Yayati
In the lunar line there was a king named Nahusha and Nahusha’s son was Yayati. Yayati had two wives , Sharmishtha and Devayani. Sharmishtha was the daughter of Vrishaparva, the king of the danavas (demons). And Devayani’s father was Shukracharya, the preceptor of the demons. Devayani gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu and Sharmishtha gave birth to Druhya, Anu and Puru. Yayati ruled the world extremely well for many years. He performed many yajnas. But eventually he grew old. The problem was that although Yayati grew old, he was not yet tired of sensual pleasures. He still desired to savour the joys that the world had to offer. Yayati told his five sons. “Because of Shukracharya’s curse, an untimely old age has come upon me and I am not content with what I have savoured of life. I request one of you to give me his youth and accept my old age in return. When I have sated myself with worldly pleasures, I will take back my old age and return the youth.” Except for Puru, the other four sons flatly refused such an exchange. They had no desire to part with their valued youth. They were thereupon cursed by their father.
As for Puru, he said, “Please accept my youth and be happy. It is my duty to serve and I will gladly take upon me your old age.” For a thousand years Yayati savoured the pleasures of the world with Puru’s youth. A thousand years were not than enough to satisfy Yayati. He accepted his old age and returned Puru’s youth. He blessed Puru for his obedience and announced to the word that Puru was his only true son. Puru inherited the kingdom after Yayati. His descendants were known as the Pauravas.
It was in this line that King Bharata was born. It is after Bharata that the land we live in is known as Bharatavarsha. The sages interrupted Lomaharshana. “You are going too fast.” They said. “What is this curse of Shukracharya’s that Yayati referred to? You have forgotten to tell us about that.” “I will,” replied Lomaharshana. “But first, let me tell you about Kacha and Devayani.”
Kacha and Devayani
The gods and the demons fought with each other all the time. As you know, Brihaspati was the preceptor of the gods and Shukracharya was the preceptor of the demons. Shukracharya knew a wonderful art known as mritasanjivani. This was the knowledge of bringing back dead people to life. Since Shukracharya knew this art, the gods were in a terrible fix. Any demons whom the gods killed were promptly brought back to life by Shukracharya. But Brihaspati knew no such art. So any gods that the demons killed, stayed dead. The gods pondered about this problem and finally arrived at a solution. Brihaspati had a son named Kacha. The gods told Kacha. “Go and become Shukracharya’s disciple. Try to learn the art of mritasanjivani from him. Shukracharya has a beautiful daughter named Devayani. Try to curry her favour so that your task may become easier.”
Kacha went to Shukracharya. “Please accept me as your disciple,” he said. “I am the great Brihaspati’s son. I will serve you faithfully for a thousand years.” Since no mention was made of mritasanjivani. Shukracharya gladly agreed to ths proposition. Kacha lived with Shukracharya and served his guru (teacher). He became friendly with Devayani and Devayani started to fall in love with Kacha. Five hundred years passed.
The demons got to know that Kacha was Brihaspati’s son. Since they hated Brihaspati, they hated Kacha as well. Kacha was in the habit of taking Shukracharya’s cattle to the forest to graze. When Kacha was alone in the forest, the demons seized their chance. They slew Kacha and fed his body to the tigers. In the evening, the cattle returned home alone. Kacha was not with them. Seeing this, Devayani told her father, “The cattle have returned home without Kacha. I am certain that someone has killed him. I am in love with Kacha and cannot survive without him. Please do something.” “Do not worry,” Shukracharya told Devayani. “I will bring Kacha back to life with the art of mritasanijivani.” As soon as Shukracharya recited the magical mantra (incantation), Kacha appeared before them, hale and hearty. Days passed. Kacha went to the forest once more, this time to pluck flowers. The demons killed him again. But this time they burnt the dead body and mixed the ashes in a goblet of wine. They then served the wine to Shukracharya to drink. When Kacha did not return, Devayani again told her father. “I am certain that someone has killed Kacha. I cannot survive without him. Please do something. Through this powers, Shukracharya discovered what had happened. He told his daughter, “We have a real problem on our hands. Kacha is inside my stomach. I can revive Kacha by summoning him through mritasanjivani. But in the process, he will have to tear asunder my body and I shall die. Tell me, beloved daughter, which do you want ? Either Kacha or your fatehr will live.”
“I refuse the choice.” replied Devayani. “Both you and Kacha must live. I cannot survive without either.” Shukracharya then decided that there was only one way out. He addressed Kacha, who was inside his stomach, and taught him the words of the mrtasanjivani mantra. He then recited the words himself and out came Kacha. Shukracharya’s body was torn apart and the sage died. But Kacha had learnt the words of the mantra. He now recited them to bring Shukracharya back to life. Kacha thus learnt what he had set out to achieve.
After spending a thousand years with Shukracharya, he prepared to return to heaven. “Where are you going?” asked Devayani. “Do you not know that I am in love with you? Please marry me.” I am afraid that I cannot do that,” replied Kacha. “You are my guru’s daughter. Therefore, you are my superior just as my guru is my superior. I cannot marry you. Moreover, I have spent some time inside his body. And when I came out, it was as if a son had been born from him. You are therefore my sister. How can I possibly marry you?”
Thus spurned. Devayani became very angry. “You are playing with words,” she said. “I curse you that although you have learnt the art of mritasanjivani, it will prove to be of no use to you.”
“You have needlessly cursed me,” retorted Kacha. “I too curse you that no brahmana will ever marry you and that you will never get whatever it is that you wish for.”
Sharmishtha and Devayani
As you already know, Sharmishtha was the daughter of Vrishaparva, the king of the danavas. Sharmishtha and Devayani were great friends, until Indra played some mischief. The two friends had gone to bathe in a pond and had left their clothes on the bank. Indra adopted the form of a breeze and mixed up the clothes. When Sharmishtha donned her clothes after having had her bath, she put on Devayani’s clothes by mistake. Devayani said, “How dare you wear my clothes ? My father is your father’s teacher and you are my inferior in every respect. You have no business to put on my clothes.” “I am not your inferior.” replied Sharmishatha. “It is you who are my inferior. My father is the king and your father thrives on my father’s generoisty.”
The two friends started to quarrel. Sharmishtha flung Devayani into a well and left her there, taking her to be dead. At that time, King Yayati came to the forest on a hunt. He was thirsty and looked for some water. When he found the well, he discovered Devayani inside it. He rescued Devayani. Yayati also fell in love with her, so that the two got married. Shukracharya got to know about all this and was furious at the treatment that Sharmishtha had meted out to his daughter. He threatened to leave the demons. Vrishaparva did his best to persuade Shukracharya not to leave them, but Shukracharya insisted that he would stay only if Devayani was pacified. Vrishaparva promised to give Devayani whatever it was that she wished for. “Sharmishtha has insulted me,” said Devayani. “She has called me her inferior. My mind will be set at rest only if Sharmishtha serves as a servant. Vrishaparva agree to this conditon and Sharistha became Devayani’s servant, together with one thousand other demon women.
After Yayati and Devayani got married. Shukracharya told Yayati, “Sharmish is Devayani’s servant and you are married to Devayani. Under no circumstances marry Sharmishtha, otherwise I am going to curse.
In due course, Devayani gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu. Sharmishtha had secretly married Yayati and she too gave birth to Druhya, Anu and Puru. “How came you to have sons? Asked Devayani. “Who is your husband? “My husband is a brahmana,” replied Sharmishtha. “I do not know his name.” But when Devayani asked Druhya, Anu and Puru about their father, the truth came out. They told her that they were King Yayati’s sons. “You have insulted me,” Devayani told Yayati. “Will remain your wife no longer. You have married my servant.” Shukracharya was also furious. Yayati had gone against his wishes and had married Sharmishtha. Shukracharya cursed Yayati that old age would set upon the king, although he was still in the prime of youth. “Please do not curse me,” said Yayati. “I am married to your daughter. I wish to live with her as her husband. Do you wish your son-in-law to be an old servant?” “My curse cannot be lifted,” replied Shukracharya. “But I will try and mitigate the effects. I grant you the power that you can pass on this old age to whomsoever you wish.” It was this old age that Puru accepted. The Matsya Purana now describes the descendants of Yadu, Turvasu, Druhya, Anu and Puru.
Mritasanjivani
“But what about mritasanyjivani?” asked the sages. “You haven’t told us how Shukracharya came to acquire this wonderful knowledge.” Lomaharshana told them the following story.
The gods and the demons fought all the time and the demons were sometimes worsted in these encounters. Shukracharya consoled the demons. “Do not worry,” he said. “I will try and acquire powers that will make the demons invincible. I am going off to pray. While I am gone, do not fight with the gods. Give up arms and lead the lives of hermits. Wait till my return.”
Shukracharya’s father was the sage Brhrigu. The demons were instructed to wait in Bhrigu’s hermitage for Shukracharya’s return. The preceptor of the demons began to pray to Shiva. When Shiva appeared, Shukracharya told him that he wished to be taught a mantra that would make the demons invincible.
“I will grant your request,” said Shiva. “But you will have to observed a difficult vrata (religious rite). For a thousand years you will have to meditate. And you will have to live only on smoke.”
Shukracharya agreed to observe the vrata. Meanwhile, the gods got to know what Shukracharya was up to. They realized that, once Shukracharya returned, they would be in no position to tackle the demons. The best thing to do was to attack the demons immediately, when they had given up arms and were living as hermits. The demons tried to tell the gods that this was not fair. They should not be attacked when they had forsaken arms.
But the gods would not listen. They started to kill the demons. The demons fled to Shukracharya’s mother, Bhrigu’s wife, for protecion. “Do not despair,” she assured the demons. “I will protect you.” When the gods attacked, the lady used her powers to make Indra completely immobile. Indra could not move at all. He stood there like a statue. This strange sight unverved the gods so much that they started to run away. Vishnu came to help Indra. He told Indra to enter his body, so that Vishnu might be able to save him.
“I will burn both of you up through my powers,” said Shukracharya’s mother. “What are you waiting for?” Indra asked Vishnu. “Can”t you see that this woman will destroy us both? Kill her at once.”
Vishnu summoned up his sudarshana chakra and with this, he neatly severed the lady’s head. The sage Bhrigu was not present at that time. When he returned and found out what had happened, he was greatly angered. Vishnu had committed the crime of killing a woman. Bhrigu therefore cursed Vishnu that he would have to be born several times on earth. These are Vishnu’s avataras (incarnations). As for his own wife, Bhrigu resurrected her through his powers.
Indra had a daughter named Jayanti. Having failed in his attempt to kill the demons, Indra reasoned that he ought to try and disturb Shukracharya’s meditation. He therefore sent Jayanti to the place where Shukracharya was praying. Her instructions were to try and distract the sage. Jayanti served Shukracharya faithfully throughout the appointed period of a thousand years. When the vrata was over, Shiva appeared before Shukracharva and taught him the art of mritasanjivani. It was then that Shukracharya noticed Jayanti.
“Who are you?” he asked. “And why have you been serving me thus? I am exceedingly pleased with what you have done. Tell me what I can do for you.”
“If you wish to grant me a boon, marry me and live as my husband for ten years,” replied Jayanti. Shukracharya was lured away by Jayanti.
Indra was bent upon ensuring the destruction of the demons and he now hit upon a plan. He asked Brihaspati to adopt Shukracharya’s form and go to the demons. The demons were expecting their guru back after the thousand years were over and took Brihaspati to be Shukracharya. They honoured him and served him faithfully. When the ten years with Jayanti were over, Shukracharya returned and discovered Brihaspati among the demons.
“Who is this upstart?’ he demanded to know. “Give him up and seek refuge with me. I am the real Shukracharya.” “Not at all,” replied Brihaspati. “I am the real Shukracharya.” The demons were bemused. Brihaspati and Shukracharya were as alike as two peas in a pod; there was no way of telling the apart. They finally reasoned that the person who had been living with them for the last ten years must be their real guru. They therefore accepted Brihaspati and shooed Shukracharya away.
Shukracharya cursed the demons that they were bound to be destroyed. As soon as Shukracharya cursed the demons, Brihaspati adopted his own form. The demons realized that they had been tricked, but the harm had been done.