Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.2678

c4.2678

6) *Personation of Bṛhaspati.* The enmity between the devas and asuras increased day by day. Śukrācārya the teacher of the asuras began to do penance before Śiva in the Himālayas, with a view to get a divine spell or incantation to destroy the devas. The duration of the penance was thousand years. Indra came to know of this secret and sent his daughter Jayantī to get the spell from Śukra by deceit. She stayed with Śukra as his disciple and servant. Thousand years passed by. Śiva appeared before Śukra and gave him the spell, capable of destroying the devas. When he was about to return Jayantī accepted him as her husband. Because of his familiarity with her, of a long standing, he could not refuse her request. Śukra told her that he would become her husband, for a period of ten years and that during that period both of them would be invisible to the world. Thus the couple began an invisible life.