Fury burnt through the king’s heart when he saw that beloved had been swallowed by the Rakshasa. Without thinking, the king pulled out his sword and in a single swift move, the king killed the unsuspecting Rakshasa.
The Rakshasa fell dead with a thud.
The king pushed himself back, heaving and panting for breath and he just realized that he had lost his wife.
That was when the king was stunned when he saw that Mrigankavati emerged from the dead body of the Rakshasa and she was alive and well.
“What sort of sorcery is this?” The king demanded in a dazed voice.
Mrigankavati stood beside her husband. “This is my father’s curse and you have freed me from that.”
Mrigankavati told her story to the king.
“My king is a king in the Vidhyadharas. My king had many sons but he always waited for me before having food. But I was always engaged in the worship of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Once, during one of my prayers, my father was delayed in having his meals. For that, my father cursed me that I will be the food of a Rakshasa for two days in a month and he cursed me to live alone since then. I do not have any memory of the incident after being eaten by the Rakshasa and brought back alive.”
The king still looked dazed as Mrigankavati continued. “My father told me that eventually King Yasahketu of the Anga kingdom would free me from this curse.”
The king realized that he had done what he could to save Mrigankavati from the curse and he was meant to do this.
Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara
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