स शाश्वतीः समा राजन् प्रजा धर्मेण पालयन् ॥
जराम् आर्छन् महाघोरां नाहुषो रूपनाशिनीम् ॥
जराभिभूतः पुत्रान् स राजा वचनम् अब्रवीत् ॥
यदुं पूरुं तुर्वसुं च द्रुह्युं चानुं च भारत ॥
यौवनेन चरन् कामान् युवा युवतिभिः सह ॥
विहर्तुम् अहम् इच्छामि साह्यं कुरुत पुत्रकाः ॥
तं पुत्रो देवयानेयः पूर्वजो यदुर् अब्रवीत् ॥
किं कार्यं भवतः कार्यम् अस्माभिर् यौवनेन च ॥
ययातिर् अब्रवीत् तं वै जरा मे प्रतिगृह्यताम् ॥
यौवनेन त्वदीयेन चरेयं विषयान् अहम् ॥
यजतो दीर्घसत्रैर् मे शापाच् चोशनसो मुनेः ॥
कामार्थः परिहीणो मे तप्ये ऽहं तेन पुत्रकाः ॥
मामकेन शरीरेण राज्यम् एकः प्रशास्तु वः ॥
अहं तन्वाभिनवया युवा कामान् अवाप्नुयाम् ॥
न ते तस्य प्रत्यगृह्णन् यदुप्रभृतयो जराम् ॥
तम् अब्रवीत् ततः पूरुः कनीयान् सत्यविक्रमः ॥
राजंश् चराभिनवया तन्वा यौवनगोचरः ॥
अहं जरां समास्थाय राज्ये स्थास्यामि ते ऽऽज्ञया ॥
एवम् उक्तः स राजर्षिस् तपोवीर्यसमाश्रयात् ॥
संचारयाम् आस जरां तदा पुत्रे महात्मनि ॥
पौरवेणाथ वयसा राजा यौवनम् आस्थितः ॥
यायातेनापि वयसा राज्यं पूरुर् अकारयत् ॥
ततो वर्षसहस्रान्ते ययातिर् अपराजितः ॥
अतृप्त एव कामानां पूरुं पुत्रम् उवाच ह ॥
त्वया दायादवान् अस्मि त्वं मे वंशकरः सुतः ॥
पौरवो वंश इति ते ख्यातिं लोके गमिष्यति ॥
ततः स नृपशार्दूलः पूरुं राज्ये ऽभिषिच्य च ॥
कालेन महता पश्चात् कालधर्मम् उपेयिवान् ॥
sa śāśvatīḥ samā rājan prajā dharmeṇa pālayan ||
jarām ārchan mahāghorāṃ nāhuṣo rūpanāśinīm ||
jarābhibhūtaḥ putrān sa rājā vacanam abravīt ||
yaduṃ pūruṃ turvasuṃ ca druhyuṃ cānuṃ ca bhārata ||
yauvanena caran kāmān yuvā yuvatibhiḥ saha ||
vihartum aham icchāmi sāhyaṃ kuruta putrakāḥ ||
taṃ putro devayāneyaḥ pūrvajo yadur abravīt ||
kiṃ kāryaṃ bhavataḥ kāryam asmābhir yauvanena ca ||
yayātir abravīt taṃ vai jarā me pratigṛhyatām ||
yauvanena tvadīyena careyaṃ viṣayān aham ||
yajato dīrghasatrair me śāpāc cośanaso muneḥ ||
kāmārthaḥ parihīṇo me tapye 'haṃ tena putrakāḥ ||
māmakena śarīreṇa rājyam ekaḥ praśāstu vaḥ ||
ahaṃ tanvābhinavayā yuvā kāmān avāpnuyām ||
na te tasya pratyagṛhṇan yaduprabhṛtayo jarām ||
tam abravīt tataḥ pūruḥ kanīyān satyavikramaḥ ||
rājaṃś carābhinavayā tanvā yauvanagocaraḥ ||
ahaṃ jarāṃ samāsthāya rājye sthāsyāmi te ''jñayā ||
evam uktaḥ sa rājarṣis tapovīryasamāśrayāt ||
saṃcārayām āsa jarāṃ tadā putre mahātmani ||
pauraveṇātha vayasā rājā yauvanam āsthitaḥ ||
yāyātenāpi vayasā rājyaṃ pūrur akārayat ||
tato varṣasahasrānte yayātir aparājitaḥ ||
atṛpta eva kāmānāṃ pūruṃ putram uvāca ha ||
tvayā dāyādavān asmi tvaṃ me vaṃśakaraḥ sutaḥ ||
pauravo vaṃśa iti te khyātiṃ loke gamiṣyati ||
tataḥ sa nṛpaśārdūlaḥ pūruṃ rājye 'bhiṣicya ca ||
kālena mahatā paścāt kāladharmam upeyivān ||
Yayati, son of Nahusha, having long protected his subjects according to dharma for many years, then came upon a most terrible old age, the destroyer of beauty. Overcome by old age, the king spoke this word to his sons — Yadu, Puru, Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu: "I wish, becoming young, to enjoy pleasures with young wives, making use of youth; O sons, render me your help." To him the eldest, the son of Devayani, Yadu, said: "What task of yours is there to accomplish with our youth?" Yayati said to him: "Take my old age, and with your youth I shall enjoy the objects of the senses. While I was performing long sacrifices, by the curse of the sage Ushanas (Shukra) I was deprived of the enjoyment of desires; by this I am tormented, O sons. With my aged body let one of you rule the kingdom; while I, with a new body, becoming young, shall obtain the pleasures of desires." Yadu and the others did not accept his old age; then the youngest, whose valor lay in truth, Puru, said to him: "O king, with a new body, entering the realm of youth, go forth and enjoy yourself; while I, taking on old age, by your command shall rule the kingdom." Thus addressed, that royal sage, by the power of his austerity, then transferred his old age onto his great-souled son. The king, taking the youth of his Paurava son, regained his youth once again; while Puru, taking on the years of Yayati, ruled the kingdom. Then, after a thousand years had passed, the unconquered Yayati, still not satisfied with his desires, said to his son Puru: "Through you I am endowed with an heir; you are the son who continues my line; your fame shall go forth in the world as the 'lineage of the Pauravas.'" Then that tiger among kings, having anointed Puru to the kingdom, after a long time had passed, submitted to the law of time (died).
196e6dc539d3 · published Jul 12, 2026, 3:37:30 PM UTC
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Here is the famous tale of Yayati, filled with the deepest lesson about the nature of desire. What stands out above all: Yayati, having taken his son's youth and tasted its pleasures for a "thousand years," still "was not satisfied with his desires." Here is one of scripture's greatest truths: desire (kama) cannot be quenched by satisfaction; the more one tastes it, the fiercer it burns — like fire fed with poured oil (compare Yayati's famous verse later in the epic: "passion does not fade through the enjoyment of pleasures, but only grows"). A thousand years of enjoyment brought no peace — for peace lies not in satisfying passion but in relinquishing it. Puru's filial love is likewise striking: the youngest son, one of five, sacrifices his own youth for his father's sake — an image of the highest obedience and self-abnegation; and for this he inherits the kingdom, though the youngest, and from him springs the line of the Pauravas (to which both the Kauravas and the Pandavas belong). It is telling that obedience and self-sacrifice outweigh seniority: Yadu, who refused his father, loses his birthright; Puru, obedient, is exalted. Thus the genealogy of the Bharatas traces back to the son who showed filial devotion — and carries within it a lesson: fulfilling one's duty to one's father (pitri-bhakti) and abandoning insatiable passion is the path to good and glory.