Sukanya Shariati

Eons ago, there lived a sage called Chyaavana. He was interested in performing penances and austerities. Therefore, he began meditating in the banks of a lake in a jungle which was located on the outskirts of the kingdom ruled by Shariati. Time passed by, and the beings of the forest began to witness an anthill in the place which hosted sage Chyaavana. The great sage had been covered by the anthill over time. 

Meanwhile, Sukanya, the favorite daughter of Shariati, was impelled by her sisters to lead them into the forest. Sukanya requested Shariati to let them go to the lake in the forest. Shariati took his entire family into the forest and Sukanya strayed away from the company of others and moved on to her favorite grove which was located near the lake. The beautiful princess was attracted by the anthill that had grown over sage Chyaavana.

She found two bright sparks on the anthill and decided to catch them. The princess was under the impression that they were fireflies and therefore she decided to chase them in order to catch them and take it to her friends. Sukanya took two twigs and poked the anthill. A sound came out of the anthill and drops of blood prickled out immediately. Sukanya got terrified and ran to her father. Meanwhile, the people who accompanied the royal family began to experience pain in their bodies. A perplexed Shariati returned to his palace and he sent for his minister.

Shariati was aware that sage Chyaavana was meditating near the lake and therefore he directed his minister to find out if anyone had offended the sage. Sukanya shared her story and Shariati decided to seek the truth himself. He found the great sage sitting under a tree and understood that the prank of his beautiful daughter had blinded him. A worried Shariati requested the sage to forgive his daughter and provide relief to the people who were in pain. Sage Chyaavana stated that it was not a curse but Karma. 

Shariati offered to send 100 men to look after the needs of Sage Chyaavana. However, the sage wanted the beautiful Sukanya to serve him. This worried the ruler, and he was caught in a bind. He was wondering whether his subjects should suffer for the sins committed by his daughter or that his daughter should serve a blind old sage. A persistent Sukanya made her father blurt out the truth immediately Sukanya told her father that truth would last longer than beauty. 

Sukanya took an oath to marry sage Chyaavana. She did so in the name of Goddess Durga and requested the deity to free her subjects from the scourge. And lo! They got cured. Shariati and his entourage went to the forest along with Sukanya and got her married to sage Chyaavana. She decided to wear the clothes that would befit the status of a dweller who lived in a hermitage.

Sukanya dedicated herself to the service of her husband. She picked flowers for him and helped him with materials connected for the Yaagas performed by him. Sukanya helped him with his day-to-day chores. The devoted wife in her looked into all his requirements. An enormous peace enveloped her, and she understood the joy of serving a person. In return, she wanted Sage Chyaavana to be her husband in all her future births. This was the only reward that she sought from God.

Years passed by and life was moving on. One day, the Ashwini twins confronted Sukanya and wanted to know about her. On learning about the life of the immensely mature Sukanya they offered to salvage her life. She was asked to marry one of them but the chaste one got insinuated and decided to curse the Ashwini kumaras who happened to be the physicians of the Gods. The duo retracted by stating that they were indeed pleased to see her pass their test. They offered to restore both – the youth and the eyes of her husband – Sage Chyaavana. However, the offer came with a rider, the restored sage would look like Ashwini twins and Sukanya had to use the power of her chastity to identify her husband.

The wife of sage Chyaavana, took the offer on the condition that her husband would let her undertake this mission. She proceeded to ashram and narrated everything to the sage. The sage blessed her venture and proceeded towards the lake with her. The Ashwini twins requested Sukanya to accompany them by leading Sage Chyaavana into the lake. They requested her to go back to the banks and as soon as Sukanya reached the bank, the three of them immersed themselves into the waters of the lake.

Moments later, three identical men came out of the waters and individually began to declare that sage Chyaavana was himself. Pativrata Sukanya offered her prayers to Goddess Durga and sought her intervention. A pleased Durga told Sukanya that Gods do not blink with their eyes, but mortals do. This helped Sukanya to identify the handsome sage Chyaavana. Thereafter, the Ashwini twins departed to heaven after blessing Sukanya with everlasting glory.

The power of love and steadfast devotion made Sukanya be known as Sati Sukanya. King Shariati became immensely proud of his daughter. The immortal story of old Chyaavana and his wife Sukanya had fascinated the writer of the yonder era therefore one can find references to this story in Rig Veda, Shatapaatha Brahmana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Devi Purana and many other texts. This story ensured that an ancient ayurvedic rejuvenating preparation was named as Chyaavana Praasha.