Devayani Discovers Yayati's Sons with Sharmishtha
While walking in the forest with her husband Yayati, Devayani sees three magnificent boys playing. When they point to Yayati as their father and Sharmishtha as their mother, Devayani’s world shatters, and she flees to her father for justice.
Time passed. Yayati had two sons through Devayani—Yadu and Turvasu, both as radiant as gods. Through that rajarshi (royal sage), Sharmishtha, Vrishaparva’s daughter, had given birth to three sons—Druhyu, Anu and Puru. The two families lived in the palace, one story known, the other a secret.
One day, the sweet-smiling Devayani went with Yayati to a great forest. There, she saw three divine-looking children playing without a care in the world. She was surprised. “O king! Whose children are these handsome ones?” she asked Yayati. “They look like sons of the gods. They look exactly like you in form and radiance.”
Having asked the king, she turned to the boys themselves. “O sons! What is the name of your lineage? Which Brahmana is your father? Tell me truthfully. I wish to hear it all.”
The children pointed at King Yayati with their fingers. “Sharmishtha is our mother,” they said. Having said this, they came up to the king. But with Devayani standing there, the king dared not greet them or acknowledge them as his own. The boys, rejected in that public moment, wept in sorrow and went to find their mother.
Devayani watched the love the boys displayed towards the king, and she understood. She went straight to Sharmishtha. “You are owned by me,” Devayani said, her voice tight. “How have you dared to do that which brings displeasure to me? You have reverted to the dharma of the asuras. Do you have no fear?”
Sharmishtha’s reply was no longer the placating story of a visiting sage. It was a declaration. “O one with the beautiful smile! What I told you about the rishi is true. My acts were in accordance with dharma and propriety. Therefore, why should I be afraid of you? O beautiful one! You chose the king as your husband. So did I. According to dharma, a friend’s husband is one’s own husband. You are the daughter of a Brahmana. Therefore, as my superior, you deserve my honour and respect. But don’t you know that this rajarshi is deserving of greater honour?”
The justification—mixing social law, friendship dharma, and a blunt claim to equal partnership—was the final blow. Devayani turned to Yayati. “O king! You have caused me displeasure. I will not live here any longer.”
Having said this, the dusky one quickly arose, tears in her eyes. In a miserable state, she left the forest, left the palace, and went to her father, the sage Shukra, also known as Kavya.