One day, Devayani daughter of Shukracharya , along with the daughter of King Vishiparva and her maids, went to a lake in the adjoining forest to swim. They played and swam in the lake for quite a while. Then all of them came out. The princess mistakenly put on the clothes of Devayani. When Devayani came out of the lake and found her clothes on the body of the princess, she was furious. Tempers ran high. Finally, the princess, with the help of her maids, threw Devayani in a well and returned to the palace.
King Yayati, who had been hunting in that very forest, was returning and heard somebody crying and appealing for help. He got down off his horse and then realized that the voice was coming from a well. The well, although deep, did not contain much water, and he found Devayani standing waist deep in water. He removed his headgear, made it into a long rope, and lowered it into the well. Devayani caught hold if it and Yayati pulled her up.
When she reached the top, she requested Yayati to grab her hand and help her out, which he did. When she told King Yayati her name and where she lived, he took her to her father's ashram on his horse. Devayani narrated everything to her father and also expressed her desire to marry King Yayati, who had already "held her hand" while pulling her out of the well.
Shukracharya was very pleased with the courtesy shown by King Yayati to his daughter. At the same time he felt insulted by the rude behavior of the princess and so sent word to King Vishiparva that he was leaving him for good.
The king came running to the ashram, bowed humbly to Shukracharya, expressed his regret for the rude behavior of the princess, and finally appealed, "Sir, my daughter has misbehaved, but that does not mean you should punish me. You are free to punish my daughter in whatever manner you think fit."
Shukracharya thought it over and then replied, "Yes, you are right. My daughter now desires to marry King Yayati. If your daughter is ready to go along as her maidservant, then I will stay here."
King Vishiparva agreed, and the marriage of King Yayati and Devayani was solemnized. Devayani was good to the demon princess, placing her in a separate palace and providing her with many facilities.
Devayani by now had two sons. One day she went to visit the demon princess and found three beautiful children playing there. Devayani was pleased seeing the youngsters; however she then discovered that her husband, King Yayati, had a secret relationship with the demon princess, who was very beautiful. She became enraged and went to her father, relating to him about her husband's little love nest.
Shukracharya was infuriated and cursed King Yayati saying, "He will no longer retain his youth. He will be an invalid old man forever."
The curse fell on Yayati. He lost his youth, his back was bent, there were wrinkles on his forehead, and he became old looking. However, his desire to enjoy had not diminished, and he begged Shukracharya to pardon him and grant him a release from the curse.
Shukracharya said, "Well, I can grant this much. You now have five sons: two with Devayani and three with Vishiparva's daughter. If any one of your five sons is willing to take on your old age in exchange for his youth, you can be young again."
Yayati went back home and explained the situation to his sons. The two sons with Devayani would not oblige. The youngest of the three sons with the demon princess agreed to exchange his youth for the old age of his father. Yayati then became young, and Kuru, his son, became old.
Yayati tried to fulfill his desires and pacify his instincts by indulging in all sorts of enjoyments, but he never attained satisfaction or peace. Finally he reflected: "Fire cannot be extinguished by pouring oil on it; it will become more wild, and spread out more and more. You cannot conquer lust, greed, desires, etc., by indulging in sensual pleasures. You must control your mind by austerities. That is the only way to attain satisfaction and peace." He then returned the youth to his son and accepted back his old age. He also bestowed upon him his kingdom.
Now Kuru became a great emperor. His dynasty became known as Kaurava and this vast region, in which many saints and sages practiced austerities, sacrifices, and rituals, became known as Kurukshetra. Since it is a region where Dharma was practiced, it is known as Dharma-Kshetra. Kshetra means "field" or "area." Kurukshetra was looked upon as Dharma-Kshetra, or Area or Field of Dharma (religion, austerities, etc.), as it was sanctified by the penance of numerous saints.
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