# देवयानी (devayānī)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/devayani

देवयानी (devayānī) is a Sanskrit word meaning leading to the gods, the vehicle of a god, daughter of Ushanas and wife of Yayati, a wife of Skanda, the daughter of Shukra and wife of Yayati, the daughter of Shukra and Urjasvati, and wife of Yayati. Its 10 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Devayānī, daughter of Śukra, Path to the gods (Devayāna), A wife of Skanda.

- **SLP1:** `devayAnI`  **IAST:** devayānī  **Devanagari:** देवयानी
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devayani
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/devayani/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Devayānī, daughter of Śukra (4 definitions)
- daughter of Ushanas and wife of Yayati  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3B) [Printed book page 494,1] देव (deva) — यानी (—yānī) ( ई (ī) ), f. N. of a daughter of Uśanas or Śukrācārya (wife of Yayāti and mother of Yadu and Turvasu), MBh.; Hariv.; Pur. [ ID=95946 ]
- the daughter of Shukra and wife of Yayati  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > देवयानी (devayānī) [Printed book page 0580-a ] देवयानी (devayānī) N. of the daughter of Śukra, preceptor of the Asuras. [She fell in love with Kaca, her father's pupil, but he rejected her advances. On this she cursed the youth, who in return cursed her that she should become the wife of a Kṣatriya; (see कच (kaca) ). Once upon a time Devayānī and her companion Śarmiṣṭhā-the daughter of Vṛshaparvan, the king of the Daityas, went to bathe keeping their clothes on the shore. But the god Wind changed their clothes, and when they were dressed they began to quarrel about the change until Śarmiṣṭhā so far lost her temper that she slapped Devayānī's face, and threw her into a well. There she remained until she was seen and rescued by Yayāti, who, with the consent of her father, married her, and Śarmiṣṭhā became her servant as a recompense for her insulting conduct towards her. Devayānī lived happily with Yayāti for some years and bore him two sons, Yadu and Turvasu. Subsequently her husband became enamoured of Śarmiṣṭhā, and Devayānī, feeling herself aggrieved, abruptly left her husband and went home to her father, who at her request condemned Yayāti with the infirmity of old age; see Yayāti also]. [ ID=15635 ]
- daughter of Ushanas and wife of Yayati  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > देवयानी (devayānī) [Printed book page 239-1 ] Devayānī, daughter of Uśanas (Śukra) and wife of Yayāti. § 143 (Nahuṣa): I, 75, 3159 (mother of Yadu and Turvasu). —§ 145 (Kaca): I, 76, 3186, 3197, 3198, 3205, 3206, 3207, 3208, 3212, (3213), 3222, 3226, †3229, (†3231), †3233, †3239, (†3240), †3241 (prevailed upon Uśanas to revive Kaca ); 77, (3256), 3263, (3264), (3271), 3273, 3276 ( Kaca would not accept her as his wife, because he, being a disciple of Uśanas, regarded her as his sister; D. then cursed Kaca ).—§ 146: When Kaca had imparted to the gods the Sañjīvanī they set out with Indra at their head to defeat the Asuras. In a wood like Caitraratha, Indra transformed himself into wind and mixed up the clothes of some bathing maidens. A quarrel about the clothes resulted in D.'s being thrown into a well by Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan. Yayāti found her and drew her up by her right hand, and then returned to his capital. Devayānī sent Ghūrṇikā to inform Śukra of what had passed (I, 78—79 ). Śukra threatened Vṛṣa- parvan that he would leave the Asuras, until Śarmiṣṭhā, together with 1,000 maidens, was given to D. (I, 80 ). Surrounded by Śarmiṣṭhā and 2,000 maidens, Devayānī one day again met Yayāti, who at her request received her Page239-b+ 63 in marriage from Śukra, and promised that he would never invite Śarmiṣṭhā to share his bed (I, 81 ): I, 78, 3284, 3285, (3285), 3290, (3297), 3302, (3303), 3307, (3309), 3314; 79, 3319, 3321, (3326); 80, 3341, 3343, 3344, (3345), 3346, (3347), 3348, 3350, 3351, (3354), 3356, (3357); 81, 3359, 3363, 3364, (3367), (3370), (3373), (3375), 3376, (3377), (3379), (3382), (3385), 3386, (3388), 3392, 3395.— § 147: Devayānī gave birth to a son. After 1,000 years had elapsed, Śarmiṣṭhā attained to puberty and prevailed upon Yayāti to beget a son also with her (I, 82 ); to Devayānī she said that she had born the child to a ṛṣi whose name she had not dared to ask. The sons of Devayānī were Yadu and Turvasu, those of Śarmiṣṭhā were Druhyu, Anu, and Pūru. One day, when Devayānī was walking in the wood together with Yayāti, she met the children of Śarmiṣṭhā and asked them: “Who is your father?” They then pointed to Yayāti. Devayānī in anger withdrew to Uśanas, followed by Yayāti. Uśanas cursed Yayāti to be overcome by decrepitude, yet with the permission of trans- ferring it to someone else, and he added that that son of Yayāti who would give him his own youth should succeed Yayāti on the throne, etc. (I, 83 ): I, 82, 3397, 3398, 3400, 3401, 3404, 3411, 3419; 83, 3424, 3425, (3425), (3428), (3430), 3432, 3434, (3436), (3437), 3439, (3442), 3446, (3451), 3461.—§ 148 (Yayāti): I, 85, 3519 ( °yāḥ sutaṃ …Yaduṃ ).—§ 156 (Pūruvaṃś.): I, 95, ††3761 ( Uśanaso duhitā ), 3762 ( Yaduñ ca Turvasuñ caiva D°ī vyajāyata ).—§ 569 (Bhagavadyānap.): V, 149, 5045 ( Yaduḥ …D°yāḥ sutaḥ ).—§ 595 (Ṣoḍaśarāj., v. Yayāti): VII, 63, 2297 (wife of Yayāti).—§ 599 e (Śini): VII, 144, 6030 ( Yayāter D°yān tu Yadur jyeṣṭo 'bhavat sutaḥ ). Cf. Auśanasī, Bhārgavī, Śukratanayā. [ ID=3319 ]
- the daughter of Shukra and Urjasvati, and wife of Yayati  
  *The Purana Index*
  > देवयानी (devayānī) [Printed book page 2-121 ] Devayānī (I) — the daughter of Śukra and Ūrjasvatī (Yajanī, Jayantī); accompanied Śarmiṣṭhā, the Asura king's daughter to water-sports; when Śarmiṣṭhā clothed herself Page2-122+ 37 with Devayānī's dress by mistake, Devayānī treated her as a slave, she being the daughter of a Brahmana Purohita. The Princess became enraged, stripped her and cast her into a well and went away; when she was crying helpless there came Yayāti who was on a hunting expedition. He gave her his upper cloth to wear and lifted her up. Devayānī request- ed him to be her husband, saying that she had been cursed by Kaca, Bṛhaspati's son, to marry only a Kṣatriya. Yayāti agreed and departed. Devayāni reported Śarmiṣṭhā's con- duct to her father Śukra who left the palace in disgust. The king implored him on his knees, when Śukra agreed to stay on if Śarmiṣṭhā would be appointed as servant of his daughter. This was agreed upon, and Śarmiṣṭhā became her servant. When Devayānī was married to Yayāti, Śukra presented Śarmiṣṭhā as his daughter's maid. She had two sons Yadu and Turvasu. Learning of her husband's connec- tion with Śarmiṣṭhā during her own pregnancy, Devayānī left for her father's house. Yayāti followed her and was cursed by Śukra to fall a prey to old age. Yayāti appealed to him to mitigate the curse as his desire for enjoyment with his daughter was still keen. Then Śukra said that if anyone would give him his youth and take up old age then he could regain his youth. His son Pūru agreed and once more the king enjoyed the company of Devayānī; 2 heard the story of an ewe loved by a ram from Yayāti, and thought it was an allusion to her; became detached and cast off her body with her mind on Hari. 3 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. V. 1. 34; M. 24. 52-3; Vā. 1. 155; 65. 84; 98. 20; Vi. IV. 10. 4, 20.] [ Footnote: 2) Bhā. IX. 18. 7-51; M. 25. 7; Chh. 26 to 32.] [ Footnote: 3) Bhā. IX. 19. (whole); Br. III. 1. 86; 68. 15; Vā. 93. 15-16.] [ ID=6247 ]

### Path to the gods (Devayāna) (3 definitions)
- leading to the gods  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 494,1] देव (deva) — यान (—yāna) mf( ई (ī) )n. = - या (-yā), RV.; AV.; VS. [ ID=95942 ]
- leading to the gods or serving them as a way  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > leading to the gods, serving them as a way ( अध्वन् (adhvan), पथिन् (pathin) &c.), ib.; Br.; Up.; MBh. [ ID=95943 ]
- the path leading to the gods  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > देव (deva) — यान (—yāna) n. way leading to the gods, MBh.; BhP. [ ID=95944 ]

### A wife of Skanda (1 definition)
- a wife of Skanda  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a wife of Skanda, Religious Thought and Life in India, also called ’Brāhmanism and Hindūism,’ by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 214. [ ID=95947 ]

### Devayānī, daughter of Jayantī (1 definition)
- a daughter of Jayanti and granddaughter of Indra  
  *The Purana Index*
  > [Printed book page 2-122 ] Devayānī (II) — a daughter of Jayantī and a grand- daughter of Indra. M. 47. 186. [ ID=6248 ]

### Vehicle of a god (Devayāna) (1 definition)
- the vehicle of a god  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the vehicle of a god, L. [ ID=95945 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); The Purana Index.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546