KUMUDVATĪ I Wife of King Vimarśana of Kirātadeśa. Kumudvatī requested him one day, to put a stop to his cruelties against the people. His reply was as follows:--“Oh! dear wife, don't feel sorry. In my past life I was a dog and, starved almost to death. I went to the gates of the Śiva temple at Pampāpura. It was Caturdaśī day, and thousands of people had gathered there, and I stood there looking at the Śivaliṅga. Then someone cried out, ‘Beat the dog to death,’ and though, in mortal terror, I ran thrice about the temple, people beat me to death. Since, although only by accident, I had run thrice around the temple, I was born as a King in the present life. I cherish the greatest devotion for Lord Śiva; but, as inherent tendencies do not die out so easily I possess certain characteristics of the dog and that is why I commit the present cruelties.” On hearing her husband's past history Kumudvatī wanted to know about her past also, and Vimarśana said thus: “In the past life you were a she-dove. Once you sat on the top of a Pārvatī temple with a piece of flesh in your beak. Then another dove tried to snatch it from you, and with it you flew thrice round the temple. But, the other dove killed you and flew away with the piece of flesh. Since you flew around the Pārvatī temple thrice you are now born as a queen.” Vimarśana told her this also that in the next birth she would be born as the daughter of King Sṛñjaya, as the daughter of the King of Kaliṅga in her third rebirth, as the daughter of the King of Magadha in her fourth birth, as the daughter of King Daśārṇa in her fifth birth, as the daughter of Yayāti in her sixth birth, as the daughter named Vasumatī of the King of Vidarbha in her seventh birth, and that ultimately she would attain salvation. Vimarśana in his next birth would likewise be born as the Sindhu King, as the King of Saurāṣṭra in his third birth, as the King of Gāndhāra in his fourth birth, as King of Avantī in his fifth birth, as King Ānarta in his sixth birth, as King of the Pāṇḍyas in his seventh birth, and that ultimately he too would attain salvation. Thus Vimarśana taught his wife that both of them would ultimately attain salvation as they had gone round the temple.
[Śiva Purāṇa, Caturdaśīmāhātmya] .
KUMUDVATĪ II Wife of Kuśa, son of Śrī Rāma. Kuśa lost the ornaments on his hands in water once while he was sporting in the river. Angry at the loss Kuśa was about to shoot his arrows at the Sarayū when the nāga called Kumuda not only returned to him his lost ornaments but also gave Kumudvatī as wife to him.
[Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa] .