Story 17 – Story of Yayāti (a Khatriya) and his wife, Devayani (a Bramhin)[i]
Discussions in the Story
The Story revolves around three important issues – the anger and its management, the true essence of Pāṇigrahaṇa, and finally वर्ण सांकर्यं (Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ) and its nuances as per Sastras. Apart from this the story talks of the clash of two ego-centric characters.
The Story
Devayani was the daughter of Sukrācārya, the family guru of daityas (also called Asuras or Demons). At that time, the king of Asuras was Vrushaparva and he had a daughter by name Sarmishta. Devayani and Sarmishta were friends and on one day they went out for a forest accompanied by a huge number of servant maids and care takers. After roaming for a while they entered a pond of water, and they were swimming with joy. It so happened that a gush wind from the bushes galvanized the area where the ladies had dropped their robes, and all the robes got mixed up.
The clash of Egos
Sarmishta came out of the pond first and in a state of hurry wore the robes of Devayani. Devayani got perplexed and she warned Sarmishta for her act of negligence. Sarmishta, being the daughter of the king, did not take it lightly. ‘You are the daughter of one who stands arms-fold before my father and how dare you warn me? Your father is dependent on my father for alms and comforts. I do not care you’, she yelled, and she pushed Devayani into an unused dry well; and thinking that she must have dead, she proceeded with her entourage towards the city.
It was almost night and one king by name Yayāti was roaming in the forest searching for water. He heard the cries of Devayani and approached the unused well and found Devayani crying from the bottom of the well. Devayani revealed her identity as the daughter of Sukrācārya and upon her request, he pulled her out from the well.
Devayani said, ‘Oh! King, you have taken my hand and extricated me from difficulty. Since you have held my hand, you would be my husband’. But Yayāti was not ready for the proposal. He said, ‘Oh, Lady! You are a Brahmin, and I am a Kshatriya. Your father is a Guru and well known for the knowledge and interpretation of Sastras. Our union cannot be appreciated by anybody. Moreover, I fear your father’.
Devayani smiled at him and said, ‘Fine! I can marry you with the consent of my father only. Now you can go’, and Yayāti left the place.
When Devayani did not turn up to home till night, Sukrācārya sent a maid to search for his daughter in the forest. Devayani was unable to bear the insult and wanted to take revenge against Sarmishta. She sent a word through the maid to her father that she would not enter the city of Vrushaparva anymore.
Sukrācārya hurriedly came to the spot to see the plight of his daughter. He heard everything from her. A true Brahmin (guna or qualities define a Brahmin and not mere birth) cannot afford to get excited by the temporary difficulties. He tried to console his daughter:
आत्मदोषैर्नियच्छन्ति सर्वे दुःखसुखे जनाः I
मन्ये दुश्चरितं तेsस्ति यस्येयं निष्कृतिः कृता II (Adi Parva 78.30)
‘My Dear daughter! Listen. In this world every one of us gets happiness or unhappiness by virtue of our karma (deeds). One must endure the happenings with equanimity and that is the only way to get rid of past mistakes.[ii]
But Devayani was not relenting. She said, Oh, Father! Sarmishta has blamed that you stand before the king arms-fold. Is it true? If it is true, I will go to her and beg pardon from her. Sukrācārya told, ‘it is not certainly true. By the blessings of Bramha I have a lot of power and wealth and all daityas seek my help for all matters. You need not take to your head what Sarmishta told to you out of ignorance. Please come and let us go to the city’. Still Devayani did not agree. Her anger was rebounding with the thought of invectives hurled against her by Sarmishta.
Effects of Krodham or anger
Krodham or anger is self-destructive and destroys the bearer more than the borne. Sukrācārya knew this. He said, ‘My dear daughter! Anger does not give any greatness to anybody. The one who bears the invectives with equanimity and never retaliates is the greatest person upon this earth.
यो यजेदपरिश्रान्तः मासि मासि शतं समाः ।
न क्रुद्धेद्यश्च सर्वस्य तयोरक्रोधनोsधिकः ।। – Adi Parvam 79.6
(Without any laziness even if a person performs yagna every month for a hundred years, he is considered inferior before a person who never exhibits any anger against anybody)[iii]
He further said, ‘Oh Daughter! Anger is not good for us. An angry person loses his own wife, son, servant, and friend. He loses Dharma and Truth. Please desist from anger’.
Devayani said, ‘I know the Dharma and I can understand your teachings. But the issue is that Sarmishta has blamed me without any basis, and you being a Guru cannot pardon those who deviate the path of Dharma. One should live in the company of sober and good people. I desist from going to the kingdom since they have become immoderate and imprudent. Let us stay away from the king and the kingdom’.
Sukrācārya summoned Vrushaparva and narrated all the events and told that he would leave all the daityas and go away to some other place. The asuras had been safe due to the blessings of Sukrācārya all these days and Vrushaparva was quite worried. He rushed towards Devayani and sought her pardon. He was prepared to do whatever the order of Devayani was. Devayani wanted that Sarmishta should become her slave. In the interest of all asuras, Sarmishta also agreed to the condition, and she became the slave of Devayani.
Years rolled by and one day both Sarmishta and Devayani set out for forest. They happened to meet Yayāti. ‘A few years back, you took my right hand (पाणिग्रहण – Pāṇigrahaṇa) and restored me from the well. So, by the destiny of the almighty you alone can be my husband. Please take me as your wife’, Devayani requested.
“But you are the daughter of a Brahmin (Sukrācārya) and I am a Kshatriya. How can it be possible?’ queried Yayāti.
Devayani said,
संसृष्टं ब्रह्मणा क्षत्रं क्षत्रेण ब्रह्म संहितम् (Adi Parva 81.19)
‘Hi, Maharaj, for long the both Varnas- Bramhins and Khatriyas are getting united. So, you can marry me’[iv] pleaded Devayani. She requested her father, Sukrācārya to interfere in the matter. Yayāti was afraid of the sin of वर्ण सांकर्यं (Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ) and he requested that he should be exonerated from the sin. Sukrācārya agreed and consented for the marriage of a Kshatriya with a Brahmin girl.
But, before marriage he put a condition to Yayāti that he should not develop any affair with Sarmishta (now a slave to Devayani).
In our next story, we will see if Yayāti had obliged to the words of Sukrācārya and stuck to Devayani alone.
Analysis of the Story
- पाणिग्रहण (Pāṇigrahaṇa)
We normally equate Pāṇigrahaṇa with marriage. But it is one of the aspects of marriage. ‘Pāṇi’ means palm of the hand and ‘grahaṇa’ means to hold. The bride and the groom, when they hold their hands together, it signifies Pāṇigrahaṇa. In Vedic marriages, this aspect is conducted by the priest after the मंगळ सूत्र धारणा or tying the holy knot by the bridegroom and ‘saptapadi’. The priest conducts this ritual with the following mantra and others:
‘पूषात्वेतो नयतु हस्तगृह्य अश्विनौत्वा प्रवाहतान् रदेन गृहान् गच्छ गृहपत्नी यधसोवशि नीत्वं विवधं अवदासि ……………………….’[v] which means ‘let the Sun and the Aswin Gods protect you. As the princess of the family, you come home to set things in good stead. I hold your hand to have the progeny and live till old age.
Just holding the hand of a lady may not signify marriage as it does not involve the pronunciation of Vedic mantras. The Vedic Pāṇigrahaṇa is meant to usher in friendliness (sakhyatha) and the protection of the bride throughout the rest of life. It also gives authority to the bride to take care of the family in right earnest.
- वर्ण सांकर्यं (Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ)
Varna is different from caste. Varna of a person is based on his Guna (nature – Satvik, Rajasik or Tamasik) and karma (nature of work). चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश:|[vi] – thus speaks Sri Krishna in Bhagavadgita. Guna or nature of a person can be Satvik, Satvik-Rajasik, Rajasik-Tamasik and Tamasik. Karma of a person can be intellectuality, protection, business and menial work. Depending on Guna and Karma, a person’s Varna is decided as Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vysya and Sudra. Varna is not decided just by birth in a particular family. As per Manu Dharma Sastra, once a boy is born, he is monitored by a scholarly person of the village, and he decides the boy’s Varna when he attains the age of eight. Mahabharata clearly gives us a message that a person can go up the ladder or falls from the hierarchy by virtue of cultivating the Gunas or foregoing the Gunas.
This type of Varna system degenerated over centuries due to the intermingling of Varnas resulting in the birth of castes as we do observe today. In Mahabharata we find certain castes like Suta, Chandala, Nishada etc. Over a period of years, the birth of the person was the deciding factor for designating his caste and this system became rigid.
Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ means inter-mingling of Varnas by virtue of marriages. This was being frowned at or not encouraged though they were happening in Mahabharata times also. In Gita Arjun talks of Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ and he says that it results in Pitru Devatas becoming unhappy. He says:
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च |
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रिया: ||[vii] Gita1. 42.
(Increase in unwanted children results in hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family. Deprived of sacrificial offerings, the ancestors of such corrupt families also fall).
In the story of Dharmavyadha, we witness Dharmavyadha saying that the king Janaka was protecting the Varna system, and he was never allowing Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ. Likewise in many other places, we find the kings protecting the rhythm of Varna Dharma as one of their duties.
In the present story we find Devayani (a Brahmin) seeking the marriage with Yayāti (a Kshatriya) thereby violating the principle of Varna Dharma. She justifies it and seeks the help of her father Sukrācārya, who is known for his scholarship of Sastras. When Yayāti was afraid of Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ, Sukrācārya permitted their marriage and exonerated Yayāti from the sin.
In summary, we find that Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ, though looked upon as a sinful act, was being allowed depending on circumstances and necessities.
Points to Ponder
- What is equation of Guru (spiritual Master) with the king (Temporal Master) in Hindu system of Political Thought?
- What factors drive a person to anger mode?
- Do you feel that the society was flexible in the matters of marriage in ancient India?
- What is वर्ण सांकर्यं (Varṇa sāṃkaryaṃ)?
- What is meant by पाणि ग्रहणं (Pāṇi grahaṇaṃ)?
- Was slavery present in ancient India? If so, how is it different from that of Western countries?
- What are the effects of Krodham?
References
[i] This story is drawn from Adi Parva of Maha Bharata written by sage Vyasa.
[ii] ātmadoṣairniyacchanti sarve duḥkha sukhe janāḥ
manye duścaritaṃ ta tessti yasyeyaṃ niṣkṛtiḥ kṛtā (Adi Parva 78.30)
[iii] yo yajedapariśrāntataḥ māsi māsi śataṃ samāḥ
na kruddhedyaśca sarvasya tayorakrodhanosdhikaḥ – Adi Parvam 79.6
[iv] saṃsṛṣṭaṃ brahmaṇā kṣatraṃ kṣatreṇa brahma saṃhitam (Adi Parva 81.19)
[v] pūṣātveto nayatu hastagṛhya aśvinautvā pravāhatān radena gṛhān gaccha gṛhapatnī yadhasovaśi nītvaṃ vivadhaṃ avadāsi
[vi] cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇakarmavibhāgaśa:
[vii] saṅkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca |
patanti pitaro hyeṣāṃ luptapiṇḍodakakriyā: || Gita1.42.
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