Uncover the forgotten tale of Devika, Yudhishthira’s wife, her significance in the Mahabharata, and why she remains a mystery in ancient texts.
INVC NEWS
New Delhi : Do you know who was the wife of Yudhishthira, the chief among the Pandava brothers. Very little is known about her in the entire Mahabharata story. Although Draupadi is also called his wife, but she was the joint wife of all the five brothers. Yudhishthira was married. He had only one wife apart from Draupadi. He also had a son from her. However, she was considered one of the most mysterious women of the Mahabharata.
The name of Dharmacharya Yudhishthira’s wife was Devika. She was a Kshatriya princess, who was married to Yudhishthira, the eldest brother of the Pandavas. Although there is a lot of debate about her role in the Mahabharata, but the truth is that her role in it is not clear. She did not go with Yudhishthira to exile. She was married to Yudhishthira before the exile. But she was married after Draupadi.
When Arjun Swayamvara aims at the eye of the fish spinning above by looking at its reflection in the water below, Draupadi accepts him as her husband. Then when Yudhishthira is introduced to King Drupada, he says that he is still unmarried.
Devika and Yudhishthira got married but it is not clear when this happened. Some sources claim that she became his wife after his coronation as the crown prince. While some suggest that she married Yudhishthira after the Kurukshetra war. Her presence is not mentioned in the major events of the epic.
It is generally said that when the Pandavas were exiled for 14 years, Yudhishthira was already married. Yudhishthira left Devika with mother Kunti. She stayed with him during the exile.
Devika had a son named Yaudheya from Yudhishthira. Who took part in the Mahabharata war and was killed. Because after the Mahabharata war, no son of the Pandavas was left alive. Only Parikshit was growing in Uttara’s womb. To whom Yudhishthira later handed over the reign after ruling for 36 years. Then he left for his last journey towards the Himalayas with his brothers and wives. However, in the Vishnu Purana, the name of Yudhishthira’s son is mentioned as Devak and the mother’s name is Yaudheyi.
Devika is mentioned in the Mahabharata. She was the daughter of the great king, Govasena, the ruler of the Sivi Empire. She was the wife of Yudhishthira. Devika was a very pious woman. She was mentioned as “Ratna” among women in the epic Mahabharata. But since she was not mentioned much in the Mahabharata, she was considered mysterious.
She lived with Yudhishthira in Hastinapur and Indraprastha. Yudhishthira treated her with great kindness. He showered a lot of love and affection on her like Draupadi. Devika is considered to be the incarnation of Mata Urmila, the wife of Lord Yama Dharma Maharaj. She lived well with Mata Kunti and Draupadi. She treated everyone with affection. Arjun, Bhima, Nahula and Sahadeva treated her like their mother. She respected her a lot.
Devika was a true devotee of Lord Krishna. She used to pray to Lord Krishna whenever she faced any problem. At the beginning of Kaliyuga, people of North India used to worship Mata Devika and Draupadi as their Ishta Devta. With time people started forgetting the great character of Devika.
The texts describe a good relationship between Devika and Draupadi. Both women respected each other. However, it is true that Draupadi’s condition was that whenever she would stay with any of the Pandavas, their wives would not come in the way of their union. That time would be completely theirs.
It is said that after 36 years of rule, when Yudhishthira goes with his brothers to Mount Meru in the Himalayas for ascending to heaven, all the wives of all the brothers are also with them, although there is no mention of Devika here. Therefore, both types of things are said that she fell in the beginning of this ascension to heaven and went to the mortal world. It is also said that she was not in this journey but she died later
There is no clear record of Devika’s final moments. Some versions of the story suggest that she may have passed away earlier, while others say she accompanied Yudhishthira and the other Pandavas in their final journey to the Himalayas, though this is left ambiguous.
Devika’s enigmatic presence, minimal mentions, and the mystery surrounding her make her one of the lesser-known but intriguing figures in the Mahabharata, overshadowed by other more central characters like Draupadi, Kunti, and the Pandavas.
