Yayati
Encyclopedia
Yayati was a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha
and one of ancestors of Pandava
s. 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 Asura
s (the demons). Sharmishtha was the daughter of the Demon King Vrishparva
. Sharmishthe was a friend and servant of Devyani. After hearing of his relationship with second wife Sharmishta, from Devayani her father, sage Shukracharya cursed Yayati to old age in the prime of life, but later allowed him to exchange it with his son, Puru
. His story finds mention in the Mahabharata
-Adi Parva
and also Bhagavata Purana
.
Yayati and his ancestors ruled from Hastinapur while his descendants from Khandavaprastha
, which lay of the banks of Yamuna. The city fell into ruin and was over grown by a forest, known as Khandava Vana. Later the Pandavas received it as Dhritarashtra
divided the kingdom between them and his sons, the Kauravas. Pandavas rebuilt the ruined city and erected palaces and forts and renamed it Indraprastha.
, of the Aila dynasty
, son of Ayu, the eldest son of Pururavas
and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhanu. Yayati succeeded his father as his eldest brother Yati became a muni (ascetic).The Ahirs
, Gujars, Brahman
s, Rajput
s, Bania
s and Pathan
s and Balouch belonged to Yayati stock.
was the daughter of Sage Shukracharya, the guru of all Asuras, she had been cursed by sage Kacha that she would not marry another Brahmana. Sage Shukra was living in his palace of At that time the Asura king was Vrushaparva, whose daughter Sharmishta was close friend with Devayani.
One day as Devayani and Sharmishtha along with the hoard of servants were amusing themselves in a park, King Yayati happened to pass by.
Devayani had been secretly in love with Yayati as he had once rescued her from a dry well. Devayani and Sharmishtha introduced themselves to him and Devayani confessed to being in love with him and asked him to marry her.
Yayati said, "Unless your father gives you to me in marriage I will not accept you as my wife." Shukracharya gave in to his daughter's request and agreed to give her away in marriage to King Yayati. As dowry, he gave away Sharmishtha. He however warned Yayati that he should never let Sharmishtha share his bed.
Sharmishtha was given a place to live in a shaded glade called Ashok Vatika. One day Yayati happened to pass by Ashok Vatika where Sharmishtha lived. Seeing him, Sharmishtha confessed that she too was in love with the king and wanted him to marry her. She told him that she belonged to a royal family and Yayati could marry her. Yayati agreed and they wed in secret. They continued to meet and hid the fact from Devayani that they were married.
Yayati had two sons from Devayani – 1. Yadu
and 2. Turvasu.
Yayati also had three sons from Sharmishtha – 1. Druhyu 2. Anu
and 3. Puru
.
When Devyani came to know about the relationship of Yayati and Sharmishtha and their three sons she felt shocked and betrayed. Devayani went away to her father's house. Shukracharya was displeased with the king, and cursed that he would lose his youth and become an old man immediately.
As soon as Shukracharya uttered his curse Yayati became an old man. Shukracharya also said that his curse once uttered could not be taken back and added that the only concession he could give was that if Yayati wanted he could give his old age to someone and take his youth from him. Yayati was relieved at the reprieve he was given and confident that his sons would willingly exchange their youth with him. Yayati went back to his kingdom.
Yayati requested all his five sons one by one to give their youth to him to enjoy the worldly happiness. All the sons, except Puru rejected his demand. So Yayati took the youth of Puru. Later on, Puru
became the successor of king Yayati.
Later, Yayati realized the futility of his shallow actions, renounced the world and did immense penance to redeem himself and gain enlightenment. As a result of his endeavour, he attained enlightened, and won great admiration and respect of the Gods.
Another one of his descendants was King Bharat
, son of King son of King Dushyanta
and Shakuntala
, and after whom, India's ancient named Bharatvarsha was kept. Further descendants were part of the Kuru Kingdom
including Shantanu and Dhritarashtra
, Pandava
Arjuna
, Abhimanyu
and the Parikshit.
(1960), and a Jnanpith Award
(1974). Playwright Girish Karnad
's debut play Yayati (1961) is based on the story of King Yayati found in the Mahabharat.
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...
and one of ancestors of Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s. He was a great scholar of Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
. He had five brothers, Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti
Kriti
-Structure:Kritis typically contain three parts#Pallavi. This is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music.#Anupallavi. The second verse, which is sometimes optional....
. He had two wives, Devayani
Devayani
Devayani is an Indian film actress. She starred in numerous Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, along with a few Hindi films and one Bengali film. She received the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for her performances in the films Kadhal Kottai and Surya Vamsam...
and 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...
. Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of Asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
s (the demons). Sharmishtha was the daughter of the Demon King Vrishparva
Vrishparva
In Hindu mythology, Vrishparva was a Danava king. He fought many wars with Indra with the help of his main priest Shukracharya. He made many attempts to kill Kacha, the son of Brihaspati...
. Sharmishthe was a friend and servant of Devyani. After hearing of his relationship with second wife Sharmishta, from Devayani her father, sage Shukracharya cursed Yayati to old age in the prime of life, but later allowed him to exchange it with his son, Puru
Puru
The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...
. His story finds mention in the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
-Adi Parva
Adi Parva
Mahabharta Book 1 Adi Parva is a book about how the Mahabharata came to be narrated by Sauti to the assembled rishis at Naimisharanya. The recital of the Mahabharata at the Sarpasatra of Janamejaya by Vaishampayana at . The history of the Bharata race is told in detail and the parvan also traces...
and also Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
.
Yayati and his ancestors ruled from Hastinapur while his descendants from Khandavaprastha
Khandavaprastha
Khandavaprastha was a forest region on the banks of Yamuna river. Pandavas received the region when Dhritrashtra divided the kingdom between his sons and the Pandavas. The forest Khandava Vana was consumed by fire, assisted by Krishna and Arjuna. On the vacant land so created, Pandavas extended...
, which lay of the banks of Yamuna. The city fell into ruin and was over grown by a forest, known as Khandava Vana. Later the Pandavas received it as Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra
In the Mahābhārata, Dhritarashtra was King of Hastinapur at the time of the Kurukshetra War, the epic's climactic event. He was born the son of Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika, and was fathered by Vyasa. He was blind from birth, and became father to a hundred children by his wife Gandhari...
divided the kingdom between them and his sons, the Kauravas. Pandavas rebuilt the ruined city and erected palaces and forts and renamed it Indraprastha.
Ancestry
Yayati was the second son King NahushaNahusha
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...
, of the Aila dynasty
Ailas
The Ailas were a dynasty of kings of ancient India. Pururavas, the son of Ila was the founder of this dynasty. The Mahabharata mentioned about the Ailas as, "The numerous royal lines and other ordinary Kshatriyas all represent themselves to be the descendants of Aila and Ikshwaku...
, son of Ayu, the eldest son of Pururavas
Pururavas
Pururavas was the first king of the Aila dynasty or the Somavamsha. According to the Vedas, he is a mythological entity associated with the Surya and Usha , and is believed to resided in the middle region of the cosmos. The Rig Veda states that he was a son of Ila and was a pious king...
and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhanu. Yayati succeeded his father as his eldest brother Yati became a muni (ascetic).The Ahirs
Ahirs
Ahir is an Indian caste. The term can be used synonymously with Yadav, as the latter term refers to Ahirs who have identified as Yadavs. The major divisions of Ahirs are: Yaduvanshi, Nandvanshi, and Gwalvanshi.-Etymology:...
, Gujars, Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
s, Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, Bania
Bania
Bania may refer to:* Bania or Vanika, a trader or merchant belonging to the Indian business class** Punjabi Banias* Bănia, a commune in Caraş-Severin County, Romania* Bănia River, a tributary of the Nera River in Romania...
s and Pathan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
s and Balouch belonged to Yayati stock.
The story
DevayaniDevayani
Devayani is an Indian film actress. She starred in numerous Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, along with a few Hindi films and one Bengali film. She received the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for her performances in the films Kadhal Kottai and Surya Vamsam...
was the daughter of Sage Shukracharya, the guru of all Asuras, she had been cursed by sage Kacha that she would not marry another Brahmana. Sage Shukra was living in his palace of At that time the Asura king was Vrushaparva, whose daughter Sharmishta was close friend with Devayani.
One day as Devayani and Sharmishtha along with the hoard of servants were amusing themselves in a park, King Yayati happened to pass by.
Devayani had been secretly in love with Yayati as he had once rescued her from a dry well. Devayani and Sharmishtha introduced themselves to him and Devayani confessed to being in love with him and asked him to marry her.
Yayati said, "Unless your father gives you to me in marriage I will not accept you as my wife." Shukracharya gave in to his daughter's request and agreed to give her away in marriage to King Yayati. As dowry, he gave away Sharmishtha. He however warned Yayati that he should never let Sharmishtha share his bed.
Sharmishtha was given a place to live in a shaded glade called Ashok Vatika. One day Yayati happened to pass by Ashok Vatika where Sharmishtha lived. Seeing him, Sharmishtha confessed that she too was in love with the king and wanted him to marry her. She told him that she belonged to a royal family and Yayati could marry her. Yayati agreed and they wed in secret. They continued to meet and hid the fact from Devayani that they were married.
Yayati had two sons from Devayani – 1. 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 2. Turvasu.
Yayati also had three sons from Sharmishtha – 1. Druhyu 2. Anu
Anu
In Sumerian mythology, Anu was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, Consort of Antu, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as...
and 3. Puru
Puru
The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...
.
When Devyani came to know about the relationship of Yayati and Sharmishtha and their three sons she felt shocked and betrayed. Devayani went away to her father's house. Shukracharya was displeased with the king, and cursed that he would lose his youth and become an old man immediately.
As soon as Shukracharya uttered his curse Yayati became an old man. Shukracharya also said that his curse once uttered could not be taken back and added that the only concession he could give was that if Yayati wanted he could give his old age to someone and take his youth from him. Yayati was relieved at the reprieve he was given and confident that his sons would willingly exchange their youth with him. Yayati went back to his kingdom.
Yayati requested all his five sons one by one to give their youth to him to enjoy the worldly happiness. All the sons, except Puru rejected his demand. So Yayati took the youth of Puru. Later on, Puru
Puru
The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...
became the successor of king Yayati.
Later, Yayati realized the futility of his shallow actions, renounced the world and did immense penance to redeem himself and gain enlightenment. As a result of his endeavour, he attained enlightened, and won great admiration and respect of the Gods.
Sons of Devayani
- YaduYaduYadu 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...
gave rise to Yadu vansha, and one of his descendants as KrishnaKrishnaKrishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
.
- Turvasu also known as Yavana and his descendant formed the Yavana KingdomYavana KingdomYavana or Yona is grouped under western countries along with Sindhu, Madra, Kekeya, Gandhara and Kamboja as per the descriptions in the epic Mahabharata. In later history, this word was used to indicate the Greeks and the Arabs, leading to much confusion....
As per Srimad Bhagavatam 2.4.18: "Yavana was the name of one of the sons of Maharaja Yayati who was given the part of the world known as Turkey to rule. Therefore the Turks are Yavanas due to being descendants of Maharaja Yavana. The Yavanas were therefore kshatriyas, and later on, by giving up the brahminical culture, they became mleccha-yavanas. Descriptions of the Yavanas are in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva 85.34). Another prince called Turvasu was also known as Yavana, and his country was conquered by Sahadeva, one of the Pandavas. The western Yavana joined with Duryodhana in the Battle of Kurukshetra under the pressure of Karna. It is also foretold that these Yavanas also would conquer India, and it proved to be true."
Sons of Sharmishtha
- Druhyu and his descendant are believed to have formed the Twipra KingdomTwipra KingdomTwipra Kingdom was one of the largest ancient kingdom of the Tipra people of the Bodo-Kachari ethnicity in the Northeastern region of the Indian Subcontinent having a chronicle of 186 Kings till the present times .- Geographical spread :The present political...
.
- AnuAnuIn Sumerian mythology, Anu was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, Consort of Antu, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as...
gave rise to a MlecchaMlecchaMleccha , also spelt as Mlechchha, people of foreign extraction in ancient India. Mleccha was used by the Aryans much as the ancient Greeks used barbaros, originally to indicate the uncouth and incomprehensible speech of foreigners and then extended to their unfamiliar behaviour...
tribe, Tusharas (Tukharas, TochariansTochariansThe Tocharians were the Tocharian-speaking inhabitants of the Tarim Basin, making them the easternmost speakers of Indo-European languages in antiquity. They were known as, or at least closely related to, the Yuezhi of Chinese sources...
), with their kingdom located in the north west of India as per the epic MahabharataMahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. (Mbh 1:85) Further on KekayaKekayaKekayas or Kaikeyas were an ancient people attested to have been living in north-western Punjab—between Gandhara and Beas river since remote antiquity. They were the descendants of the Kshatriyas of the Kekaya Janapada hence called Kekayas or Kaikeyas...
, a warrior on the PandavaPandavaIn the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
side into whose chariot BhimaBhimaIn the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
got during the fighting on the sixth day. As per Bhagavata PuranaBhagavata puranaThe Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
the UsinarasUsinarasUsinaras were an ancient people attested to have been living in central Punjab since remote antiquity. They were often associated with Madras, Kekayas, Sibis etc and their territory formed part of Vahika country according to evidence of Pāṇini.- Usinaras in Vedic literature :There is a reference...
, the Sibi, the MadraMadraMadra, Mada or Madraka is the name of an ancient region and its inhabitants, located in the north-west division of the ancient Indian sub-continent.-Uttaramadra division:...
s, and the KekayaKekayaKekayas or Kaikeyas were an ancient people attested to have been living in north-western Punjab—between Gandhara and Beas river since remote antiquity. They were the descendants of the Kshatriyas of the Kekaya Janapada hence called Kekayas or Kaikeyas...
s were the direct descendants of Anu. Sibi or Sivi is stated to be son of Usinara.
- PuruPuruThe Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...
, the youngest son succeeded the Yayati and inherited his kingdom in the Gangatic plain. He in turn gave rise to Puru Vansha and eventually PauravasPauravasThe Pauravas was the name given to the many small kingdoms and tribes of ancient India in the 5th and 4th centuries BC.The Pauravas had also existed before then in the Vedic Ages led by King Sudas, who fought off the Iranian invaders at the Battle of the Ten Kings. The Pauravas were all situated...
, whose King Porus fought with Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes RiverBattle of the Hydaspes RiverThe Battle of the Hydaspes River was fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against King Porus of the Hindu Paurava kingdom on the banks of the Hydaspes River in the Punjab near Bhera in what is now modern-day Pakistan...
in 326 BC.
Another one of his descendants was King Bharat
Bharata (emperor)
Bharata was a legendary emperor of India, and is referred to in Hindu and Jain mythology. He was son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala and thus a descendant of the Lunar Dynasty of the Kshatriya caste. Bharata conquered all of greater Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named...
, son of King son of King Dushyanta
Dushyanta
Dushyant or Dushyanta was a great king in classical Indian literature and mythology. He is the husband of Shakuntala and the father of the Emperor Bharatha. He appears in the Mahabarata and in Kalidasa's play The Recognition of Sakuntala .-Historical king:According to the Mahābhārata, Dushyanta is...
and Shakuntala
Shakuntala
In Hindu mythology Shakuntala is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the Mahabharata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play Abhijñānaśākuntalam .-Etymology:Rishi Kanva found her in forest as a baby surrounded by Shakunta birds...
, and after whom, India's ancient named Bharatvarsha was kept. Further descendants were part of the Kuru Kingdom
Kuru Kingdom
Kuru was the name of an ancient kingdom in Vedic India, and later a republican Mahajanapada state. The kingdom was located in the area of modern Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh in India. They formed the first political center of the of the Vedic India, with its capital at Hastinapur. It...
including Shantanu and Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra
In the Mahābhārata, Dhritarashtra was King of Hastinapur at the time of the Kurukshetra War, the epic's climactic event. He was born the son of Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika, and was fathered by Vyasa. He was blind from birth, and became father to a hundred children by his wife Gandhari...
, Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
, Abhimanyu
Abhimanyu
Abhimanyu is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. He is the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, who is the half-sister of Lord Krishna...
and the Parikshit.
Influence
In modern language and usage, trading conscientious behavior for external gain is sometimes called Yayati Syndrome. Yayati, a Marathi novel by V. S. Khandekar, won him the Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
(1960), and a Jnanpith Award
Jnanpith Award
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country...
(1974). Playwright Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
's debut play Yayati (1961) is based on the story of King Yayati found in the Mahabharat.
Further reading
- MahabharataMahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, Adiparva, verse. 71-80. - Yayati (Marathi). 1959. ISBN 817161588X
- Yayati: A Classic Tale of Lust, by V. S. Khandekar (English), Tr. by Y. P. Kulkarni. Orient Paperbacks. ISBN 8122204287.
- Yayati, by Girish KarnadGirish KarnadGirish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
. Oxford University Press.
External links
- Story of King Yayati from Mahabharata
- Devayani and Yayati Retold by P. R. Ramachander
- Yayati in Brahma PuranaBrahma PuranaThe Brahma Purana is one of the major eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of Hindu religious texts. The extant text comprises 246 chapters. It is divided into two parts, namely the Purvabhaga and the Uttarabhaga . The first part narrates the story behind the creation of the cosmos, details the life and...