Adhyaya 5

PP.7.5 opens in Tāladhvajā, where King Vikrama and Queen Hārāvatī reign and their son Mādhava grows into a learned prince. While hunting, Mādhava sees Candrakalā bathing and is seized by Kāma, even entertaining abduction; the narrative then delivers sharp nīti: prosperity, arrogance, and desire destroy discernment (viveka), and the pursuit of another’s wife is condemned. Candrakalā redirects him to Sulocanā, princess of a far city beyond the ocean, giving signs of recognition and a means to cross. Mādhava journeys over the sea, uses Gandhinī as intermediary, and exchanges letters with Sulocanā, who sets a condition: after a public circumambulation (pradakṣiṇā), whoever can “lead her away” will be her husband. Fate intervenes when Mādhava falls asleep: his servant Praceṣṭa abducts Sulocanā and attempts seduction. She outwits him through a non-violent upāya, sending him to fetch marriage requisites and escaping. Reaching a sacred confluence, she assumes a male form by māyā and enters King Suṣeṇa’s court as “Vīravara,” preparing the next movement of the tale.