Sharmishtha

Last updated

Sharmishtha
Affiliation Daitya
Texts Mahabharata, Matsya Purana
Personal information
Parents
  • Vrishaparvan (father)
Consort Yayati
ChildrenDruhyu, Anudruhyu, Puru
Dynasty Chandravamsha (by marriage)

Sharmishtha (Sanskrit : शर्मिष्ठा, romanized: Śarmiṣṭhā) is a princess in Hindu mythology. She is described to be the daughter of the daitya king Vrishaparvan. She becomes the second wife of Yayati, due to which she becomes an ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. [1] [2]

Contents

She is featured as a friend of Devayani, for whom she later becomes a servant. Her story is told by Vaisampayana in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata.

Legend

Quarrel

Sharmishtha is the daughter of Vrishaparvan, the daitya king, for whom the acharya Shukra is an adviser. She is a friend of Devayani, the daughter of Shukra. One day, the two go for a bath in a brook in a forest, accompanied by their retinue of maids, leaving their clothes on the bank of the stream. While they bathe, Indra manifests himself as a wind, blowing their garments off the banks. In their hurry to retrieve their clothes, the two women donned each other's clothes. A quarrel ensues between the friends, and insults are exchanged regarding each other's fathers. In the ensuing quarrel, Sharmishtha and her maids throw Devayani into a well, leaving her for dead. Devayani is rescued by Yayati, a king of the Chandravamsha dynasty. [3]

Devayani, still angered by Sharmistha's assassination attempt in the forest, is bent on revenge. She tells her father that she would not go back to the capital until Sharmishtha serves as her handmaiden for the rest of her life. Shukracharya also leaves the capital to stay with his dearest daughter. Seeing the plight of her father, King Vrishaparvan, Sharmishtha sacrifices her royal status, and agrees to take up the role of a handmaiden to Devayani, to protect her kingdom's interests. Devayani comes back to the capital along with her father, and enjoys the servitude of Sharmishtha.

Affair

After a period of time, Devayani returns to the same forest, along with Sharmishtha and her other servants. Yayati comes to the spot for hunting, and they meet again. The king and the Brahmana's daughter fall in love, and so the former asks for Devayani's hand from Shukra, as was custom. Shukra offers his consent readily, but warns Yayati that he is not to have nuptial relations with Sharmishtha. Yayati marries Devayani, and looks after her well in his palace. [4]

The king erects a mansion specifically for the erstwhile princess, near the artificial woods called the Aśokavanikā, tending to her every need, but remaining faithful to Devayani. After Devayani bears her first child, Sharmishtha comes across the king at the Aśokavanikā, and solicits an affair with him. While Yayati admits that he finds the princess beautiful, he refuses, stating that he had promised not to lay with her to Shukra. Sharmishtha attempts to persuade him to sleep with her. She appeals to his position as a monarch, stating that it is duty to fulfil the desires of his subjects, as well as reasoning that as Devayani's servant, she held no identity, and since Devayani belonged to him, she belonged to him as well: [5]

'O monarch, one may look upon her friend’s husband as her own. One’s friend’s marriage is the same as one’s own. You have been chosen by my friend as her husband. You are as much my husband, therefore.'

—  Mahabharata, Sambhava Parva, Section LXXXII

Convinced by the princess, Yayati sleeps with her, and in due course, she birth to three sons: Druhyu, Anudruhyu, and Puru. [6]

Once, Yayati and Devayani chance upon Sharmishtha's children in a garden, and the children reveal their mother's identity. Furious, Devayani storms off to the realm of the asuras, informing her father of Yayati's affair. Shukra curses Yayati to suffer the infirmities of old age in his youth. When the king begs him to release him from the curse, Shukra relents, stating that it could be lifted if one of his sons agreed to suffer the curse in his place, offering the king his youthfulness. Only Puru accepts to bear the burden of the curse among all the king's issue, and so he is designated as Yayati's heir. After enjoying his sensuous youth for a thousand years, Yayati accepts the curse back from Puru, leaving the latter to reign as king. Puru becomes the ancestor of the eponymous cadet-branch of the Chandravamsha called the Pauravas, whose successors would eventually give rise to the Kuruvamsha, [7] the dynasty of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakshasa</span> Race in Hindu mythology

Rākshasas are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hindu mythology. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as disrupting Vedic sacrifices or eating humans.

Ambika is a princess featured in the Mahabharata. The daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi, she is abducted by Bhishma during her svayamvara, and becomes the wife of Vichitravirya, the King of Hastinapura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhishma</span> Statesman of Kuru kingdom in the Hindu epic Mahabharata

Bhishma, also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, is a major character of the epic Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War of the epic. He was the only character who witnessed the entirety of the events of the Mahabharata, beginning from the reign of his father, King Shantanu of the Kuru kingdom. Bhishma was the stepbrother of Vyasa, the grandfather of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was a prominent statesman of the Kuru Kingdom. He was born as the youngest son of the illustrious King Shantanu and goddess Ganga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gandhari (Mahabharata)</span> Mother of the Kauravas in Mahabharata

Gandhari is a prominent figure in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata. She was a princess of Gandhara Kingdom and the wife of Dhritrashtra, the blind king of Kuru. She is depicted with a blindfold, which she wore in order to live like her blind husband. Due to divine boons, she became the mother of a hundred sons, the Kauravas, who are the primary antagonists of the epic. She also had a daughter named Duhsala. Following the Kurukshetra War and the end of her hundred sons, Gandhari cursed the god Krishna, leading to the destruction of the legendary Yadu Dynasty.

Ambalika is a princess featured in the Mahabharata. The youngest daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi, and Kausalya, she is abducted by Bhishma during her svayamvara ceremony, and becomes the wife of Vichitravirya, the King of Hastinapura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drupada</span> Ruler of Panchala Kingdom

Drupada, also known as Yajnasena, is the king of the southern part of Panchala Kingdom, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the father of Draupadi, the epic's lead female character. In the Kurukshetra War as the head of 1 akshauhini army, Drupada fought from the side of his sons-in-law, the Pandavas, and was killed by his childhood friend and rival, Drona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madri</span> Character in the Mahabharata, second wife of Pandu

Madri is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. She was the princess of Madra Kingdom and the second wife of Pandu, the king of Kuru Kingdom. Madri, with the assistance of her co-wife Kunti, invoked the twin deities Nasatya and Darsa, collectively known as the Ashvins, and gave birth to the youngest Pandavas—the twin brothers Nakula and Sahadeva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shikhandi</span> Character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata

Shikhandi is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Born as Shikhandini, daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandi becomes a biological male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a yaksha. He is the brother of Draupadi, the female protagonist of the epic, who is the common wife of the Pandavas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dushyanta</span> Legendary king in Hinduism

Dushyanta is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar) dynasty featured in Hindu literature. He is the husband of Shakuntala and the father of Bharata. He appears in the Mahabharata and in Kalidasa's play, Abhijnanashakuntalam.

Kacha is a sage featured in Hindu mythology. He is the son of Brihaspati and Tara. The narrative of Kacha is mentioned in the Mahābhārata, the Matsya Purana and the Agni Purana. He is known for learning Mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā mantra from his guru Shukra. However, is unable to revive devas due to the curse of Shukra's daughter, Devayani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yayati</span> King in Hindu tradition

Yayati, is a king in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas.

Bharata (<i>Mahabharata</i>) King featured in the Mahabharata

Bharata is a legendary emperor featured in Hindu literature. He is a member of the Chandravamsha dynasty, and becomes the Chakravarti. He is regarded to be the ancestor of the Pandavas, the Kauravas, Brihadhrata, and Jarasandha. The Bhāratas, a prominent historical tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, are regarded in Hinduism to be the descendants of Bharata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devayani</span> Mahabharata character

Devayani is a character in Hindu literature. She is described to be the daughter of Shukra, the acharya (preceptor) of the asuras, and his wife Jayanti, the daughter of Indra. She marries King Yayati, and gives birth to two sons — Yadu and Turvasu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulupi</span> Naga princess and a wife of Arjuna in the epic Mahabharata

Ulupi, also known as Uluchi and Ulupika, is a character the Hindu epic Mahabharata. She is a Naga princess, the daughter of the king Kauravya, and is among the four wives of Arjuna. She also finds a mention in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana.

The Adi Parva or The Book of the Beginning is the first of eighteen books of the Mahabharata. "Ādi" in Sanskrit means "first".

Puru is a legendary king in Hinduism. He is the youngest son of King Yayati and Sharmishtha, and one of ancestors of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. King Puru marries Kausalya, and is succeeded by his son, Janamajeya.

Amba is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. She is the eldest and most beautiful daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi, and the sister of Ambika and Ambalika.

<i>Yayati</i> (novel) 1959 Marathi novel by V. S. Khandekar

Yayati is a 1959 Marathi-language mythological novel by Indian writer V. S. Khandekar. One of Khandekar's best-known works, it retells the story of the mythical Hindu king, Yayati, from the Hindu epic the Mahabharata. The novel has multiple narrators, and poses several questions on the nature of morality. Scholars have analysed its hero, Yayati, as a representation of modern man. Accepted as classic of Marathi literature, Yayati has won several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960 and the Jnanapith Award in 1974.

Yadu is the founder of the Yadu dynasty in Hinduism. He is described to be the eldest son of King Yayati, and his queen, Devayani.

References

  1. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (29 June 2012). "Sarmishtha, Sharmishtha, Sarmiṣṭhā, Śarmiṣṭhā: 12 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Pūru". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXXVIII".
  4. ↑ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXXXI".
  5. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (17 October 2010). "Section LXXXII [Mahabharata, English]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXXXII".
  7. ↑ Rao, D. Venkat (2 May 2014). Cultures of Memory in South Asia: Orality, Literacy and the Problem of Inheritance. Springer Science & Business. p. 221. ISBN   978-81-322-1698-8.
  8. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Yayāti". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.