One day in the royal palace of Hastinapur, Bhishma Pitamah thought that now the time has come for the marriage of the princes of the Kuru dynasty. He wanted such relationships to be established that would strengthen not only the family but the entire state. With this purpose in mind, he started collecting information about eligible princesses from far-off states.

Princess Gandhari of Gandhara country was famous for her beauty and pious nature. When Bhishma came to know about her qualities, he sent a marriage proposal to Dhritarashtra. The Gandhara king accepted this proposal with great respect. This good news created a festive atmosphere in the entire state.

Once King Shantanu went to the forest near Yamuna river. There he saw a goddess of a sailor. Her appearance was very beautiful and attractive. The king became fascinated as soon as he saw him and went to him and asked, “Who are you?” Whose daughter are you? Will you be my queen? That girl’s name was Satyavati.

King Shantanu approached Satyavati’s father and proposed marriage. The sailor respectfully said that he had no objection to the marriage, but he had one condition. Only the son born to Satyavati became the king of Hastinapur. Hearing this, King Shantanu fell into deep meditation out of love for his religion and son.