He
asked: "Who are you, O beautiful maiden with bright ear-rings and ruddy nails? Who is
your father? What is your ancestry? How did you fall into the well?" She
replied: "I am the daughter of Sukra- charya. He does not know that I have fallen
into the well. Lift me up" and she held forth her hands. Yayati seized her hand and
helped her out of the well.
Devayani did not wish to return to the capital
of the king of the asuras. She did not feel it safe to go there, as she pondered again and
again on Sarmishtha's conduct. She told Yayati: "You have held a maiden by her right
hand, and you must marry her. I feel that you are in every way worthy to be my
husband."
Yayati replied: "Loving soul, I am a
kshatriya and you are a brahmana maiden. How can I marry you? How can the daughter of
Sukracharya, who is worthy to be the preceptor of the whole world,submit to be the wife of
a kshatriya like myself? Revered lady, return home." Having said these words Yayati
went back to his capital.
A kshatriya maiden could marry a brahmana,
according to the ancient tradition, but it was considered wrong for a brahmana maiden to
marry a kshatriya. The important thing was to keep the racial status of women unlowered.
Hence anuloma or the practice of marrying men of higher castes was legitimate and the
reverse practice, known as pratiloma, i.e. marrying men of a lower caste, was prohibited
by the sastras.
Devayani had no mind to return home. She
remained sunk in sorrow in the shade of a tree in forest. Sukracharya loved Devayani more
than his life. After waiting long in vain for the return of his daughter who had gone to
play with her companions, he sent a woman in search of her. |
