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How Sanjeevanee Vidyaa Came to Brihaspati

After people appreciated Shukra's Pandit on his presentation, Brihaspati's Pandit said - "I agree with you that once Sanjeevanee Vidyaa was only with Shukraachaarya Jee but Brihaspati also had it later." Shukra's Pandit said - "Shukraachaarya Jee obtained it by doing Tap, but Brihaspati got it by cheating. I tell you how.

Whenever Dev-Asur war happened, Shukraachaarya used to bring the dead Asur alive by his Sanjeevanee Vidyaa and thus Devtaa had to face them again and again. So one day, Devtaa went to Brihaspati and requested him to learn this Vidyaa from him. They suggested him to send his son Kach to him as a disciple and learn this Vidyaa from him. They also told him that Shukraachaarya loved his daughter Devayaanee very much so his son could extend his friendship to her also. First Brihaspati Jee did not quite agree with this but as afterthought he sent his son to Shukraachaarya in the interest of Devtaa.

Kach came to Shukraachaarya and requested him to accept him as his disciple. Asur warned Shukraachaarya not to accept Kach as his disciple because he was the son their enemies' Guru and could take some secret from their Guru to his father which he might use against them. But Shukraachaarya told that he could not say no to a person who wanted to learn something from him, besides by tutoring him he would honor his brother. But he accepted him as his disciple on apprentice basis only for 1,000 years. Now Kach started serving him by mind, heart and actions. He took care of his daughter Devayaanee also. Seeing his faithfulness and devotion, Devayaanee started loving him, if he got late for a few minutes, she would become worried about him, but Kach only respected her as his preceptor's daughter.

When his 1,000 years were coming to an end, Asur thought to kill Kach as they did not want him to take away Sanjeevanee Vidyaa to Devtaa. They thought if Devayaanee loved him so much he could have this Vidyaa automatically, and they did not want this to happen. So once when he went to graze cattle in a forest, they killed him and left his body for wolves and jackals to devour." When Kach did not return home, Devayaanee got worried about his safety and asked his father to find him. She insisted that Asur had killed him. First Shukraachaarya Jee did not believe this later he found that it was true, so he brought him back to life.

Failing in their attempt, Asur killed him again, ground his body in a paste and flowed in the sea, but Shukraachaarya brought him back to life again. Third time when Asur killed him they burned his body, dissolved his ashes in a goblet of wine and offered that wine to Shukraachaarya to drink. Shukraachaarya Jee drank it without any suspicion. Seeing Kach nowhere, Devayaanee again asked her father to find Kach. He told her to forget Kach, but she was not ready for it, she threatened to commit suicide if she did not see him. Since he loved his daughter very much, he called out loudly - "O Son Kach, Where are you?"

Now Kach was in his own stomach, so he shouted from there only - "Guru Jee, I am here in your stomach." Guru Jee asked him - "How did you enter my stomach." Kach told him the whole story. Guru Jee said - "Now you come out." "If I will come out, you will die, I cannot commit this sin of killing of Guru." Devayaanee suggested to her father - "You know Sanjeevanee Vidyaa. You can teach me this Vidyaa. When Kach will come out and you will die, I will bring you to life." Shukraachaarya saw no option to this, so he had to teach the Vidyaa to Devayaanee. Now when he was teaching it to his daughter, Kach also learnt it.

Shukraachaarya Jee asked Kach to come out of his stomach, so he did and Shukraachaarya Jee died. Devayaanee used Sanjeevanee Vidyaa and brought him alive. Shukraachaarya Jee cursed the Asur for their stupidity and cursed alcohol, because it makes the person speak what he should not speak. Now Kach's 1,000 years were going to complete, so he wanted to go, but Devayaanee asked Kach to marry her, as she loved him very much. Kach clearly refuse to marry her, as he came out from the stomach of the Guru, Devayaanee became his Guru-sister, and he could not marry his Guru-sister. This marriage would be like the marriage of a brother and sister.

At this Devayaanee got very angry, she cursed him - "Whatever you have learnt from my father, you will not be able to use it." At this Kach said - "I am not worried about myself, at least I can teach it to others and they will be able to use it. And since you have cursed me without any reason, I curse you that you will not be able to find any Braahman boy as your husband."

Kach's Shaap Comes True

In those days King Vrishparvaa was the king of Asur. He had a beautiful daughter named Sharmishthaa. Since Shukraachaarya Jee was the Guru of Asur, Devayaanee and Sharmishthaa were good friends. One day both of them went to a lake to enjoy with their friends. They took off their clothes and started playing in the lake water. After a while they saw Indra coming to that side so all of them ran out of the lake to wear their clothes. In hurry, Sharmishthaa wore Devayaanee's clothes. This made Devayaanee very angry and in anger she said - "Your father is my father's disciple, and his daughter has put on my clothes?" Sharmishthaa also got angry, she tried to clear her position that that happened only in hurry otherwise there was no intention to do this, but Devayaanee's anger did not subside. At this Sharmishthaa stripped Devayaanee's clothes and threw her in a dry well and came back home. Devayaanee abused her for a long time. Then she started shouting for help.

Now it so happened that the King Yayaati was roaming around in that forest for hunting with his soldiers. He felt thirsty so he was looking for some water. He heard Devayaanee's voice crying for help, so he came towards the well and found that the sound was coming from the well. As he peeped into the well, he found a naked girl instead of water. He threw a rope and pulled her out of the well. He gave his clothes also to cover her body. Devayaanee said - "Who are you? I am vary thankful to you for this help." Yayaati said - "I am King Yayaati. I came here for hunting. I felt thirsty so I was looking for some water. I heard your voice so I came here and found you. Who are you and how did you come here?" Devayaanee told him everything and requested him to be her husband saying - "You have taken me out holding my hand, and you have seen me in this condition, I do not want that anybody else should hold my hand and see me in this condition." Yayaati said - "How can I marry you, I am a Kshatriya and you are a Braahman? Devayaanee said - "This is our Destiny, so you must marry me." Yayaati bowed his head to his Destiny.

Yayaati's Life

Devayaanee went home and informed about this to her father. Shukraachaarya Jee got very angry at this and got ready to leave Asur because of Sharmishthaa's hasty actions. King Vrishparvaa asked his pardon on behalf of his daughter, but Shukraachaarya Jee said - "I cannot go against my daughter's will." Then Vrishparvaa asked Devayaanee what she wanted now, because whatever had happened, it could not be turned back. Devayaanee said - "I want that wherever I will marry, Sharmishthaa should go with me as my maid with her 100 maids." Vrishparvaa looked at Sharmishthaa. Sharmishthaa, seeing the delicacy of the situation, agreed upon this and Vrishparvaa sent her and her 100 maids with Devayaanee to Yayaati's house. While marrying Devayaanee to Yayaati, Shukraachaarya Jee said - "Never take any other woman to your bed except my daughter, otherwise you will have to bear the consequences." Yayaati agreed and took Devayaanee to his palace. Devayaanee had two sons from him.

One day it so happened that Yayaati came wandering to that place where Sharmishthaa was living. She looked beautiful to him. She said to him - "I am a princess. Devayaanee has brought me here as her maid. I had no choice so I came here. I am perfectly all right for your status, please have me and oblige me." Yayaati saw nothing wrong in this and had her. At the appropriate time Sharmishthaa gave birth to a son. Then she had two sons more from him.

As Devayaanee came to know about this she became infuriated and went to her father and complained about this. Shukraachaarya Jee could not see her daughter hurt, so he called Yayaati and reminded him of his warning. Yayaati said - "I have made no mistake, she is also a king's daughter, where she will go to find her husband according to her status?" But Shukraachaarya Jee didn't listen to him and cursed him - "Go and be an old man." Yayaati had to ask his forgiveness saying that this would affect his daughter also. At this Shukraachaarya Jee said - "OK, You may transfer your Shaap to anybody else who is willing to take it."

Yayaati came home and asked his elder four sons if they could take his old age give him their youth in exchange, but nobody agreed. He even promised them to give his kingdom still nobody agreed. Then his youngest son Puru, the third son of Sharmishthaa, agreed upon this and he took his old age and gave his youth to him. Yayaati enjoyed with Devayaane for 1,000 years. Finally he saw the worthlessness of his perpetual sensuality, so he returned Puru's youth to him, took back his old age and renounced the world."

Yayaati's Vansh

Budh's Pandit asked - "Who was this Yayaati? He was the great grandson of the great Pururavaa." Shukra's Pandit said - "Yes, He was. His father's name was Nahush who attained Swarg's kingdom on the basis of his qualities, but unfortunately, he was thrown down on Earth in the form of a serpent by Agastya Muni's Shaap because of his arrogance. When Yayaati renounced the world, he divided his kingdom in 5 parts and gave one each to each of his five sons. Puru was appointed the King of the earth. These five sons of Yayaati started the five clans into which were born many heroes - like Kaartveerya Arjun who had 1,000 arms and Vishnu Himself had to take Avataar (Parashuraam) to kill him. He lived for 85,000 years. He was born in Yadu's line. The descendent of Puru (or the direct descendent of Soorya, Chandra, Budh and Shukra) was King Dushyant, his son was Bharat (on whose name this Bhaarat Varsh is named). Bharat adopted Bharadwaaj, Brihaspati's son, as his own son.

Birth of Bharadwaaj

Now let me tell you about the birth of Bharadwaaj. Once Brihaspati was filled with desire to have his elder brother Utathya's wife Mamataa. But she was already pregnant. So when Brihaspati approached her, the child in her womb protested him; but Brihaspati took her by force cursing the fetus for its objection. Brihaspati's child was immediately born. Mamataa wanted to abandon Brihaspati's child as she was afraid of her husband Utathya. Both Brihaspati and Mamataa wanted to take care of the other child (Utathya's child), so they abandoned him there.

The Maruts found the child there and reared him naming Bharadwaaj. But whatever the circumstances of the child birth, Bharadwaaj is Brihaspati's son, just as Budh is Chandramaa's son. It was Bharadwaaj who taught Aayur Ved to Dhanvantari. Bharadwaaj's great grandson was King Rantidev whose compassion was boundless. It is famous about him that he never used any money from his royal treasury for his family's personal use. And the great warrior Dronaachaarya was a descendent of Bharadwaaj.