Sukanya ( sa, सुकन्या, lit=wonderful virgin, translit=Sukanyā) is a princess In

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

. She is the daughter of Sharyati, the son of

Vaivasvata Manu Vaivasvata Manu (), also referred to as Shraddhadeva and Satyavrata, is the current Manu—the progenitor of the human race in Hindu mythology. He is the seventh of the 14 Manus of the current kalpa (aeon) of Hindu cosmology. Forewarned about ...

, and the wife of the sage

Chyavana Chyavana () was a sage (rishi) in Hinduism. He was a son of Bhrigu, also known as Bhrigu Varuni in the Upanishads, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste or tonic known as '' chyavanaprasham'', which was prepared by t ...

Legend

Marriage

According to the narrative found in the

Vana Parva The Vana Parva, also known as the "Book of the Forest", is the third of eighteen parvas in the Indian epic Mahabharata.van Buitenen, J.A.B. (1975) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the Forest''. Chicago, ...

of the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

, Sage

was so absorbed in practising austerities on the side of a lake that termites built up their mound all over his body and only his eyes were left. Once, Sharyati, along with his army and household, came to visit the place. Sukanya, daughter of King Sharyati, seeing only two bright eyes in what seemed to be an anthill, poked them with a stick. Chyavana felt excessive pain and became furious. He obstructed the excretory functions of the men of Sharyati's army. He was propitiated only after the king gave him his daughter, Sukanya, in marriage.

Deduction

Once, the

Ashvins The Ashvins ( sa, अश्विन्, Aśvin, horse possessors), also known as Ashwini Kumara and Asvinau,, §1.42. are Hindu deities, Hindu twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn and sciences. In the ''Rigveda'', they are described ...

visited the hermitage of Chyavana. They saw the beautiful Sukanya while she was bathing. They tried to convince Sukanya to reject the old and ugly Chyavana, and accept one of them as her husband. Furious, the princess rejected their proposal. The deities then promised to restore the youth and eyesight of Chyavana first, so that she could make an unbiased choice amongst her present husband, and one of them. The princess was tempted, because this would mean that her husband's vigour would be restored. Sukanya promised to consider their proposal, and informed Chyavana. At the behest of Chyavana, Sukanya requested the Ashvins to allow her to make her choice. All three took a bath in the lake, and came out with the same youthful, divine look. Each of them requested Sukanya to be his bride, but she successfully identified Chyavana and selected him, in some accounts, after praying to

Adi Parashakti Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifesta ...

. In gratitude for his restored youth and eyesight, Chyavana assured the Ashvins that he would ensure that the deities would get their share of the sacrificial offerings. According to the Mahabharata, Sukanya bore her husband a son called Pramati.

References

{{reflist Characters in Hindu mythology

Legend

Marriage

Deduction

See also

References