As they grow older, Devayani organizes picnics to the forest almost daily, sitting near the well she had fallen into, waiting for something. Kacha’s threat still looms in her ear, becoming more and more real with each passing day, as no Brahmin is brave enough to defy Vrihaspati’s mandate and send her a marriage proposal.
One day, it happens. Yayati, once again, walks into the same grove by the well. This time, he sees Sharmishtha.
Devayani is seated on a throne, dressed in the best of Sharmishtha’s jewels, being adored by the one thousand Danava women, as Sharmishtha massages her feet.
To her dismay, Yayati does not even remember her. Instead, he kneels at her feet, and asks the princess, “Who are you?”
Devayani answers for her, “She’s Sharmishtha, my servant.” Sharmishtha doesn’t speak. Apparently, Devayani has forbidden it.
Yayati is still curious, so he doesn’t object when Devayani cosies up to him. After every few words, he keeps trying to get to Sharmishtha only to be faced with Devayani changing subjects with greater vigour. Finally, he allows himself to be taken to Shukra, but is completely taken aback when she introduces him to her father as, “My chosen husband.” Apparently, so is Shukra.
Yayati vehemently denies this, citing Devayani’s higher caste as the primary reason. Frankly, it was pretty much prohibited except for very special cases in that time, right?
However, Shukra is reminded of Kacha’s looming threat. On a practical level, he too knows that Devayani is not going to find a better match than Yayati at this point. So, when Devayani argues that she has been sort of married to him since the day that he rescued her, Shukra, despite his initial protests, supports her argument.
Devayani goes farther, by invoking Nahusha, Yayati’s father’s name, and his previous elevation to swarga, trying to prove, in a way to herself, as a rebuttal to Kacha’s curse, that Yayati is in fact equal, in respect, to a Brahmin. Then, father and daughter pretty much bully Yayati into saying yes to the marriage.
When Yayati then, is on his way back to Pratishthan with Devayani, Shukra pulls him aside to give him a warning. He has seen the look on Yayati’s face, and noted his curiosity regarding Sharmishtha, and he knows his daughter very well, “You may have a thousand mistresses, but not her!”
After marriage, Devayani refuses to house Sharmishtha in the same palace as herself, fearing that the public may think Yayati has two queens. Hence, Yayati arranges a separate mansion for Sharmishtha to reside in, along with her own servants. The arrangements are satisfactory, but it doesn’t change the fact that Sharmishtha is essentially being held captive in a golden cage.
Then one day, long after Devayani has had a child, Yayati, for some reason, just comes out for a stroll in Sharmishtha’s garden.
Devayani has always had a large personality. This, in combination with Yayati’s hesitation before marriage, has definitely not made for a very happy married life. Hence, when Sharmishtha asks, with an excuse tailormade for them, it doesn’t take long for Yayati to break. They had both loved each other from afar for a long time, and they both grasp at the first chance they get.
When Devayani asks about her children, Sharmishtha replies with a smirk, “A Brahmin it was.” Truly, that is what she had proven Yayati was, through his father, a long time back! Sharmishtha simply recycled it.
A few years after that, we see the secret tumbling out, Devayani finds out about Sharmishtha and storms off to her father’s house. When she complains to her father, she seems to be more concerned that Sharmishtha has three children (Anu, Druhyu, Puru), and she only two (Yadu, Turvasu)!
Then comes Shukra’s curse, which Yayati manages to defer, only by advocating for Devayani’s ‘enjoyment’. The explanation for the ‘old age’ is simple. It just means that Shukra, using his Brahmanical influence, forced Yayati to abdicate (maybe go live in a forest as punishment), while giving the throne to someone else.
Here, he manages to slip through an excellent political manoeuvre, one that would effectively defeat Devayani, once and forever.
See, Yayati knew his children. When he gets confirmation from Shukra, that the child who bears Yayati’s curse will be his successor, Yayati already knew who would. In this way, and later, with his general subjects’ vocal assent (an election), he is able to pass his kingdom to Puru, who continues the main line, while the other four children go on to head kingdoms which effectively function as democracies (as per Yayati’s curse/prediction).
The afternoon sun poured through the trees. A breeze flowed through the forest, picking up pace and then lazing back, like a cat trying to chase bees. Kacha, Sharmishtha, Prabha and I had gathered near a brook. It was our favourite spot in Vrishaparva. There were no prying eyes, and devas did not interfere in asura territory so we were safe from them as well. Everything seemed a bit too bright and colourful whenever Kacha was around. He chalked it up to the fact that his mother was a yaksha, so he had a connection with the forests. I sighed as I admired him – his flowing shoulder length locks, his wide nose and high cheekbones, his smile, the way he talked with the cows, his biceps as he whirled around his lathi. “Quit ogling him and just go up to him already or you’re gonna end up alone in a pit” said Sharmishtha, elbowing me. “I don’t even know what you see in him. I hear the other asuras call him a ‘deva bastard’ and a ‘twink’.” “That’s because they’re jealous of him. No asura could match the way he looks, or the way he behaves” I reply, cutting off Prabha’s useless critiques.
The wind picks up pace once again, and Sharmishtha gets up chasing her dupatta. A blue lotus flutters and drops near my feet, and I pick it up. It shimmers as if dusted with moonshine, and its scent made the fullest of roses in bloom in spring smell like stale bread. Prabha put it along with the other flowers in my gajra, and said “Even Lakshmi wouldn’t look half as beautiful as you when she sees you like this” she laughs merrily. I push at her playfully, and that is when Kacha arrives there. He was mostly silent, listening, observing, so it made me feel as if the lotus was a drug when he said, “Devayani, can I have that lotus?”
I hastily pluck it from my hair and give it to him. Sharmishtha returned by then, leaves in her hair, and her torn dupatta in her hand. “It was stuck in a branch and I had to climb 6 feet to retrieve it.” Kacha was oblivious to her rant, and he kept looking at the flower, as if studying a complex problem. “Do you like it Devayani?” he asks. I stare at him, slack jawed, dumbfounded to reply for a minute. “Yes she does. Now Kacha why don’t you get her those flowers?” “After all aren’t you the one who brings flowers for her priceless gajras?” say Prabha and Sharmishtha in order, teasing Kacha. A blush creeps up his cheeks, as he replies, “Lady Devyani is my guru’s daughter, it is my duty to serve her.” What I wouldn’t give to hear those words, but spoken with love instead of reverence. “They grow near the river’s source, in a lake nearby. That is the only place you can find these blue lotuses.” Sharmishtha says. Determination fills Kacha’s eyes. Sometimes I do wonder if he lies about his half yaksha parentage, for there is certainly something… different about his eyes. “I will return by dusk with your cattle Lady Devyani.” He assures me, and leaves for the lotuses, getting his lathi for the trek up ahead. I don’t believe his promise at all. Twice he’s promised me before, and twice before have the other jealous asuras murdered him, and twice before has father resurrected him through the mrita-sanjeevani on my plea. I look behind him, hopeful for the love budding in his heart, and dreading for his safety.
Dusk creeps its way into the ashram. I stand at the gate, looking anxiously for any sign of Kacha, when the asuras, led by Atibala, arrive at the gates. They were clearly coming after making merry, and I could smell the scent of honey wine on them. “Guru Shukracharya, please come accept our obeisance” says an asura, slurring his words and giggling half way through. Father arrives, in his flowing white dhoti and beard, annoyed at the disturbance in his prayers to Shambhu. “Who is it at this late – oh Atibala! Come, it is always great to see an old student!” says father, as he invited Atibala and his companions. Maybe he wouldn’t greet them the same way if he knew they were the ones who had murdered his favourite disciple in cold blood twice. Or maybe he did know, but chose to ignore it. Atibala brings a pitcher and a goblet towards father and offers him wine. Father took the goblet and greedily inhaled the scent, swirling the vessel. An enthusiastic wine connoisseur, father downed the goblet in one gulp, remarking afterwards that it tasted different. Atibala attributed it to fanciful terms like the right serving temperature, touched father’s feet and left. Father soon after retired to his chambers, leaving me alone.
The sky is now dotted by stars, illuminated by the first rays of moonlight, and I start panicking. There is still no sign of Kacha. I rush towards father’s chambers and wake him up. “Father, Kacha hasn’t returned yet. Please do something!” I cry. Father immediately gets up, all hints of the sluggishness from the wine gone. He instructs me to light a lamp, and to wait outside. After what feels like eternity, but would have been a blink of an eye for him, he calls me in. His expression is gaunt, and his hands are trembling. “What happened father?” I ask, warily. “Kacha is no more.” he says, as if tired. “What?” I reply, shocked. “I SAID HE IS DEAD. HE WAS CUT DOWN BY ATIBALA AND HIS PARTY, AND THEN THE SON OF A BITCH BURNT HIM.” “Father, you are the only person in this universe who can revive the dead. Twice you have revived him at my behest, I vow father this is the last time I ask of you, please bring Kacha back.” I plead again, trying to calm father’s rage. He goes into a meditative trance again, but returns back quickly, this time even more shocked than last time. “Kacha is in me.” I am too stunned to even comprehend what he means. “Atibala mixed his ashes in my wine.” Father says, disgusted and horrified at himself, his students, and fate’s cruel turn.
Dread floods me. I cannot choose the man I love, about whose love I’m not even sure, over my father. Father, as if sensing my thoughts, says in a resigned tone, “Devyani, I can only resurrect Kacha on one condition. I will have to teach him the mrita-sanjeevani, which Kacha will then use to resurrect me back once he comes out of my body.” Father sounds like a defeated man. Obviously, such a heinous act by ones students was bound to leave a teacher like this. I kneel beside father’s bed, holding his hand, calming and healing him through my powers, as he starts chanting the mantra. Slowly, a faint light starts emitting from him. Kacha then emerges, making a sickening sound as he tore through father’s abdomen. Immediately he kneels down beside father, laying his hand on his chest, and utters the mantra. Father’s stomach seals up, and his breath returns to him as he opens his eyes. He still has that odd look of resignation on his face, and looks at me with – pity?
Today has been a lesson to me, a lesson that matters of the heart while shouldn’t be rushed, should certainly not be stayed, lest the heart’s wish never take wings. I can’t even bear the thought of losing Kacha again, not without telling him how I felt about him. “Kacha,” I start, as I move towards him “, I am in love with you. I love you like the dawn loves the sun, like the river loves the sea, like the clouds love-“ “Stop Devyani.” Kacha says, interrupting me midway. I fear what’s going to happen. Is he offended? Or does he not love me? “Devyani, I must return back.” Kacha says. “Where?” I ask him. Kacha had showed up on our door once, and each time I asked about his origin or parentage, he shied away. “Back to Amravati.” he replies. The deva capital? I look at father, who has instead chosen to look at the floor. I look back at Kacha.
I now realize the heartbreak that poets so fondly mention, as if stating the weather. How idiotic they are. Heartbreak wasn’t beautiful. It wasn’t even painful. It was draining. Everything I thought I knew was a lie. The man I had fallen for saw me as nothing more than a tool. All those times I caught him looking at me, or when he caught I, was a performance. His demeanour? What about his silent laugh? Was the way he blushed earlier today also a performance, part of an elaborate use to manipulate me? A thousand questions flood me, but only one sentence makes it out of my mouth – “You lied to me. You-you used me?” Tears blur my vision as I take a step back. “You are just a deva spy, and you used me.” Kacha stays silent, his shoulders hunched and head bent. “And you knew – you knew and you kept this a secret from me!” I whirl at father. He looks at me with tear stained eyes. “Devayani I-“ “Don’t you dare even take my name out of your filthy impure tongue!” I shout as I turn back to Kacha. He flinches at my tone, and I see the glistening tears on his face as well.
“You knew how I felt about you. You knew I loved you, and you knew I would get father to resurrect you each time you died. Had you told me your truth, I would’ve kept my distance, I would’ve stayed out of your way, I would’ve respected you for fighting for your faction, and yet. Yet you chose to manipulate me and my love, you conniving betraying lying cheating deva bastard!” Kacha looks taken aback at my words. I can feel my features contorting from my rage and pain. I can feel the hurt I’m causing, the way my tongue bleeds Kacha’s heart like he bled mine. I muster all my powers, and then I utter words that would cause Kacha the most suffering – “Kacha. You have seen my love so far, but now you will see the power of my hatred and my wrath. Kacha, I curse you to never be able to use the mrit-sanjeevani. I curse you to forget the knowledge to use the same mantra for which you have died and returned to the world thrice. Let the devas know that their spy failed.”
Kacha’s expression turns to stone. He bows to my father and touches his feet, and my father, the chivalrous, honourable man he is, blessed the man who almost killed him and broke his only child’s heart with a curt “May you emerge victorious in all future missions.”. Kacha then flies out of my house, and a blue lotus, with petals that shone like moonshine and fragrance that made the fullest of roses blooming in spring smell like stale bread, falls at my feet.
In pain, twisting and writhing, now Devayani is lashing out. At her friends, her father, the nanny, everyone. Shukra too, is heartbroken, both at his beloved student’s betrayal, and at his daughter’s condition, and at his country’s humiliation at the battlefield, now that his special trick is not so special anymore.
One such day, while she was out for a summer swim in the river in the forest, Devayani notices that Vrishaparva’s daughter, Sharmishtha has accidentally worn her dress. Sharmishtha is apologetic in the beginning, promising to send it back as soon as she gets home, but Devayani, taking out her anger in wrong place, would rather disrobe her then and there.
It is here that we readers learn that this is not a one-off incident. Devayani has been terrorizing her friends for quite some time now (probably even before Kacha revealed himself). We learn that she insists that since her father is the King’s guru, therefore she too must be considered (and worshipped) like the women’s guru.
So far, the girls had all complied, mostly out of respect for what she had been going through, but Sharmishtha has had enough!
The girls go on to have a row, where Sharmishtha calls Shukra a glorified court-poet and Devayani calls Vrishaparva a useless servant (because of his caste, obviously). It is then that Sharmishtha pushes Devayani into a well and goes home (and does not inform anyone of this).
Sometime later, the King Yayati of Pratishthana comes, lost on a hunting trip. He rescues Devayani and escorts her back to her father’s ashram. She thanks him, and that’s the end of it. For now.
Instead of going inside, she walks out of the enclave instead, and raises hell. Scared half to death, her dhatri runs to the palace, to complain to Shukra who is seated in the royal court.
Panicked, Shukra runs out of the city, only to find that his daughter is unharmed, and only pouting now. He listens to her version of the events, and just replies with, “I feel like you started this.”
He knows his daughter by now, and somewhat regrets pampering her to this extent, that she dares to now teach him, about the due respect that should be commanded by a Brahmin. Shukra cannot believe himself. He, who has defied every expectation since he was a young man, siding with his ‘enemy’, being a rebel: his daughter is now spouting such supremacist nonsense!
There’s probably a deeper psychology at play here. Devayani’s mother, the warrior, has betrayed her so viscerally, that now is clinging on, with all her might, to the other half of her identity, desperate to prove how much better off she is for that. However, just to clarify, this does not excuse what she said or did. It is just a possible explanation for her radical behaviour.
Also, Shukra, despite how disappointed he is at his daughter, he is also a tiny bit annoyed at Vrishaparva. The more he listens to Devayani, the more he too feels like the ‘court-poet’ sentiment is probably one that both the King and his daughter share.
Knowing, she has now got her father in her pocket, Devayani tightens her grip. She makes a vow to not return to the city unless Vrishaparva himself comes to apologize by kneeling before her, touching her feet (anyone who is Indian will definitely understand how much of an insult this is, to a person both old and kind enough to be her father!).
Shukra does not approve of this at all, but still goes to the court to argue her points. Her mother abandoned her after all! Shukra just cannot bring himself to say no.
Vrishaparva is furious, at both his daughter and Devayani. He tries to convince Shukra to drop this, arguing that this is after all just a spat between two teenage girls, and they will make up once they both cool down, and there is no reason to make this caste-debate to a national issue. However, Shukra is adamant, and threatens to leave the Asuras’ side for good, if Vrishaparva doesn’t comply. Hence, he does.
The grown man, the one who has housed and fed them for all these long years, is forced to go kneel in front of a misguided teenager, all because he belongs to a ‘lower’ caste. And all because her father couldn’t say no in time.
Devayani, however, smirks as she casually moves the goalpost. This incident has somehow almost altered her brain chemistry. She is on a war path now.
She demands that Sharmishtha be given to her as a ‘slave’. Vrishaparva, obviously denies at once, telling Shukra to leave, if this was how it was going to be. Even Shukra denounces her, and apologizes to the King.
Devayani, however, knows she’s got the power here. She threatens to end her life, if Shukra doesn’t curse the Danavas, if Sharmistha is not given. This promptly neutralizes Shukra, who is left a speechless spectator, as his daughter manipulates his love, and uses him as a weapon to get what she wants.
The devastated King then sends a message to the palace, with the news. Sharmishtha, who has calmed down somewhat by then, steels herself and decides to sacrifice herself to safeguard her people.
Devayani is reminded sorely once more of Kacha. How easily he had broken her heart and then destroyed her life. Now, he is safely back in swarga, far away from her reach. Too far, for vengeance or otherwise. Devayani cannot touch him. She cannot do to him what he did to her. So, she does it to Sharmishtha instead.
Vrishaparva, leaves with a heavy heart, but still assigns about a thousand women to be ‘servants’ to Sharmishtha while she serves Devayani. These women are promptly put to work by Devayani, who claims the ‘slave’ argument to deprive her former friend of that luxury anyway.
Shukra, is left wondering, where exactly he went wrong with Devayani, as he remains a powerless witness to the daily suffering of the princess, at whose father’s court he still has to serve. It seems that today, he too has lost a friend.
The war of the Devas and Asuras is in full swing. The Asuras have an upper hand, thanks to the niche strategies of their young new advisor, Shukra. He is intelligent, perceptive, and infallible. Trained by Shiva himself, he proves himself to be a class apart from Vrihaspati, who despite having received mostly the same education, is still unable to keep up.
In this situation, Indra, desperate for an improvement in the situation, taken an interest in Shukra. Soon, he finds out that Shukra has temporarily left the Asuras’ encampments, and is upgrading his knowledge base in a neutral location. He calls his apsaras, but they all turn him down, in a rare show of unity, and Indra decides that the best course of action here is to therefore send his daughter Jayanti instead.
Despite Indra’s and the Asuras’ annoyance, Jayanti and Shukra fall in love. They then run away to a secluded location, to avoid having to hurt each other’s family any longer. For considerable time they avoid both parties, and Jayanti gives birth to a daughter who they name Devayani.
Indra had pretty much written Jayanti off, counting her among the casualties of the war, especially he was winning in Shukra’s absence. Eventually, Shukra turns his attention back to the Asuras, and is pretty much horrified at the damages that they have incurred as a direct consequence of his ‘irresponsibility’.
Shukra vows to return to his disciples immediately. He asks Jayanti to come with him.
Jayanti, however, despite having abandoned her side before, refuses to join the ‘enemy’, choosing her country over love. She returns to her father, leaving her child born of this unapproved relationship with Shukra. He does not stop her. Rather, he lets her go with dignity and amicability and respect, for he too is bound by the same code of honour (Sehmat and Iqbal, anyone?).
Heartbroken, yet determined, and armed with the Sanjeevani-vidya, he then returns to the Asuras with his baby girl, resolved to raise her as a single father. He settles down in an ashram commissioned by the Danava King Vrishaparva, with only a dhatri for Devayani, and a houseful of students.
As time passes, he pours all the love he has in his heart into the little girl, pampering her to an arguable excess, ultimately to the child’s detriment.
Devayani grows up to become a menace, blossoming under the shade of adoration cast unceasingly by her father, who is determined to compensate for her mother’s abandonment.
As happy as Indra is, to have gotten his daughter back, he is still angry that nothing of consequence was achieved by this entire maneuver. Determined to neutralize the effects of Sanjeevani, Indra employs Vrihaspati’s son, Kacha, who is then sent to infiltrate Shukra’s school and steal away that knowledge.
Only a handful of people know the exact strategy being implemented here, Jayanti included (I need to confirm this, but I will still keep it for the sake of drama).
The actual instructions to Kacha is to effectively groom, and entice, Shukra’s young daughter (barely a teen at this point), and use her to get to her father.
When Devayani sees Kacha, she is immediately entranced. Here is a handsome stranger, who has come from the magic land, where her mother has disappeared to! Notably, Shukra has never once badmouthed Jayanti to his daughter, in fact, he himself is still deeply, madly in love with her, and has only made peace with this separation for the sake of his people and nothing more.
So, when Kacha approaches Devayani, breaking ashram rules, hanging out with her in secluded corners of the forest, weaving her crowns of flowers, even singing and dancing like the gandharvas and apsaras, and untiringly recounting innumerable stories of swarga, where her mother lives and breathes, history repeats itself. Devayani falls head-over-heels for him.
Young love, first love, the first little seedling of romance. It hurts. The first heartbreak. Especially if it comes at the heel of such a visceral betrayal. To discover that you were nothing but a means to an end. Everything you ever felt was all built on a lie. Your first ‘boyfriend’ used you to steal from your father a trick that will ultimately doom your lifelong friends to death!
Devayani seethes in anger. Flying off in fury, she says a lot of things. Not a curse though. Not really! Just empty words from a teenager that has just faced the worst day of her rather short life. In response, Kacha goes ahead and destroys her life. He swears that as long as he, and his father, hold an iota of sway, no one within the Brahmin caste will dare touch her (in marriage). He uses his influence, to simultaneously humiliate her at the community level, while also intimidating other Brahmins to ensure that she will never find a ‘respectable’ match in marriage. Was that even remotely proportional to her reaction?
You know what’s worse? If Jayanti knew about this, then effectively, she did this to her daughter. Did she feel bad at all? How far did her nationalism go really? How much is too much really? Where would you draw that line? Could she ever face Shukra after what she did?
ICC AND COCA-COLA INDIA BRING #MAIDAANSAAF TO ICC MEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026
The Coca-Cola India Foundation, in partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC), is bringing #MaidaanSaaf to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India, reinforcing responsible waste practices in stadiums on match days. Read More....
Our Story : The Audience by Bruce Kane: Students Perform at Ranga Shankara
Our Story : The Audience by Bruce Kane: Students Perform at Ranga Shankara
DEVYANI BALASAVAR
From 1 to 6 November, Ranga Shankara hosted their annual theatre festival. The theme for this year’s festival was JUST Theatre in an attempt to explore various connotations of justice. Various plays including 1984, There Is Something in the Water, Taking Sides, Let It Out and Apne Ghar Jaisa were performed during the festival.
Ranga Shankara is one of Bangalore’s most…
Buy Devyani International; target of Rs 230: KR Choksey
Buy Devyani International; target of Rs 230: KR Choksey
Buy Devyani International; target of Rs 230: KR Choksey
KR Choksey is bullish on Devyani International has recommended buy rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 230 in its research report dated May 06, 2022.
KR Choksey is bullish on Devyani International has recommended buy rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 230 in its research report dated May 06, 2022.
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