Episode 3: Devavrata’s Coronation and Shantanu’s Love for Satyavati

Devavrata Made Yuva-Raja of Hastinapur

Upon his return to Hastinapura, King Shantanu decided to declare Devavrata as the Yuva-Raja — the crown prince and heir apparent to the throne. On the day of the coronation, some ministers, wishing to test the prince’s wisdom, presented him with a few cases and questions related to politics and administration.

Devavrata readily agreed. The first case was that of a vassal king accused of instigating rebellion against the Kuru throne. Devavrata investigated and discovered that the unrest had arisen due to unjust taxation — the people were forced to pay even during years of drought and scarcity. He explained before the court that the Kuru kingdom, in protecting its vassals from enemy attack and assisting them in public works, must also ensure that taxes are fair and proportionate to circumstance. Justice, he said, must flow both ways — from ruler to subject and subject to ruler.

Next, the assembly put forth a series of intricate questions on diverse subjects — administration, law, and ethics. Devavrata handled each with calm mastery and clarity of thought. Though these episodes are not recorded in the original epic, they serve to illustrate the vastness of Bhishma’s intellect and his sense of fairness.

What stood out most that day was his definition of dharma and swa-dharma.

Devavrata

“That which benefits all and harms none is dharma. Dharma sustains society; swa-dharma sustains the individual.”

Dharma is the moral and universal law — righteousness, duty, and the natural order that sustains the world and all life within it. It is the framework for living in harmony and achieving higher spiritual goals.

Swa-dharma means “one’s own duty,” arising from one’s inherent nature (svabhava). It refers to the specific responsibilities uniquely suited to an individual, determined by their character, abilities, and position in life — by varna (social order) and ashrama (stage of life). When performed rightly, it sustains both individual growth and collective harmony.

This idea of swa-dharma becomes central later in the Mahabharata, when Lord Krishna uses it to guide Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The epic applies it to the choices of nearly every major character:

• Yudhishthira’s Swa-dharma: His duty as king and eldest Pandava is to uphold truth and justice — even when it plunges him into painful moral conflict.
• Bhishma’s Swa-dharma: His vow bound him to serve the throne of Hastinapura, even when that duty compelled him to stand with the Kauravas — even when they stood against dharma.
• Karna’s Swa-dharma: Torn between his loyalty to Duryodhana and his birth-duty toward Kunti and the Pandavas, Karna’s life itself becomes a conflict between competing dharmas.

After the debate, the coronation ceremony is performed with due grandeur. Devavrata, the embodiment of wisdom and restraint, is anointed Yuva-Raja of Hastinapura.

Shantanu Meets Satyavati

One day, as King Shantanu rides along the Yamuna, a strange, enchanting fragrance fills the air. He follows it to its source — a young woman rowing a ferry. She is Satyavati, adopted daughter of the fisherman-chief Dāsa Raja. Her natural fragrance and quiet dignity instantly captivate the king’s heart.

Shantanu approaches the woman and inquires about her family. Satyavati tells him that she helps her father in ferrying passengers. Shantanu meets Dāsa Raja with a proposal for Satyavati’s hand. The fisherman-chief receives the king with great respect but speaks firmly: “O King, my daughter cannot marry you unless you promise that her son — and not Devavrata — shall inherit the throne of Hastinapura.”

Shantanu, bound by love for his son and his sense of justice, does not agree. He returns home despondent, his heart torn between affection and duty.

Devavrata notices his father’s silent sorrow. He talks to the charioteer and finds out that Shantanu had met the fisherman-chief and his daughter. To probe further, he meets the chief and learns about the condition he had expressed to his father.

Devavrata invokes his mother Ganga to be a witness to the oath that he would renounce the throne and never marry, ensuring that no descendant of his would ever claim it. The fisherman is jubilant and sends his daughter along with Devavrata to the Hastinapur palace.

Satyavati's Origin

According to the Mahābhārata, Satyavati was no ordinary fisher-girl. She was born to Adrikā, an apsara who had been cursed to live as a fish. One day, the fish was caught by the chief fisherman, Dāsa Rāja. When the fish was opened, two human infants — a boy and a girl — were found within.

The fisherman took the twins to King Uparichara Vasu of Chedi. The king recognized them as his own children, born of Adrikā through divine will. He took the boy to his palace in Chedi to be raised as a prince, while the girl was adopted by the fisherman and came to be known as Satyavati.

Because of her birth from the fish, she was called Matsyagandhā, “the one who smells of fish.” Years later, the sage Parāshara blessed her that her scent would become divine and that she would bear a son — Vyāsa, destined to compile the Vedas and compose the Mahābhārata. That part of her story unfolds in a later episode.

Satyavati's twin brother became the ancestor of the royal line of Chedi, from which descended King Śishupāla — slain by Krishna — and his son Dṛishṭaketu, who later fought on the side of the Pāṇḍavas in the Kurukshetra war.

Notes on Symbolism

Ancient epics often speak in symbols. The phrase “the king’s seed fell into the water” expresses the mystery of creation and destiny. In Indian thought, water is the womb of life — the primal source from which all beings arise. The seed symbolizes spirit descending into matter. At a higher level, it reflects the puruṣa, pure consciousness, entering the waters of saṁsāra — the cycle of birth and death. Within every being lies that divine spark — the latent Brahman veiled by māyā. Such stories remind us that what appears mythic often hides profound truths about existence and consciousness.