Vershini () was the queen of

Anga Anga was an ancient Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great na ...

, wife of King Romapada and the adoptive mother of Shanta in the Hindu epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

''.

Legend

Vershini and

Kausalya Kausalya (, ) is a queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the first senior queen consort of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital Ayodhya. She is the mother of Rama, the male protagonist of the epic. She is a secondar ...

were daughters of Kaushala king Sukaushala and queen Amritaprabha. Vershini was married to Romapada, the king of Anga, and Kausalya to

Dasharatha Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana ...

, the king of

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

. Romapada was a good friend of Dasharatha as both of them were educated at the ashram of the sage Vasistha. Shanta was born to Dashratha and Kausalya. Shanta was later given to Romapada as his foster child by Dashratha when Vershini said about having children and Dashratha promised to give Shanta to adoption as he wedded Kaikeyi and Sumitra in hopes of having more children. Later, Shanta was wedded to sage Rishyasringa. The story goes on a sage,a devotee of Lord Indra visited the Anga court to meet king Romapada but he played with Shanta at the time and the sage feeling neglected left the court, Seeing his devotee neglected Indra cursed Anga to not have rain and the officials in Anga suggested the King to bring Rishyashringa to perform a yagna to have rain ; So Shanta married Rishyashringa brought him to Anga performed the Yagna and the rain in Anga became seasonal as usual. While,In Kosala King Dashratha didn't have sons,So Rishyashringa and Shanta were called to perform the Putrakameshti Yagna and a heavenly being came out of the fire to give Payasam (milk delicacy) and it was evenly shared between Kaushalya and Kaikeyi (in the ratio of ½) Then Kaushalya and Kaikeyi shared it with Sumitra (in the ratio of ¼) Leading to the birth of Shanta's half brothers Rama,Bharata,Lakshmana and Shatrughana.Hence, Shanta was married to Rishyashringa, He was given position of a prince (or prince consort) in the Anga Kingdom.

References

{{HinduMythology Characters in the Ramayana