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Some Important Episodes
withdraws from all his usual occupations and loses all desire for food and drink 9
This episode has an exact parallel in the Bass (as well as the KSS and BKM),10 when Nara våhunadutia s teloved Madanamañjukā suddenly disappears. Both versions then become even more similar in the appearance of Vegavati, who has taken on the form of the missing wife and appears on the scene as a godsend
Vasudeva is overjoyed to see his lost love once again, but she restrains his attempted embraces by explaining that she had kept silent due to a vow of self-restraint, and now to fulfill the vow she would have to go through the marriage ceremony with him. In the BKSS Madanamanjuka says that her unfulfilled vow had been to feed the yahsa instrumentul in uniting her with Naravähanadatta in the first place, to do this they had to celebrate their marriage before offering obla. tions to the diety.11
So then Vegavati, in the from of Somasiri in the IH and Madanamañjukā in the BKSS, is married to the hero with the help of a clever stratagem and a lot of wine. The Secret isn't revealed until one night when Vasudeva (Naravāhanadatta) wakes up and finds the beautiful woman in his bed totally different looking than his beloved Somasiri (Madanamanjukā ).19 Then follows Vegavati's long explanation of her brother Mānasvega's abduction of Somasiri (Madanamanjukā) and his futile attempts to seduce the virtuous girl, as well as Vegavati's own decision to transform herself and approach
of mine"-when the vidyadhara Manasavega appeared before ber and asked for the girl Kalingasená refused, however, saying that the
child was too young to be given 9 See BRSS (XII 1 64) for somewhat more details 10 KSS (105 6-79), BKM (13. 14-59). 11 Compare the K$ S (105. 47-57), also the BKV (13 2.37) 12 - Compare the JHP (30 31) In the RSS (33.210-214) Kalingasens is
deceived by a vidyadhara assuming the sbape of King Vatsa.
