Satyavati, the queen of Hastinapur, was the adopted daughter of a fisherman cheif, Dashraj, brought up on the banks of the Yamuna river. She was the daughter of the king of chedi and a cursed apsara who was turned into a fish called Adrika.
She grew up to be a beautiful maiden and one day while helping her father who was also a ferryman, she came across sage Parasar.
When in the ferry, Parāśara was attracted by the beautiful girl and asked her to fulfill his desires.Satyavati agreed but said,
“Oh great sage Parasar, I will fulfill your desires but you must do something for me. I smell like a fish which is unpleasant to me and to others, so you must bless me and give me a ___ fragnance.”
The sage agreed, transforming her into someone who smells pleasant from a yojana far.He then approached her but Satyavati interrupted again,
“After this you would leave me, robbing me of my virginity and shamed in the society.” Hearing this he promised her to bless her with virgo intacta.
She asked Parashara to promise her that the coitus would be a secret and her virginity intact; the son born from their union would be as famous as the great sage, and her fragrance and youth would be eternal. Parashara granted her these wishes and was satiated by the beautiful Satyavati. After the act, the sage bathed in the river and left, never to meet her again.
This son grew up to be the great Sage Vyasa, the compiler of the vedas and the great epic- Mahabharata.
Satyavati married Shantanu, the king of Hastinapur, leaving her past burried deep within her. Until the moment arrived, and she summoned her forgotten son, Vyasa to perform niyoga with the queens of Hastinapur.