Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s18.617

v1.c3.s18.617

Devāpi Ārṣiṣeṇa (‘descendant of Ṛṣiṣeṇa’) is mentioned in a hymn of the Rigveda¹ and in the Nirukta.² According to the latter source there were two brothers, Devāpi and Śantanu, princes of the Kurus. The elder was Devāpi, but Śantanu got himself anointed king, whereupon no rain fell for twelve years. The drought being attributed by the Brahmins to his having superseded his elder brother, Śantanu offered the kingdom to Devāpi. The latter, however, refused, but acting as Purohita, or domestic priest, for his brother, obtained rain. The Bṛhaddevatā³ tells much the same tale, but adds that the reason for Devāpi’s exclusion from the throne was the fact that he suffered from a skin disease. The Epic and later legends further develop the story, presenting two somewhat discrepant accounts. According to the one version,⁴ the ground of Devāpi’s being passed over was leprosy, while in the other his devoting himself to asceticism in his youth was the cause of his brother’s taking his place. The Epic,⁵ moreover, treats him as a son of Pratīpa, and names as his brothers Bāhlīka⁶ and Ārṣṭiṣeṇa,⁷ who is a new figure developed from the patronymic of Devāpi. Possibly Sieg⁸ is right in holding that two stories, those of Devāpi, Pratīpa’s son, and of Devāpi, Ṛṣṭiṣeṇa’s son, have been confused; but in any case it is impossible to extract history from them.⁹