| Satyavati | |
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 Shantanu with Satyavati, a painting byRaja Ravi Varma | |
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| Home | Hastinapura |
Satyavati (Sanskrit:सत्यवती,IAST:Satyavatī; also spelledSatyawati) is a character in the ancientHindu epicMahabharata. She was the queen of theKuru kingdom, married to kingShantanu ofHastinapura, and is a great-grandmother of thePandava andKaurava princes. She is also the mother of the seerVyasa, author of the epic. Her story appears in theMahabharata, theHarivamsa, and theDevi Bhagavata Purana.
Satyavati is the daughter of a fisherman chieftain,Dasharaja and was brought up as a commoner on the banks of the riverYamuna. Another legend says that she is the biological daughter of theChedi kingUparichara Vasu (Vasu) and a cursedapsara (celestial nymph), who was turned into a fish called Adrika. Due to the smell emanating from her body, she was known asMatsyagandha ("She who smells like fish"), and helped her father, Dasharaja, in his job as ferryman and fisherman.
As a young woman, Satyavati met the wanderingrishi (sage)Parashara, who fathered her sonVyasa out of wedlock. The sage also gave her a musky fragrance, which earned her names likeYojanagandha ("She whose fragrance is spread as far as ayojana") andGandhavati ("fragrant one").
Later, KingShantanu, captivated by her fragrance and beauty, fell in love with Satyavati. She married Santanu on her father's condition that their children inherit the throne, denying the birthright of Shantanu's eldest son (and crown prince)Bhishma. Satyavati bore Shantanu two children,Chitrangada andVichitravirya. After Shantanu's death, she and her sons ruled the kingdom with the help of Bhishma. Although both her sons died childless, she arranged for her eldest son,Vyasa, to father the children of the two widows of Vichitravirya throughniyoga. The children,Dhritarashtra andPandu, became the fathers of the Kauravas and Pandavas, respectively. After Pandu's death, Satyavati retired to the forest in penance and died there.
While Satyavati's presence of mind, far-sightedness and mastery ofrealpolitik are praised, her unscrupulous means of achieving her goals and her blind ambition are criticised.
Little is said about Satyavati in the Mahabharata; however, later texts – theHarivamsa and theDevi-Bhagavata Purana – elaborate her legend.[1]
Satyavati is known by numerous names in the Mahabharata, among them Daseyi, Gandhakali, Gandhavati, Kali, Matysyagandha, Satya, Vasavi and Yojanagandha.[2] The name"Daseyi" – a term often used by her stepson Bhishma used to address her – means one of theDasa orKaivartta clan.[3][1][4]Vasavi means "daughter of king Vasu". Her birth name,Kali indicates her dark complexion. Her other name, Satyavati means "truthful";Satya means "veracity". As noted above, she was also known asMatsyagandha orMatsyagandhi in her earlier life – and Gandhakali (lit. fragrant dark one),Gandhavati,Kastu-gandhi andYojanagandha in later life.[2]
According to theHarivamsa, Satyavati in her previous life was Achchoda, daughter of thePitrs (ancestors) and cursed to be born on earth.[1] TheMahabharata,Harivamsa andDevi Bhagavata Purana assert that Satyavati was the daughter of a cursedapsara (celestial nymph) named Adrika. Adrika was transformed by a curse into a fish and lived in the Yamuna river.[2][5] According to the legend, Vasu (also known as Uparicara Vasu), aChedi King, was on a hunting expedition when he had anocturnal emission while dreaming of his wife. Using an eagle, He sent his semen to his queen but due to fighting mid-air with another eagle, the semen fell into the river and was swallowed by the cursed Adrika-fish.[6] Consequently, the fish became pregnant. Soon, A fisherman caught the pregnant fish and cut it open to find two babies in the womb of the fish, one male and one female. The fisherman presented the children to the king, who kept the male child. The boy grew up to become King Matsya, the founder of theMatsya Kingdom. The king gave the female child back to the fisherman, naming herMatsya-gandha ("She who smells like fish"). The fisherman raised the girl as his daughter and named herKali ("the dark one") because of her complexion. Over the course of time, Kali earned the nameSatyavati ("truthful"). The fisherman was also a ferryman, ferrying people across the river in his boat. Satyavati helped her father in his job and grew up into a beautiful maiden.[2][5]
According to historianRomila Thapar, the narrative of Satyavati being the daughter of a king was plausibly a later insertion, as attempts were made to suggest that she was of Kshatriya origin rather than of lower-class fisherfolk.[7]
TheDevi Bhagavata Purana narrates that when Satyavati was ferrying therishiParashara across the river Yamuna in auspicious time, the sage requested Satyavati for union as it was an auspicious time and held her right hand. She agreed but asked Parashara to make her virgin again, realizing the Auspicious time and persistence of the sage. Satyavati agreed and told Parashara patient until the boat reached the bank. On reaching the other side the sage grabbed her again, but she declared that her body stank and coitus should be pleasurable to them both. At these words,Matsyagandha was transformed (by the powers of the sage intoYojanagandha ("she whose fragrance can be smelled from across ayojana").[1] She now smelled of musk, and so was calledKasturi-Gandha ("musk-fragrant") and Parashara transformed into fisherman and had intercourse with Satyavati only to return her chastity again with his power ofmantras.[2] She asked Parashara to promise her that the coitus would be a secret and her virginity intact; the son born from their union would be as famous as the great sage, and her fragrance and youth would be eternal. Parashara granted her these wishes and was satiated by the beautiful Satyavati. After the act, the sage bathed in the river and left, never to meet her again.[1] The Mahabharata abridges the story, noting only two wishes for Satyavati: hervirgo intacta and everlasting sweet fragrance.[5]
Ecstatic with her blessings, Satyavati gave birth the same day to her baby on an island in the Yamuna. The son immediately grew up as a youth and promised his mother that he would come to her aid every time she called on him; he then left to do penance in the forest. The son was calledKrishna ("the dark one") due to his colour, orDvaipayana ("one born on an island") and would later become known asVyasa – compiler of the Vedas and author of thePuranas and theMahabharata, fulfilling Parashara's prophecy.[1][2][8] After this, Satyavati returned home to help her father.[2][5]
One dayShantanu, theKuru king ofHastinapur, came to the forest on a hunting trip and was mesmerized by the musk-fragrance emanating from Satyavati. Allured by her sweet scent, Shantanu reached Satyavati's house and, seeing her, fell in love at first sight. The king asked the fisherman-chief for his daughter's hand; the fishermanDashraj said his daughter would marry the king if – and only if – her sons would inherit the throne.[1][9][10][11]
The king, shocked and dejected, returned to the palace since he had already appointed his son,Devavrata, who was mothered by Goddess Ganga, as heir apparent. Devavrata was distressed by his father's condition; he learned about the promise asked by the fisherman-chief from a minister. Immediately, Devavrata rushed to the hut of the fisherman-chief and begged for Satyavati's hand on his father's behalf. The fisherman repeated his condition and told Devavrata that only Shantanu was worthy of Satyavati; she had rejected marriage proposals from evenBrahmarishis like Asita.[1][9][10][11]
Devavrata renounced his claim to the throne in favour of Satyavati's son, but the fisherman contended that Devavrata's children might dispute his grandson's claim. Intensely, Devavrata pledged the "terrible" vow ofBrahmacharya – celibacy. The fisherman immediately gave Satyavati to Devavrata, who was henceforth called Bhishma ("the One who took a terrible vow"). Bhishma presented Satyavati to Shantanu, who married her.[1][9][10][11]
In theDevi Bhagavata Purana, Satyavati's premarital first-born, Vyasa, laments that his mother abandoned him to fate immediately after birth. He returns to his birthplace in search of his mother who, he finds out, is now the queen of Hastinapur.[1]
After their marriage, Satyavati bore Shantanu two sons:Chitrangada andVichitravirya. TheHarivamsa tells of Bhishma recalling events after Shantanu's death. During the period of mourning after Shantanu's death, Ugrayudha Paurava (usurper of the throne ofPanchala) demanded that Bhishma hand over Satyavati in return for wealth. Bhishma killed Ugrayudha Paurava, who had lost his powers because he lusted after another's wife.[1] However, theMahabharata does not include this event; it only describes Bhishma crowning Chitrangada as king under Satyavati's command.[12] Chitrangada was later killed by a namesakegandharva (a celestial musician).[2]
After Chitrangada's death, his young brother Vichitravirya was crowned king, while Bhishma ruled on his behalf (under Satyavati's command) until Vichitravirya grew up. Vichitravirya married the princesses ofKashi-Kosala:Ambika andAmbalika, who were won by Bhishma in aSwayamvara (marriage choice). The childless Vichitravirya met with an untimely death fromtuberculosis.[2][9][13]
With no heir to the throne, Satyavati asked Bhishma to marry the widows of Vichitravirya (following the practice ofniyoga in its narrower sense, as alevirate marriage)[14] and rule as king. Bhishma refused, reminding Satyavati of the promise he made to his father and his vow of bachelorhood.[2][9][15][16] He suggests that a Brahmin could be hired to father children on the widows, thus preserving the dynasty.[17] Revealing to Bhishma the tale of her encounter with Parashara, Satyavati well knew that this was the time to call her son Vyasa to aid her. Satyavati coaxed Vyasa to haveniyoga with his brother's widows, saying:[2][18] "from affection for thy brother Vichitravirya, for the perpetuation of our dynasty, for the sake of this Bhishma's request and my command, for kindness to all creatures, for the protection of the people and from the liberality of thy heart, O sinless one, it behooveth thee to do what I say." After convincing Vyasa, Satyavati managed (with great difficulty) to obtain the consent of her "virtuous" daughters-in-law.[18] In theMahabharata, Vyasa agreed immediately to theniyoga. In theDevi Bhagavata Purana version, Vyasa initially refused Satyavati's proposal. He argued that Vichitravirya's wives were like his daughters; havingniyoga with them was a heinous sin, through which no good could come. As a master of "realpolitik", the hungry-for-grandsons Satyavati asserted that to preserve the dynasty, wrong directives by elders should be followed if they are going to reduce the sorrow of a mother. Vyasa finally agreed to that "disgusting task", but suggested that offspring of perversity cannot be a source of joy.[1]
During the fertile period of the older queen, Ambika, Satyavati sent Vyasa to Ambika's bedchamber. During coitus with Vyasa, Ambika noticed his dark complexion and closed her eyes. Vyasa declared to Satyavati that due to Ambika's cruelty, her son would be blind (but strong) and have a hundred sons – later known asKauravas (descendants of Kuru). Satyavati considered such an heir to be an unworthy king, so she asked Vyasa to haveniyoga with her younger daughter-in-law. During their niyoga, Ambalika fell pale due to Vyasa's grim appearance. As the result the child would bewan, Vyasa told his mother, who begged for another child. In due course, the blindDhritarashtra and the palePandu were born. Satyavati again invited Vyasa to Ambika's bed-chamber; she remembered Vyasa's grim appearance (and repulsive odour), and substituted aShudra (lowest caste) maid in her place. The maid respected the sage and was not afraid of him, and Vyasa thus blessed her; her son would be the most intelligent man, and she would no longer be a slave. Vyasa told Satyavati of the deception, and then disappeared;Vidura, an incarnation of the godDharma, was born to the maid.[19]
Consequently, due to Dhritarashtra's blindness and Vidura's birth from a maid, Pandu was crowned king of Hastinapur. However, he was cursed (by a sage) that he could not bear any children, renounced the kingdom and went to the forest with his wivesKunti andMadri. There, his wives had children – thePandavas, or "sons of Pandu" – for him throughniyoga with the gods. Pandu died in the forest; Madri ended her life with her husband. Kunti returned to Hastinapur with the Pandavas. Satyavati was grief-stricken because of her grandson's untimely death and did not wish to live any longer. After the funerary rites for Pandu, Vyasa warned Satyavati that happiness would end in the dynasty and devastating events would occur in the future (leading to the destruction of her kin), which she would not be able to bear in her old age. At Vyasa's suggestion, Satyavati left for the forest to do penance with her daughters-in-law Ambika and Ambalika. In the forest, she died and attained heaven.[2][20] Within some days her daughters-in-law died too.
Dhanalakshmi Ayyer, author ofSatyavati: Blind Ambition, introduces Satyavati as "the embodiment of the driving force of womanhood, with motherly ambition blinding her vision at every turn" and further says that "[i]n a way, Satyavati exemplifies whatRudyard Kipling succinctly put":[11]
The Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same,
And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.
For Satyavati the end matters, not the means. Satyavati's life goal and ambition was to ensure the succession of Santanu's lineage and inheritance of his fortune by her sons but ironically (Ayyer comments), Bhishma – whose right to the throne Satyavati snatches – outlives her children in life and in fame. Her actions (and decisions) create a generation encompassed by a greed which ultimately leads to its annihilation. Ayyer concludes that "Satyavati's story teaches the new generation women that determination and commitment are different from avarice and calculation. One should know where greed takes over from ambition."[11]
Pradip Bhattacharya, author ofOf Kunti and Satyawati: Sexually Assertive Women of the Mahabharata, praises Satyavati's handling of her encounter with the sage Parashara. He notes that although young, she tackles the persistent sage with great maturity and presence of mind. Bhattacharya remarks, "With a maturity and frankness that astonishes us even in the twenty-first century, she points out that coitus ought to be mutually enjoyable." She is not deluded by the belief that the sage will marry her and asks for virginity to ensure her future status in society. Bhattacharya further comments on the sequence of her requests: the bodily fragrance to make the sexual act pleasant for both, the veil of mist to keep the act a secret, virginal status for her future and fame for her child – securing his fame and after practical aspects are sorted out, "eternally feminine" boons of lifelong youth and fragrance. Bhattacharya says: "Modern-day women could well wish that they were half as confident, clear-headed and assertive of their desires and goals as Satyavati." He further praises her "characteristic far-sightedness", when she ensures the future of her children with Santanu by disposing of the crown prince Bhishma. She brings her illegitimate son, Vyasa, onto the scene to father sons with her dead son's widows – turning the renowned "lunar dynasty, into the lineage of adasa (slave) maiden".[1]
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