Devayani Confronts Sharmishtha About Her Son
Devayani, unhappy to hear her servant Sharmishtha has given birth to a son, goes to accuse her of sin. Sharmishtha claims the child is a boon from a righteous sage, and Devayani, believing her, returns home placated—for now.
The news reached Devayani that Sharmishtha had given birth to a son. Devayani, the daughter of the powerful sage Shukra and wife of King Yayati, was not pleased. Sharmishtha was her servant, a princess of the asuras given to her as a personal attendant after a quarrel. That Sharmishtha should have a child, while Devayani herself did not yet, was a source of deep unhappiness.
She went to Sharmishtha directly. “O one with the beautiful eyebrows,” Devayani said, her smile not reaching her eyes. “What sin have you committed out of desire?”
Sharmishtha’s reply was calm and measured. “A rishi arrived,” she explained. “He was devoted to dharma and learned in the Vedas. In accordance with dharma, I asked for a boon and he gave it to me. O one with the sweet smile! I did not fall prey to sin so as to satiate my desire. I tell you truthfully that I obtained this son through the rishi.”
Devayani considered this. “O timid one! If that is the case, it is all right. I wish to know the name, lineage and birth of that Brahmana.”
Sharmishtha shook her head. “O one with the beautiful smile! He was as radiant in energy as the sun. On seeing him, I was powerless to ask these questions.”
The explanation, wrapped in the unimpeachable authority of a visiting sage, was enough. Devayani’s suspicion melted away. “O Sharmishtha! If all this is true and you have indeed obtained this son from such a superior and great Brahmana, I have no reason to be angry.”
The two women, mistress and servant, conversed and laughed happily with each other. Believing literally what she had been told, Devayani, descendant of the sage Bhrigu, went home. The conflict was resolved, the truth of the child’s paternity safely hidden behind a story of divine boons.