Daughter of सुबाहु , King of काशी . She was married by a prince सुदर्शन who had been driven out of his kingdom by युधाजित् .

As she became a young woman शशिकला heard about सुदर्शन , who lived in the forest with his mother and fell in love with him. One night देवी appeared in dream to her and told her that marriage with सुदर्शन would take place, and at those words of देवी she awoke from sleep and began laughing. Though her mother asked शशिकला about the reason for her laughing thus, she answered not, but continued laughing. One day while she was picnicking in the चम्पक forest, an old ब्रह्मिन् came there and described to her about the great personality and beauty of सुदर्शन , who then was staying with his mother at भरद्वाजाश्रम . शशिकला 's heart yearned to be with सुदर्शन .

सुदर्शन , after the death of his father ध्रुवसन्धि , lived with his mother मनोरमा and her father. But, युधाजित् killed मनोरमा 's mother also. It was after this that सुदर्शन and his mother took refuge in the आश्रम of भरद्वाजमुनि . One of those days, निषाद , King of शृङ्गिवेरपुर and a friend of सुदर्शन 's father ( ध्रुवसन्धि ) came to भरद्वाजाश्रम and presented a chariot, which possessed mysterious powers, to सुदर्शन . The munis were pleased at this and imparted to सुदर्शन the कामराजमन्त्र , which gave one who practised it all that one desired, and after the above incident सुदर्शन began slowly to come out of the आश्रम . He went about the forests in the chariot presented by निषाद , and he was astonished to find many an armed soldier surround him wherever he went. This happened because of the mysterious powers of the chariot.

It was at this time that King सुबाहु decided to conduct the स्वयंवर of his daughter शशिकला . Kings from all lands came. शशिकला told her mother in secret about her desire to marry सुदर्शन , and the mother in turn told about this to the father. But, he was not for it. Then शशिकला sent a messenger secretly to सुदर्शन to request him to be present at the स्वयंवर , and सुदर्शन and his mother started for the palace of the King of काशी and when they reached it, kings like युधाजित् had already come there. A rumour was spread that सुबाहु , insultingly ignoring all the crowned heads, was going to marry his daughter to सुदर्शन , a mere beggar. The assembled Kings, therefore, got themselves ready to pick a row with सुबाहु , but, he pacified them with the assurance that the स्वयंवर of शशिकला would formally be conducted and her husband could then be selected by herself. That night शशिकला 's parents tried their best to divert her heart away from सुदर्शन , to no purpose and the same night she was duly married to him. By the next morning news about the marriage became public and all the Kings, who had come for the स्वयंवर decided in conference to kill सुदर्शन on his way back home with his wife, and abduct शशिकला . Accordingly on the fourth day after the wedding when सुदर्शन and शशिकला were returning to अयोध्या escorted by the army allotted to them by सुबाहु , King युधाजित् and his followers attacked them from their hiding place. In the battle that ensued देवी appeared and helped सुदर्शन , who defeated the enemies. People of अयोध्या received with enthusiasm the victorious सुदर्शन and he was crowned their King. In later years he became famous as emperor सुदर्शन .