The Sages’ Teachings at Kurukṣetra

Devakī was Vasudeva’s principal wife, but she had several co-wives, including her six sisters. This fact is recorded in the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: devakaś cograsenaś cacatvāro devakātmajāḥdevavān upadevaś casudevo devavardhanaḥ teṣāṁ svasāraḥ saptāsandhṛtadevādayo nṛpaśāntidevopadevā caśrīdevā devarakṣitāsahadevā devakī cavasudeva uvāha tāḥ “Āhuka had two sons, named Devaka and Ugrasena. Devaka had four sons, named Devavān, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devavardhana, and he also had seven daughters, named Śāntidevā, Upadevā, Śrīdevā, Devarakṣitā, Sahadevā, Devakī and Dhṛtadevā. Dhṛtadevā was the eldest. Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa, married all these sisters.” (Bhāg. 9.24.21-23) Some of Vasudeva’s other wives are mentioned a few verses later: pauravī rohiṇī bhadrāmadirā rocanā ilādevakī-pramukhāś cāsanpatnya ānakadundubheḥ “Devakī, Pauravī, Rohiṇī, Bhadrā, Madirā, Rocanā, Ilā and others were all wives of Ānakadundubhi [Vasudeva]. Among them all, Devakī was the chief.” (Bhāg. 9.24.45)