Can anyone elaborate on this? I was under the impression that manDOdari rivalled sItA in her purity and beauty and was one of 3 (all of them women) who were able to see the divinity in rAma....The Manduka shabdam, which recounts the story of Mandodari the frog princess and her marriage to Ravana, is a popular shabdam in the Kuchipudi repertoire.
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rshankar
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http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/04/20/stor ... 210200.htm
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cmlover
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I think it is Ananda raamaayaNa! When RavaNa pleased Siva through his sma gaanam Siva asked him to choose a boon. Seeing the beautiful pArvati RavaNa immediately asked Siva to give her to him and of course Siva obliged. The desolate Parvati cried and prayed for help to her brothe viShNu. He sends Narada to beguile RavaNa to tell him that Siva had cheated since he had the most beautiful woman already with him. Now viShNu transforms a (female) frog (maNDUka) to a lovely woman and sends her to Siva. On return RavaNa sees the lovely maNDUka princess and exchanges for pArvati. He takes her to Lanka and marries her with pomp even ater he knew that viShNu had tricked him. After all manDodari was the most beautiful woman in the universe! A very nice story for a dance drama and if there is a kucipudi version would love to watch!
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vasya10
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Uttara rAmayaNa contains another version of mandOdari:
Once an apsara called Madhura went to Kailasa to pay respect to Siva. Parvati is absent at that time, and Siva engages with her. Parvati on her return finds it out and curses her to become a frog and live in a well. Siva takes pity on her and says after 12 years she will become a beautiful woman and will be married by a man of great fame and valour.
After 12 yrs, once Maya and his wife Hema were praying to Siva for a daughter near this well. They heard a cry from the well, and found a beautiful girl and took her home. So she was called Mandodari (born from the womb of a frog?)
Ravana once while returning after a victory march sees Mandodari and falls in love with her. He marries her according to Vedic rites and takes her to Lanka. MeghanAda (aka Indrajit), atikAya, akshakumAra were their sons.
Mandodari was indeed a beautiful woman as is understood -- when Hanuman reaches the bedroom of Ravana, was dumbfounded by the beauty of Mandodari and mistook her for Sita.
(source: Puranic encyclopedia, Vettam Mani)
Once an apsara called Madhura went to Kailasa to pay respect to Siva. Parvati is absent at that time, and Siva engages with her. Parvati on her return finds it out and curses her to become a frog and live in a well. Siva takes pity on her and says after 12 years she will become a beautiful woman and will be married by a man of great fame and valour.
After 12 yrs, once Maya and his wife Hema were praying to Siva for a daughter near this well. They heard a cry from the well, and found a beautiful girl and took her home. So she was called Mandodari (born from the womb of a frog?)
Ravana once while returning after a victory march sees Mandodari and falls in love with her. He marries her according to Vedic rites and takes her to Lanka. MeghanAda (aka Indrajit), atikAya, akshakumAra were their sons.
Mandodari was indeed a beautiful woman as is understood -- when Hanuman reaches the bedroom of Ravana, was dumbfounded by the beauty of Mandodari and mistook her for Sita.
(source: Puranic encyclopedia, Vettam Mani)