Once, a desire arose in the mind of sage Vedavyasa to get married and raise a family. Reflecting over his desire from every angle, he went to meet the sage Jabali and proposed to marry his daughter Vatika. Accepting the proposal, the sage Jabali happily married his daughter Vatika to VedaVyasa. Thus, living in his hermitage amidst the forests, Maharishi Vedavyasa began his married life. With time, his wife Vatika became pregnant and a foetus began to grow in her womb. That foetus continued to grow for 12 years but no child was born.

Pious discussions used to take place in the hut of Vyasaji regularly. Thus, by the virtue of his knowledge, the foetus heard those discussions and recitations. Whatever the foetus heard in the womb, it at once remembered that. Thus that child studied and got expertise in Sanga, Vedas, Smriti, Puranas and all the Muktishastras(mere hearing or study of which is beneficial for a man's life). So, he used to self-study all the scriptures in the womb itslef.

But because the foetus had grown extraordinarily large, so the mother was experiencing a lot of pain. One day Vyasaji angrily asked the foetus: "Who are you in the womb of my wife? Why don't you come out? Do you want to kill the pregnant lady?" The foetus replied : " I can become anything, devil, god, human, animal etc. because I have come here after wandering through 84 lakh Yaunis(births). So how can I tell you about my identity? I can know that presently I have come in human form in the womb of your wife. I am tired of roaming in this world , full of sorrows and miseries, so I want to stay in the womb in the same form. Presently, I am practicing Yoga here and I know for certain that I will receive Moksha(salvation) right from here. As long as the life remains in the womb, it ahs the knowledge, detachment and the memories of its previous births. When it comes out of the womb, all of its knowledge, detachment disappears. Hence, staying in the womb, I will receive salvation."

Hearing these arguments, Vyasaji said : " You come out , my child, the worldly illusions will have no effect on you. Thus, freeing from the hell like womb, practice yoga for your welfare and showing your face, free me from the obligation of being a father."

The foetus replied to Vyasa's suggestion thus : " That the worldly illusions will not affect me, if you can get me an assurance of it from the lord Vasudeva Krishna , only then I will come out of the womb, otherwise not. Then and there, Vyasaji went to Dwaraka and related the condition of the foetus to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna at once arrived at Vyasa's hermitage and said to the foetus : " O child, as soon as you come out of the womb, I will destroy your illusions. Hence, you come out soon and the path for your well being."

Thus assured by Lord Krishna, the foetus came out of the womb and greeting his mother and father and lord Krishna began to go to the forests at once. He had already reached the age of 12 at the time of coming out from his mother's womb. Seeing him walk towards the forests, Vyasaji said : " Son, please stay put at home, so that I can carry out the necessary rituals for you." But the boy replied : " O great among the sages, thousands of rituals were carried out in many of my births. These bondages of rituals have submerged me in the illusions of the world." Hearing the boy's words, Lord Krishna said to Vyasaji : " O sage, your son is talking like a Shukha(parrot). Hence name this boy as Shukhdev. This boy, proficient in YogaVidya will not stay in your home because he is free from every passion and illusion. Let him go as per his wishes but bestow your love on him, for now having seen his face, you are free from the obligations of a father." Saying these words, Lord Krishna returned to Dwaraka. After Lord Krishna had left, Vyasaji tried to coax the boy again but he did not stop and continued his departure to the forests. Seeing him go like that and disturbed by anxiety, Vyasaji also followed him and called out to him saying: " O son, O son." But since Shukhdev did not have a differentiating mind, he used to see all the living and non-living things of the world alike.

While driven by anxiety, Vyasaji was following his son, he reached a scheduled place amidst the forests, where some women were taking their bath in a lake. Seeing Vyasaji coming that way, they hurriedly came out of the water and began to don their clothes. Amazed by their behaviour, Vyasaji asked those women : " Ladies, my son is young. He has just passed by the lake, but you continued your plays ignoring him. No shyness arose seeing him. Why then are you feeling shy to see an old man like me?"

The women replied politely : " Forgive us O sage. You know the difference between a man and a woman. But your son is free of this ability to differentiate between a man and a woman. He looks at all things alike. Hence it is same to be dressed or undressed in front of him."

Hearing these words of the woman, Sage Vyasaji returned. He understood well that it was meaningless to have a relation of a father and son with such an equal sighted person like Shukhdev. Vyasaji was desirous to keep Shukhdev as his disciple so that he could teach him the scriptures. Now he knew that only the divine and auspicious appearance of the God himself could attract such a detached and passionless person. Hence, teaching his disciples a couplet that contained extremely enchanting descriptions of Lord Krishna, he sent them to the forests. Everytime the disciples roamed the forests for fruits and flowers, they used to recite that couplet in an extremely sweet voice. When Shukhdev heard that couplet, he went to the disciples and insisted then to teach him that couplet. The disciples then brought him to Vysasaji's hermitage where Shukhdev began to study Srimad Bhagwat. Thus, only the knowledge given by the teacher is superior.

After finishing his education and with his father's permission, Shukhdev came to the court of Mithila king Janaka. The king worshipped him and received preachings about spirituality from him.

Since his childhood submerged in his self, Shukhdev used to sing joyfully the plays of god and sighted the divine appearance of god in his heart. Like that he roamed from place to place. He stayed at the house only to milk the cows. When Takshaka, the Naga (cobra) had bitten the king Parikshita, he decided to crown his only son Janamijaya and did a fast i.e. Nirjula Vrata. Or fast in which even water is forbidden. At the banks of the Ganges, many sages came there from many places to recite Shrimad Bhagwat to him. At the same time, Shukhdev too arrived there. Seeing him, all the sages stood up in respect. The king Parikshit too worshipped him. At the behest of the king, Shukhdev preached Shrimad Bhagwat to him for 7 days continuously.

In the next Manavtaar, Shukhdev occupied a position among the Saptarishis- the 7 great sages.