कुणिगर्ग

{ kuṇigarga }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

KUṆIGARGA   A reputed sage. By severe austerities he increased his spiritual powers, created a girl by his mental power, and afterwards entered into Samādhi. The girl, who did not relish the idea of marriage, began penance in solitude, and she grew old. In the Mahābhārata she is known as Vṛddhakanyā (Old Virgin). In the evening of her life she longed to give up her material body and to attain salvation. At this juncture Nārada told her that salvation was not for unmarried women. She, therefore, gave half the power of her penance to a young man called Śṛṅgavān and lived as his wife for one single night. She thus attained salvation [Śalya Parva, Chapter 52] .