Shukra bestows Devayani upon Yayati with conditions
Devayani sends for her father Shukra, declaring she has chosen Yayati. When the powerful brahmana arrives, Yayati consents to the marriage but first extracts a crucial boon: freedom from the sin of mixed-caste offspring. Shukra grants it, but lays down one absolute, non-negotiable rule.
Devayani did not waver after Yayati left. She sent a message to her father, Shukra — the sage whose curses could shatter kingdoms. When Shukra arrived, Yayati, lord of the earth, paid homage to the brahmana with joined palms and waited.
Devayani spoke first. "O father! This is the king who is Nahusha's son. He grasped my hand when I was in trouble. Bestow me to him. I will accept no one else in the world as my husband."
Shukra turned to Yayati. "O son of Nahusha! You are brave. You have been chosen by my beloved daughter as her husband. I give her to you. Accept her as your queen."
Yayati accepted, but not before asking for something. "O descendant of the Bhrigu lineage! I seek a boon from you. Let no great sin descend on me as a consequence of my begetting offspring of mixed caste."
He was a kshatriya king marrying a brahmana's daughter. Their children would be of a mixed varna — a potential source of grave spiritual pollution and social disorder. Yayati wanted immunity.
Shukra granted it. "I free you from this non-adherence to dharma. You will receive your desired boon. No sin will befall you as a result of this marriage. Maintain the slender-waisted Devayani as your wife in accordance with dharma. With her, may you find incomparable happiness."
Then he added the condition. It was not about Devayani. It was about the other woman present, the one massaging Devayani's feet. "O king! Always respect this maiden Sharmishtha, Vrishaparva's daughter, and you must never call her to your bed."
The prohibition was absolute. Yayati could marry the brahmana's daughter and be cleansed of sin. He could even keep the danava princess in his household, with all due respect. But the line was drawn at intimacy. Sharmishtha's bed was forbidden.
Yayati accepted. He circumambulated Shukra — the ritual act of reverence — and with the great-souled one's permission, returned happily to his own city with his new queen, bound by the condition that would shape everything to come.