Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.5215

c9.5215

Once there was keen rivalry between Devas and Asuras. For achieving victory Devas accepted Bṛhaspati and Asuras accepted Śukra as their preceptors. Although Devas slaughtered all Asuras they were restored to life by Śukra by the power of his mantra. Devas and Asuras resumed their battle. “Mṛtasañjīvanī” (the art of reviving the dead) was then unknown to the gods. Devas sent the handsome youth Kaca to Śukra, to learn Mṛtasañjīvanī from him. There, Kaca fell in love with Devayānī, Śukra’s daughter. But after acquiring the knowledge about Mṛtasañjīvanī he returned, without marrying Devayānī. At the time of his departure, Kaca and Devayānī cursed each other. Devayānī’s curse was that Kaca’s newly acquired knowledge would not produce the desired result, while Kaca’s curse was that Devayānī would not be married by any youthful ṛṣi. Śarmiṣṭhā was the daughter of Vṛṣaparvā, the Daitya king. Devayānī was the daughter of Śukra, the Daitya preceptor. One day they were enjoying a bath in a forest brook with their maids, after leaving their clothes on the bank of the stream. At that time Devendra who came that way, transformed himself into a strong wind and carried all the clothes to a place and put all of them in a heap. Seeing this, the women rushed out of the water and in the hurried confusion in snatching their garments Devayānī and Śarmiṣṭhā happened to put on each other’s clothes. A quarrel took place between them on this mistake and the angry Śarmiṣṭhā pushed Devayānī into an unused well. Thinking that Devayānī was dead, Śarmiṣṭhā and her maids went to the palace.