About
Devarata II — Brahmin Sage, Father of Yajnavalkya, Descendant of Audala
Devarata · Brahmaratha · Yajnavalka (as epithets of the father) · Devaratasuta (as patronymic of his son)
Devarata, also named Brahmaratha in the Vishnu Purana, is a Brahmin sage of the Vishvamitra gotra who is recorded in the primary texts solely as the father of Yajnavalkya, one of the greatest philosophers of the Upanishadic age. The Bhagavata Purana identifies Yajnavalkya as Devaratasuta — the son of Devarata — making this his most precise primary-source designation. The Vishnu Purana names the father Brahmaratha. Secondary sources drawing on the Vedic biographical tradition note that this sage was deeply devoted to Vedic ritual — specifically to the Karma-kanda, the ritualistic and sacrificial dimension of the Vedas — and to Yajneshvara, the deity of the sacrificial fire, from which devotion he earned the honorary epithets Yajnavalka and Devarata. His genealogical position in the Vishvamitra gotra places him as a descendant of Audala, who is himself a descendant of Devarata (Shunahshepa, the adopted son of Vishvamitra), making his line part of the Vishvamitra-Devarata-Audala pravara branch of the Vishvamitra gotra. No biographical narrative, personal episode, or named teacher-disciple relationship is recorded for him in any primary text beyond his role as the father of Yajnavalkya and his characterisation as a devoted sacrificer.
✦ The Names
The name Devarata, meaning "given by the gods" or "accepted by the gods," is the same name borne by his more famous ancestor Shunahshepa upon adoption by Vishvamitra. That the father of Yajnavalkya bears the same name as the founding ancestor of the gotra's Devarata branch may reflect a deliberate naming practice within the lineage, or may be a source of confusion in the genealogical tradition. The name Brahmaratha, meaning "one whose chariot is Brahma" or "one whose vehicle is sacred knowledge," appears in the Vishnu Purana as the father's name. The epithet Yajnavalka, from which the name Yajnavalkya is derived, is recorded in secondary sources as a designation earned through the father's exceptional devotion to fire sacrifice, and some traditions suggest that the son's name Yajnavalkya was derived directly from this epithet of the father.
✦ Lineage
- Gotra: Vishvamitra — the lineage descending from the Brahmarishi Vishvamitra through his adopted son Devarata (Shunahshepa) and the pravara ancestor Audala; the Tryarsheya Pravara recited by members of this branch is Vishvamitra, Devarata, Audala.
- Ancestor: Audala — the third pravara ancestor of the Vishvamitra-Devarata branch, under whom Devarata II is placed as a descendant in the genealogical database.
- Wife: Sunanda Devi — a pious woman who performed austere penances alongside her husband; she was the sister of the Vedacharya Vaishampayana, the teacher appointed by Veda Vyasa to propagate the Yajurveda, making Vaishampayana Yajnavalkya's maternal uncle.
- Son: Yajnavalkya — one of the greatest sages of the Upanishadic age, the receiver of the Shukla Yajurveda directly from Surya, the chief voice of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, and the author of the Yajnavalkya Smriti.
✦ Textual Variants
The Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana give different names for Yajnavalkya's father — Devarata and Brahmaratha respectively. Secondary sources treating these as the same individual cite the epithets Yajnavalka and Devarata as honorific designations acquired through ritual devotion rather than as distinct personal names, and treat Brahmaratha as the personal name and Devarata as the earned epithet. This resolution is consistent across the hagiographic tradition but is not explicitly stated as such in any primary text consulted. The profile separates this figure from Devarata (Shunahshepa), the first Devarata in the lineage, by the designation Devarata II within the database.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Bhagavata Purana: Identifies Yajnavalkya as Devaratasuta — son of Devarata — in its genealogical enumeration; the primary source for the Devarata name for this figure.
- Vishnu Purana: Names the father of Yajnavalkya as Brahmaratha; the primary source for the Brahmaratha form of the name.
Secondary and Reference Works
- DLSHQ — "Sage Yajnavalkya" (Divine Life Society): Source for the description of the father as devoted to Karma-kanda and to Yajneshvara; records Sunanda as mother and Vaishampayana as maternal uncle.
- Hindupedia — "Yajnavalkya": Identifies the father as Brahmaratha (Devarata) and Sunanda as mother; notes the Bhagavata Purana Devaratasuta reference.
- Medium — Ravi Unni, "Sage Yajnavalkya": Records the father as Brahmaratha (also known as Devaratha, Yajnavalka) and Sunanda as mother, sister of Vaishampayana.