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Shukraachaarya

Shukraachaarya Jee is the Guru of Daitya. He is Maharshi Bhrigu's (Brahmaa's one of the ten sons - Atri, Angiraa, Daksh, Kratu, Mareechi, Naarad, Pulastya, Pulah, Vashishth and Bhrigu) son Kavi's son, that is why he is known as Kavya also. Shukraachaarya Jee was married to Oorjswatee, the daughter of Priyavrat (Manu's son). Shukrachaarya Jee had two daughters named Devayaanee and Arajaa.

Shukraachaarya and Kach
Shukraachaarya knew Sanjevanee Vidyaa. So whenever Devtaa and Daitya fought Shukraachaarya Jee brought his dead Daitya to live again. This troubled Devtaa very much so they asked their Guru Brihaspati Jee to send their son Kach to learn that Vidyaa from him. They told him this also, that Shukra loved his daughter Devayaanee very much. After a long thought Brihaspati Jee sent his son Kach to learn Sanjeevanee Vidyaa from Shukraachaarya Jee. Devayaanee got attracted to him. She saved his life also several times. When his education got completed she proposed him for her marriage, but he refused saying that he could not marry his Guru's daughter as it will be a great sin, because she was like his sister. On his refusal she gave him Shaap that he would forget whatever he had learned from her father. At this he also gave her a Shaap that since she gave him Shaap without any genuine reason, no Braahman would ever marry to her. So she married to Raajaa Yayaati - a Kshatriya.

Shukraachaarya and Yayaati
Devayaanee was a very proud girl. Shukraachaarya Jee was the Purohit of Daitya Raaj Vrishparvaa (Daksh's daughter Danu and Kashyap's son). He had a daughter named Sharmishthaa. Devayaanee and Sharmishthaa were very good friends. Once they were playing in a pond with their friends that they saw Shankar Jee passing by that pond with Paarvatee Jee, so all girls came out of the pond and started getting dressed hurriedly. In this hurry Sharmishthaa put on Devayaanee's clothes. At this Devayaanee got very angry. Both had a hot conversation and as a result of that Sharmishthaa pushed Devayaanee in a dry well and came to her house. By chance Raajaa Yayaati came there in search of water. He looked for water in the well, however he did not get water in the well, but found a girl. He took her out. Yayaati gave his cloth to cover her body. Then Devayaanee requested him to marry her saying that now she did not want that anybody else should see her in this condition and hold her hand. Although this marriage was not in accordance to Shaastra but Yayaati accepted it as his fate.

Devayaanee came to her house and told everything to her father. At this insult Shukra decided to leave his Purohitship so he left the house. When Vrishparvaa got this news, he came to request them to stay. Shukraachaarya Jee said, "My happiness is in the happiness of my daughter, so whatever she says, if it is acceptable to you, it is all right with me." On asking Devayaanee said, "I want Sharmishthaa and all her friends as my maid-servants and wherever I go they should also go with me." Sharmishthaa had to agree for this seeing the delicacy of the situation. So when Devayaanee was married to Yayaati, Sharmishthaa and her friends also went with her as her maid-servants.

At the time of marriage Shukraachaarya Jee warned the King not to take Sharmishthaa to his bed. The King agreed, but as time passed and Devayaanee had two sons Sharmishthaa also requested him to give her children. Yayaati also obliged her. Devayaanee got very angry at this and went back to his father. Yayaati followed her and requested Devayaanee to come back to her home. But Devayaanee was adamant and Shukraachaarya also gave him Shaap to become old. The King said - "But this will affect your daughter too." At this he changed it to that he could exchange it with anyone's youth whoever was ready to do it. The King could exchange his old age with his youngest son Puru, Sharmishthaa's son. He enjoyed his life for long time, then seeing the comforts of this world temporary, he returned his son's youth to him, took his old age back and went to forest.

Shukraachaarya and Bali
Once in Devtaa and Daitya war Raajaa Bali won the Tri-Lok and entered the Swarg. He liked the Swarg very much and wanted to live there for ever. Shukraachaarya Jee told him that he could live there permanently when he had done 100 Ashwamedh Yagya. So Raajaa Bali started doing Ashwamedh Yagya to live in Swarg permanently. If he had done that, he could live there permanently. When Devtaa's mother Aditi heard that her sons have been thrown out of the Swarg, she approached Kashyap Jee to give her a son who could kill Daitya. Kashyap Jee advised her to do a Vrat which could give her a son like that. So she did the Vrat and got Vishnu's Avataar Vaaman Bhagavaan as her son.

When Raajaa Bali was doing the 100th Ashwamedh Yagya, Bhagavaan Vaaman came for alms and asked for only three feet land. Bali could not have refused anything to Him. But Shukra had guessed that he was not an ordinary Braahman boy but was Vishnu Himself and wanted to get hold on Tri-Lok by asking only three feet land. So he advised him not to commit for anything because He was not an ordinary Braahman boy, He was Vishnu Himself, still Bali did not agree with his advice on the basis that "if He is Bhagavaan and has come for alms at my door, I am the most fortunate person who will give something to Bhagvaan who gives to everybody. I don't want to lose this opportunity; and if He is not then there is no fear from him."

Still Shukra did not want to give the Tri-Lok Kingdom to that Braahman boy, so when Bali was reading the Sankalp by pouring the water, he sat in the spout of the water pot. This stopped water to come out and hindered Bali's Sankalp. Seeing this Vaaman Bhagavaan took a blade of Kush grass and inserted in that spout to open the spout hole. This pierced Shukra's left eye and he left the place because of pain. The water came out and Bali completed is Sankalp. As soon as the Sankalp got completed, Vaaman expanded His body and measured Prithvi in one foot and Swarg in the second foot and covered sky with His body. Then he asked Bali where He could measure his third foot land.

Bali did not hesitate even for a moment. He lay down on the ground face down and said to Him - "You create everything, you destroy everything, you have taken everything from  me, I don't have anything else, so you may measure your third foot on my body. Bhagavaan got very pleased with him. He gave him the Var of Immortality and Indraship in the next Manvantar. He asked him to live in peace in Sutal Lok till the next Manvantar. He assured him that He would protect his kingdom Himself.

When there was Dev-Asur Sangraam (at the time of Saagar Manthan), and many Daitya died along with Raajaa Bali then he brought all of them alive with his Sanjeevan Vidyaa.

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on 5/27/03
Contact: sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 06/09/11