Satyavati

Satyavati was the second wife of Maharaja Shantanu, after his first wife Ganga had left him to return to the heavenly planets. She was the daughter of Uparichara Vasu, but was raised by a fisherman. Before her marriage to Shantanu, she had a son by Parashara Rishi, named Vyasadeva, who was the literary incarnation of God.

At the time of negotiating his father's marriage to Satyavati, Shantanu's son Devavrata took his great vow of celibacy, very difficult to execute for a kshatriya, after which he became known as Bhishma.

Satyavati had two sons by Shantanu, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. When both died young, without leaving any progeny, Satyavati called for Vyasadeva to beget children on Vichitravirya's widows. Thus, Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura were born.

After the death of Maharaja Pandu and young Pandavas' arrival in Hastinapura, Vyasadeva advised Satyavati to accept vanaprastha order of life and enter the forest along with her two daughters-in-law.

SATYAVATI'S BIRTH

THE BIRTH OF VYASADEVA

As an unmarried girl, Satyavati served her foster father by plying a boat on the Yamuna river. One time, as she was taking the great Parashara Rishi across the river, he calculated that at that auspicious moment a great personality could be born. So he asked Satyavati to bear a child by him. Satyavati was ashamed that the rishis on both sides of the river would see them, and afraid to return home to her father after losing her virginity. So Parashara Muni created a fog to cover the river and promised to return her virginity. Vyasadeva was born immediately after his conception on an island in the middle of the river, and thus became known as Dvaipayana, one who was born on an island (dvipa). He also grew up immediately and left to perform austerities, promising to come before his mother whenever she would think of him.