Satyavati
Satyavati ( Sanskrit सत्यवती satyavatī m. ) Was the mother of the Veda sage Vyasa and wife of King Shantanu of Hastinapur .
Birth and origin
According to a legend in the Mahabharata , Satyavati was born as the daughter of Apsara Adrika, who lived as a fish in the Yamuna River due to a curse. Satyavati's father was King Vasu, also known as Uparicara. One day fishermen caught the fish and found two human twins, a boy and a girl, in its stomach. Then Adrika was freed from her curse and returned to her homeland, the heavenly regions. The boy was entrusted to Vasu for adoption and later became the respected King Matsya. The king gave the girl to the fisherman chief. It was exceedingly beautiful and lovely, but smelled of fish.
Encounter with Parashara
At her father's request, she worked as a ferrywoman on the Yamuna River . One day the seer Parashara appeared and spontaneously desired the pretty girl. He began to hug her fiercely, but when she expressed her shame, he created an artificial mist at her request so that their union could not be watched by ascetics who stayed on the bank. Satyavati also stipulated that she regained her virginity after the union. The seer granted her this wish and also another favor that a pleasant scent would always emanate from her body.
On the same day, Satyavati gave birth to her son, who was born on an island and was called "Dvaipayana". He later became known as Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas, who instructed five selected disciples in the Mahabharata as the fifth Veda.
Marriage to Shantanu
One day King Shantanu was staying in a forest by the Yamuna River and was attracted by the wonderful scent of Satyavati's body. He immediately fell in love with her and asked her father for her hand. However, this stipulated that only the son of his daughter should be allowed to inherit. This threw Shantanu into a conflict of conscience, which was resolved when his son Devavrata, later known as Bhishma , voluntarily renounced all rights. So Shantanu Satyavati was able to marry and became with her the father of two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya .
literature
- JAB van Buitenen, Mahabharata vols. 1-5, Chicago 1973
- Satyavati in: John Dowson: A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history and literature. London, 1879, p. 288