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| Yayati and Devyani (Wikipedia) |
King Nahusha of the Chandra dynasty had six children: Yati, Yayati, Samyati, Ayati, Viati and Kriti. His eldest son, Yati, although given the throne by his father, did not accept it and went to do penance.
After a few years, King Nahusha harassed Indra's wife, Shachi. Then, Agastya and other sages cursed him to become a python. Now, Yayati became the ruler of the kingdom. The other four brothers started ruling the four borders.
Vrishaparvan was the king of the Asuras. One day, his daughter Sharmishtha, Shukracharya's daughter Devayani, and other friends strolled through a nearby forest. Then they took off their clothes and went to the swimming pool to bathe. They started playing by throwing water at each other. Then they saw Lord Shiva riding his bull Nandi with his wife, Goddess Parvati. They immediately came out of the water and put on their clothes. Then Devayani, without knowing it, put on Sharmishtha's clothes. Sharmishtha got angry at this and scolded Devayani with abusive words, forcibly removed her clothes, pushed her into a well, and went to the palace with the rest.
King Yayati had come to the same forest to hunt, and out of thirst, he peered into the well to drink water and saw Devayani inside. He gave her his clothes and took her upstairs.
Then Devayani said to the king that, as he had seen her naked, he had to marry her. Yayati, who was infatuated by her beauty, immediately agreed and promised to marry her.
Then Devayani returned home, and, with a cry, she told her father, Shukracharya, about the incident in which Sharmishta threw her into the well. Shukracharya became angry and went to the palace to see the king of Vrishaparvan.
Now, King Vrishaparvan, knowing that Shukracharya might come to curse him, met him on the way before he reached his palace. He fell at his feet and apologized for his daughter's mistake and asked for a remedy. Then Shukracharya asked Vrishaparvan to make the king's daughter Sharmishtha the maidservant of Devayani. The king, afraid of his curse, agreed to it.
Then Devayani's marriage took place with Yayati. Sharmishtha and hundreds of women became her maidservants. Later, Guru Shukracharya also warned Yayati to stay away from Sharmishtha.
Years passed. A son was born to Yayati and Devayani. Then Sharmishtha, the daughter of Vrishaparvan, met Yayati when he was alone, explained who she was, and persuaded him to give her a child. Yayati, captivated by her beauty, immediately agreed.
Now Devayani had sons named Yadu and Turvasu, and Sharmishtha had sons named Druhyu, Anudruhu and Puru. Devayani, who learned that her husband, Yayati, was the father of Sharmishtha's children, became angry and went to her father's house. Yayati, unable to find her, came there in search of her. Shukracharya got angry with him and cursed him that he would become old at that very moment.
Yayati quickly fell at his feet and begged him to remove the curse, as his physical desires had not yet been fulfilled. Then Shukracharya said, "If someone exchanges your old age with their youth, you will be as you were before.”
When Yayati went to the palace and told his four sons about this, the first three sons did not agree, but the youngest, Puru, agreed to accept his father's old age and, becoming an old man, went to the forest. Yayati enjoyed the materialistic life for a thousand years with his wife. Finally, one day, feeling remorse for himself, he called his son Puru, returned his youth, made him the king of the entire world, and went to the forest to do penance. At the end, He prayed to the Lord and travelled to heaven alive.
(THE END)
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