Ketakadas Kshemananda


Ketakadas Kshemananda was a 17th-century poet who wrote his own version of Manasa Mangal Kavya .It became very famous among the people in the society-among the various areas of the Bengal.We heard to know is that it was written on the snake-goddess.It elucidates the struggle of an abandoned deitydaughter of establishing herself as a 'devi'. From a Netherlands dweller, a lady turns out to be a renowned deity... Manasa Mangal Kavya is associated with the revered folklore of "Behulaa-Lakhkhindar.
Manasa was born from Lord Shiva on virtue of his latent sexual attraction towards Parvati Mahamaya. Parvati on coming to know about this maanasa kanya gets infuriated,misinterpreting Manasa to be a lady with whom Shiva was having a subtle relationship... eventually the first encounter between Parvathi and Manasa ends with Parvathi blinding Manasa by throwing "billakantaka",i.e., bael stem sprickles on her. Ultimately Manasa is taken to swargaloka where, after being denied the recognition of a Devi, she deliberately disrupts the dancing decorum of USHA-ANIRUDDHA, heavenly dancers,just to evoke Indradeva's who then isolates the duo to Earth.But a noble Shiva punishes Manasa for her misdeed by cursing her to take birth as the daughter of Kashyap and Kadroo,the parents of Nagaraja Vasuki.As Manasa is born to the Naga family as Padmavati,she grows up to become a pulchritudinous lady,marries sage Jaratkaru and reproduces Astika,followed by a clash that ends up Jaratkaru abandoning Padma.