Devayani and Sharmishtha Quarrel Over a Garment
While sporting in a forest, the garments of a group of women are magically mixed up. When Sharmishtha, a princess of the asuras, mistakenly picks up the garment of Devayani, the daughter of the priest Shukra, a quarrel erupts over their fathers' status. The argument ends with Sharmishtha throwing Devayani into a well and leaving her for dead.
The gods were pleased. Kacha had succeeded in learning the secret of reviving the dead from Shukra, and now they possessed that knowledge too. They told their king, Indra, that the time had come to fight their enemies. Indra agreed and set out with his host.
On the way, he saw a group of women sporting in a beautiful forest. Indra changed himself into the wind and, with a subtle gust, mixed up all their garments, which were piled on the bank. When the women emerged from the water, each picked up the garment nearest to her.
Sharmishtha, the daughter of the asura king Vrishaparva, unknowingly picked up Devayani’s garment. Devayani was the daughter of Shukra, the priest and teacher of the asuras.
A quarrel began immediately.
Devayani said, “O asuri! How dare you, who are inferior to me, take up my garment? You are devoid of good conduct. No good will come to you.”
Sharmishtha’s reply was a direct attack on lineage. “Whether my father is seated or lying down, your father is always humbly below him and always praises him. You are the daughter of a man who begs, praises, and holds up his hand for alms. I am the daughter of a man who is praised and stretches out his hand to give alms, not to receive. You are defenseless and deserted. You are a beggar who trembles before me, who is armed. Find an equal. I do not regard you as one.”
Hearing this, Devayani stood up straight and clung to her garment. In her anger, Sharmishtha threw Devayani into a nearby well. She then went off to her city, believing Devayani to be dead. In her extreme anger, she did not even look back.