AkHaNDbHaRAtSharmistha was the daughter of King Vrishparva. She was of a similar age as devyani. One day Sharmistha was going to the nearby lake for a picnic with her friends and maids and suggested Devyani should also join them. Devyani accompanied Sharmistha and her entourage in their picnic.After taking shower in the lake somehow Sharmistha and Dharmistha’s clothes got exchanged and they started fighting over it. Devyani started saying unpleasant words about Sharmistha to the extent that she pushed Devyani into a nearby well and went back to her palace along with her entourage.
Around the same time King Yayati was passing through the jungle and he stopped by the well to drink water. He heard Devyani’s cry for help from inside the well and pulled her out. Devyani thanked him and introduced herself, “ O King ! I am the daughter of Guru Shukracharya, Devyani. The way you have held my hand to rescue me, I wish you hold my hand forever and marry me.
Yayati was taken aback by this sudden proposal from Devyani and said, Hey, your father is the best among the Brahmins and I am a normal Kshatriya . We cannot be together. Yayati and Devyani parted ways and went back to their respective places, however they kept thinking about each other. When Devyani reached the hermitage of her worried father , she told him about her fight with Sharmistha. She told him how Sharmistha called Shukracharya a servant of her father, the king. This angered the guru and he decided to leave the kingdom of Vrishaparva. When Vishwaparva heard about his Guru’s decision, he came running. He pleaded to his Guru to change his mind. Upon Vishwaparva’s repeated insistence, he left the decision to his daughter , Devyani. Devyani said, ‘ Oh Danav King ! My father can stay in your kingdom under one condition only, that if your daughter Sharmistha agrees to become my servant for life. Keeping the welfare of her father and his kingdom in mind Sharmistha agreed to Devyani’s condition and moved to the hermitage as Devyani’s maid and started taking care of her needs.
One day Devyani along with Shramistha were roaming in the jungle, when King Yayati happened to be out on hunt. When Devyani saw Yayati she said, ‘Oh King, you are the first man to hold my hand I wish to become your wife. Yayati repeated the answer he gave last time ,” I don’t think your father will approve of our match considering you are a Bramhan and I am a Kshatriya”.
That day after returning from the hermitage Devyani told her father about her feelings for King Yayati and asked his permission to marry him. She said, father ! that day when Yayati held my hand to pull me out of the well, I fell for him. I wish to marry him and want your blessings for this union.Guru Shukracharya was reminded of Kach’s curse and knew that his daughter will never find a Bramhmin husband. Moreover, he loved his daughter too much to refuse any of her desires.
Shukracharya sent her daughter’s marriage proposal to Yayati , which he gladly accepted. After marriage Devyani went to live with King Yayati at his palace. Sharmistha, as per agreement, joined her as her maid. Yayati arranged for her lodging in a nearby palace, as per Devyani’s request. One day Sharmistha started talking to Yayati and told him that she was the daughter of Danav King Vrishaparva. The Danav princess also told Yayati how she had to agree to become her maid to satisfy her ego.
Yayati felt bad for Sharmistha and started conversing with her often. As time passed Yayati fell in love with Sharmistha and started visitng her in her palace. As time passed Yayati fell in love with Sharmistha and started visiting her in her palace. With time Devyani gave birth to 2 sons Yadu and Turvas u and Sharmistha to 3 sons Dhruyu, Anu and Puru. When Devyani found out about Yayati’s relationship with Sharmistha she was filled with rage and left the palace to live in her fathers hermitage.
When Guru Shukracharya returned from the Himalayas after completing his penance of many yrs, he found Devyani living in the hermitage and asked for a reason. When Yayayti visited the hermitage to meet Shukracharya, he cursed him to become old instantly. Yayati repented and asked for a way out from this curse. Guru Shukracharya said, “ If someone bborn out of your blood willingly accepts your old age , you will get his youth. Yayati called for his 5 sons and told them about Shukracharya’s curse . He requested his sons to accept his old age in exchange for their youth. All of his sons refused except for his youngest son Puru. Yayati experiences all worldly pleasures for years only to realize that the real pleasure is not consumption but in sacrifice. He called his son Puru to return to him , his youth and went to the jungle to live the life of a sage. After many yrs of penance, he went to heaven. Since Puru was the one who granted his youth to his father , Yayati made him his successor , thus starting the Puru Dynasty , in which all the Kings of Hastinapur were born.
Yayati’s eldest son started the Yadav dynasty in which Sri Krishna was born in Dwapar Yuga.
