VASISHTHA SAGE HELPED KALMASHAPADA TO HAVE A SON

Kalmashapada gets cursed by Brahmani Angirasi

Earlier in my post, I had referred to Vasishtha's hundred sons who were consumed by Kalmashapada; the king of Ikshvaku after getting cursed via one of Vasishtha's hundred sons named Shakti. To avenge Vasishth,  sage Vishvamitra ordered the Kinkara demon to enter the inner King's body: who later had eaten up all the sons of Vasishtha.   Devastated Sage Vasishtha was about to kill himself out of grief, however, he stopped after knowing that his daughter-in-law was pregnant with Shakti's child. Later Vasishtha sage with his remarkable Ascetic power released the demon from King's body. Why would the king later ask Sage Vasishtha to help the queen to bear a child? Why did not the king himself have a son of his own? Kalmashapada was additionally cursed by one Brahmin woman named Angirasi which I will explain here in this post. The curse of Angirasi here actually reminds me of the curse on King Pandu of Hastinapur for which he died. 

King Kalmashapada after being cursed by Shakti,  went outside the city along with his spouse once. He roamed in all places in the dense woodland along with his wife. One day out of hunger he looked for humans everywhere and observed one Brahmin couple who were about to have intercourse at that time. Seeing the demon structure of King Kalmashapada, each of them tried to escape, however, That male Brahmin was captured forcefully by way of the king.

(Please check the below video👇 in Hindi)

The wife of Brahmin instructed the king not to devour her husband on the grounds that he was a king and the safety of his people used to be his duty only. She also referred to that, regardless of having the curse of being a demon, the king should in no way do such sin of eating a Brahmin, and also it was painful for her to watch her husband die whereas her desire of conceiving a son was now not even fulfilled. Therefore she pleaded with the king to spare her husband at that time. King unnoticed her deep lament and ate the Brahmin ferociously. The wife of the Brahmin shed two drops of a tear there which transformed into severe detrimental fire.

Enraged Brahmin spouse cursed the king, "The way my husband died just before satisfying my wish of bearing a son similarly you will die at the time you ever decide to have intercourse with the queen and Sage Vasishtha whose sons were killed by way of you will be the only one to assist the queen in having a son to carry on with your dynasty. " After that, she jumped into the fire right away and died there.

Great Vasishtha knew all about this by using his Ascetic power. King after being relieved from his curse wished to get intimate with his queen. However, the queen reminded him of the curse of Angirasi and denied the king. King used to be depressed, alternatively to have a son he requested Sage Vasishtha to get intimate with the queen. Vasishtha blessed him with a son named Ashmaka.

Ref: Mahabharata book Adi Parva

Read about the hundred dead sons of Sage Vasishtha