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The Continuation of the Madanamaõjuka Character in the VH
The character of Madanamañjukā as she appears in the BKSS is further taken up in the VH by Somasiri, Vasudeva's 12th wife (chapter Somasırılambha) His marriage to her is perfectly ordinary and stereotyped Vasudeva saves the beautiful Somasiri from the tusks of a mad elephant, and in gratitude the girl's father gives his daughter to Vasudeva in marriage
The next chapter (Vegavatilambha) begins as usual, with Vasudeva happily enjoying pleasures with his present wife, here Somasiri He wakes up one morning to find his beloved missing. After much anxious and futile searching, Vasudeva has to assume that Somasiri is mad at him for some reason, and is hiding on purpose Her family suspects that perhaps she might have been abducted by some divine being, covetous of her beauty, Vasudeva becomes so unhappy and upset that he
8 An explanation for abduction is given in the BKSS (XII 11-22) by Madanamanjuka's mother Kalingasena. she was singing a song to her little daughter-"Come, O vidyadhara, take this beautiful daughter
