 Pradip Bhattacharya , author of Of Kunti and Satyawati : Sexually Assertive Women of the Mahabharata , praises Satyavati 's handling of her encounter with the sage Parashara . He notes that although young , she tackles the persistent sage with great maturity and presence of mind . Bhattacharya remarks , " With a maturity and frankness that astonishes us even in the twenty @-@ first century , she points out that coitus ought to be mutually enjoyable . " She is not deluded by the belief that the sage will marry her , and asks for virginity to ensure her future status in society . Bhattacharya further comments on the sequence of her requests : the bodily fragrance to make the sexual act pleasant for both , the veil of mist to keep the act a secret , virginal status for her future and fame for her child - securing his fame and , after practical aspects are sorted out , " eternally feminine " boons of lifelong youth and fragrance . Bhattacharya says : " Modern @-@ day women could well wish that they were half as confident , clear @-@ headed and assertive of their desires and goals as Satyavati . " He further praises her " characteristic far @-@ sightedness " , when she ensures the future of her children with Shantanu by indirectly disposing of the crown prince Bhishma . She brings her illegitimate son , Vyasa , onto the scene to father sons with her dead son 's widows – turning the renowned " lunar dynasty , into the lineage of a dasa ( slave ) maiden " . 
