For the Tamil actress, see Devayani (actress).

In Hindu mythology

Hindu mythology

Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...

, Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya and his wife Jayanti, daughter of Indra

Indra

' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

. In her early life, she was rejected by Kacha, the son of Brihaspati

Brihaspati

Bṛhaspati also known as Brahmanaspati and Deva-guru , is the name of a Vedic deity...

. Thus Devyani cursed him he will never be able to use his knowledge, in turn Kacha also cursed Devayani that she would not get married to any devas

Deva (Hinduism)

' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...

.

She later married Yayati

Yayati

Yayati was a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha and one of ancestors of Pandavas. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had five brothers, Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. He had two wives, Devayani and Sharmishtha. Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of Asuras ....

, son of Nahusha

Nahusha

Nahusha was a well-known king of the Aila dynasty. He was the son of Ayu, the eldest son of Pururavas and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhanu. Nahusha reigned from Pratishthana. He married Viraja, the daughter of the Pitrs. They had six or seven sons, according to different Puranas. His eldest son...

 whom she encountered when the princess Sharmishtha

Sharmishtha

In Hindu mythology, Sharmistha, also known as Sharmista, was the daughter of Demon king Vrishparva, who was also friend of Devayani. She was given as dowry to Yayati of Yadav dynasty, when he married Devayani, the daughter of Sage Shukracharya, the guru of all Asuras.-the Legend:Once when Devayani...

 pushed her into a well. Devayani asked Yayati to marry her as he had clasped her hand while lifting her out of the well. Yayati and Devayani had two sons, Yadu

Yadu

Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...

 and Turvasu. Devayani also means "main goddess" or "mastermind". Devayani is also like beautiful, faithful, trustworthy, kind, and many other wonderful things.

Goddess Devayani,the wife of Lord Muruga, also shares the same name with this daughter of Shukracharya.

External links

• Devayani and Yayati Retold by P. R. Ramachander