The Miraculous Birth of Satyavati

There once was a celestial nymph named Adrika. She worshipped me, Shashthi, on the sixth day of every month, so I gave her my word that I would protect her health and bless her with fertility. Unfortunately, Adrika was cursed and turned into a fish for the remainder of her life. She was a loyal and devoted follower of mine, and I knew how badly she wanted children of her own. I decided that even though she had been turned into a fish, she should still be able to have children if the opportunity presented itself.

One day, King Uparichara was rinsing off in the Yamuna river after a long journey through the wilderness. He was thinking of his wife and the family that they wanted to have. He then crafted a make-shift box out of leaves and commanded a bird to carry the box with his semen inside of it to his wife at the castle so that they could start their family immediately.

As the bird was flying over the river, Adrika just so happened to be swimming by when the box began to crumble. Incredibly, some of the King’s semen fell from the sky and into the river right onto Adrika. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to give Adrika the children she had always wanted, and they would even be fathered by a king! I was so happy that I was finally getting the chance to reward Adrika for her life-long devotion to me. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

After months of carrying her children, a fisherman caught Adrika, and she gave birth to both a baby boy and girl on the fisherman’s boat. Adrika was overjoyed at the sight of her beloved children. She didn't know what would happen next, but knew that she wanted her children to live a good and happy life, full of love and abundance. Adrika's excitement was quickly extinguished when she was thrown back into the river. Sadly, she would never get to have a relationship with her children, but she could still watch over them as long as they stayed close to the river.

After the initial shock wore off, the fisherman cut his fishing trip short. He rowed as fast as he could to the shore and decided to bring the children to King Uparicara for guidance on the situation.

I was ecstatic that the fisherman was taking the children to their father, and I was sure that the king would recognize his own flesh and blood upon seeing the children. I couldn't wait to see these miracle children live the life of luxury that their mother wished for them.

Unfortunately, King Uparicara and his wife only desired a son. They decided to keep the boy and told the fisherman to keep the girl. The king raised the boy in his palace as a prince. The fisherman named the girl Satyavati and raised her as his own.

This INFURIATED me! Satyavati deserved to be royalty-- especially after everything her mother has been through! I let Adrika become pregnant by the king so that her children could grow up with everything that they could ever ask for, and now that is ruined for my dear Satyavati… Where did I go wrong?

The fisherman was a poor man, but having Satyavati there helped his business and gave him a reason to push on through life. He felt that finding Satyavati was no accident (even though it was!) and that they were meant to cross paths. She gave him happiness along with a will to live, and he gave her the love and care that her mother always wanted her to have.

Though this was not the future I had planned for Adrika or Satyavati, it seems that everything worked out well in the end. I know that my influence along with fate has made a lasting impression on us all.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This is an adaptation of the story Vyasa and Ganesha from the PDE: Mahabharata told through the perspective of Shashthi, the Goddess of Childbirth. This story originally grazes over the birth story of Satyavati to tell the birth story of her son, Vyasa, the voice of the Mahabharata. I thought the strange birth of Satyavati and her brother definitely deserved some more explanation that what was originally given in the PDE Marabharata. According to Vyasa Online, Adrika was Satyavati’s mom who was cursed and turned into a fish. Upon reading this story, I wondered how a fish could even get pregnant. I figured if anyone could make that happen, it would totally be Shashthi! ! In my version of this story, Shashthi keeps trying to reward her loyal follower, but none of her blessings end up producing the outcomes she desired. This just goes to show that even though Gods and Goddesses are powerful, they cannot control every facet of reality. Even when good things happen, other people’s influence and decisions may affect the final outcome. Life is unpredictable and full of chance. Even though things didn’t go as Shashthi had planned, everything worked out in the end for everyone involved.