( the D in this name is pronounced like 'th' in 'brother'. )
Soudaasa was a king of Ikshvaaku race. His story occurs in Ashvamedha parva of Mahaabhaaratham. His details very much talley with another kinf mentioned as Sudaasa in Mahaabhaagavatham. Madayanthi was his queen.
1) In Mahaabhaaratham, Ashvamedha parva contains the episode of sage Uththanka. He went to a king Soudaasa to beg the ear-rings of his queen Madayanthi, to offer them as gift to his teacher Gouthama's wife Ahalya. This king Soudaasa was cursed to become a man-eater. Uththanka visited soudaasa who wanted to eat the sage as it was his time to eat whoever comes near him at that hour. But Uththanka prayed him to spare him until his teacher's work was done. Soudaasa agreed and sent Uththanka to the queen to collect the ear-rings but the queen gave them only after Uththanka went back to her husband and brought some words in token of his permission to part with the earrings. while going, Uththanka asked him if it was advisable for himself to come back to the king again. Soudaasa spoke the truth saying that it was not, though that meant loss of his own food.
2) In bhaagavatham (Book 9) there is a story of a king named Sudaasa ( Note the spelling) whose wife was Madayanthi and who was also cursed by Vasishtha to remain a cannibal for twelve years. While being a man-eater, Sudaasa killed a Braahmana despite pleadings of the Braahmana's wife whereby the Braahmana woman cursed him to die as soon as he touches his wife. To avoid brekage of the king's lineage, Vasishtha awarded the queen with a son. When the pregnant queen was suffering the labour , Vasishtha opened her abdomen with a Kusha and delivered a son named Ashmaka.
The names of the king appear very similar. Both of them were said to be of the same lineage, of Ikshvaaku. Both of them were refered to with the same epithet - Mithrasaha. Both the queens wore divine ear-rings. In both cases, the ear-rings were given after the husband permitted. In both cases, the earrings were stolen by a serpent. In both cases, the bearer of the earrings went to the nether world, reobtained them and returned home with aid from Indra, in a similar manner.
Through these many similarities between these stories, we may suppose that these two kings and their queens were one and the same.
"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."
DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA