28
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 9, Ch. 18]
who has died untimely. This art, called  mṛta-sañjīvanī , was especially used during wartime. When there was a war, soldiers would certainly die untimely, but if a soldier's body was intact, he could be brought to life again by this art of  mṛta-sañjīvanī . This art was known to Śukrācārya and many others, and Kaca, the son of Bṛhaspati, became Śukrācārya's student to learn it. Devayānī desired to have Kaca as her husband, but Kaca, out of regard for Śukrācārya, looked upon the  guru 's daughter as a respectable superior and therefore refused to marry her. Devayānī angrily cursed Kaca by saying that although he had learned the art of  mṛta-sañjīvanī  from her father, it would be useless. When cursed in this way, Kaca retaliated by cursing Devayānī never to have a husband who was a  brāhmaṇa . Because Devayānī liked Yayāti, who was a  kṣatriya , she requested him to accept her as his bona fide wife. Although this would be  pratiloma-vivāha , a marriage between the daughter of a high family and the son of a lower family, she explained that this arrangement was made by providence.
TEXT 23
ययातिरनभिप्रेतं दैवोपहृतमात्मनः । 
  मनस्तु तद्गतं बुद्ध्वा प्रतिजग्राह तद्वचः ॥२३॥
yayātir anabhipretam 
  daivopahṛtam ātmanaḥ 
  manas tu tad-gatam buddhvā 
  pratijagrāha tad-vacaḥ
yayātiḥ—King Yayāti; anabhipretam—not liked; daiva-upahṛtam—brought about by providential arrangements; ātmanaḥ—his personal interest; manaḥ—mind; tu—however; tat-gatam—being attracted to her; buddhvā—by such intelligence; pratijagrāha—accepted; tat-vacaḥ—the words of Devayānī.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:  Because such a marriage is not sanctioned by regular scriptures, King Yayāti did not like it, but because it was arranged by providence and because he was attracted by Devayānī's beauty, he accepted her request.