वैशंपायन उवाच
जरां प्राप्य ययातिस् तु स्वपुरं प्राप्य चैव ह ॥
पुत्रं ज्येष्ठं वरिष्ठं च यदुम् इत्य् अब्रवीद् वचः ॥
जरा वली च मां तात पलितानि च पर्यगुः ॥
काव्यस्योशनसः शापान् न च तृप्तो ऽस्मि यौवने ॥
त्वं यदो प्रतिपद्यस्व पाप्मानं जरया सह ॥
यौवनेन त्वदीयेन चरेयं विषयान् अहम् ॥
पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रे तु पुनस् ते यौवनं त्व् अहम् ॥
दत्त्वा स्वं प्रतिपत्स्यामि पाप्मानं जरया सह ॥
यदुर् उवाच
सितश्मश्रुशिरा दीनो जरया शिथिलीकृतः ॥
वलीसंततगात्रश् च दुर्दर्शो दुर्बलः कृशः ॥
अशक्तः कार्यकरणे परिभूतः स यौवनैः ॥
सहोपजीविभिश् चैव तां जरां नाभिकामये ॥
ययातिर् उवाच
यत् त्वं मे हृदयाज् जातो वयः स्वं न प्रयच्छसि ॥
तस्माद् अराज्यभाक् तात प्रजा ते वै भविष्यति ॥
तुर्वसो प्रतिपद्यस्व पाप्मानं जरया सह ॥
यौवनेन चरेयं वै विषयांस् तव पुत्रक ॥
पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रे तु पुनर् दास्यामि यौवनम् ॥
स्वं चैव प्रतिपत्स्यामि पाप्मानं जरया सह ॥
तुर्वसुर् उवाच
न कामये जरां तात कामभोगप्रणाशिनीम् ॥
बलरूपान्तकरणीं बुद्धिप्राणविनाशिनीम् ॥
ययातिर् उवाच
यत् त्वं मे हृदयाज् जातो वयः स्वं न प्रयच्छसि ॥
तस्मात् प्रजा समुच्छेदं तुर्वसो तव यास्यति ॥
संकीर्णाचारधर्मेषु प्रतिलोमचरेषु च ॥
पिशिताशिषु चान्त्येषु मूढ राजा भविष्यसि ॥
गुरुदारप्रसक्तेषु तिर्यग्योनिगतेषु च ॥
पशुधर्मिषु पापेषु म्लेच्छेषु प्रभविष्यसि ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
jarāṃ prāpya yayātis tu svapuraṃ prāpya caiva ha ||
putraṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ variṣṭhaṃ ca yadum ity abravīd vacaḥ ||
jarā valī ca māṃ tāta palitāni ca paryaguḥ ||
kāvyasyośanasaḥ śāpān na ca tṛpto 'smi yauvane ||
tvaṃ yado pratipadyasva pāpmānaṃ jarayā saha ||
yauvanena tvadīyena careyaṃ viṣayān aham ||
pūrṇe varṣasahasre tu punas te yauvanaṃ tv aham ||
dattvā svaṃ pratipatsyāmi pāpmānaṃ jarayā saha ||
yadur uvāca
sitaśmaśruśirā dīno jarayā śithilīkṛtaḥ ||
valīsaṃtatagātraś ca durdarśo durbalaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
aśaktaḥ kāryakaraṇe paribhūtaḥ sa yauvanaiḥ ||
sahopajīvibhiś caiva tāṃ jarāṃ nābhikāmaye ||
yayātir uvāca
yat tvaṃ me hṛdayāj jāto vayaḥ svaṃ na prayacchasi ||
tasmād arājyabhāk tāta prajā te vai bhaviṣyati ||
turvaso pratipadyasva pāpmānaṃ jarayā saha ||
yauvanena careyaṃ vai viṣayāṃs tava putraka ||
pūrṇe varṣasahasre tu punar dāsyāmi yauvanam ||
svaṃ caiva pratipatsyāmi pāpmānaṃ jarayā saha ||
turvasur uvāca
na kāmaye jarāṃ tāta kāmabhogapraṇāśinīm ||
balarūpāntakaraṇīṃ buddhiprāṇavināśinīm ||
yayātir uvāca
yat tvaṃ me hṛdayāj jāto vayaḥ svaṃ na prayacchasi ||
tasmāt prajā samucchedaṃ turvaso tava yāsyati ||
saṃkīrṇācāradharmeṣu pratilomacareṣu ca ||
piśitāśiṣu cāntyeṣu mūḍha rājā bhaviṣyasi ||
gurudāraprasakteṣu tiryagyonigateṣu ca ||
paśudharmiṣu pāpeṣu mleccheṣu prabhaviṣyasi ||
Vaishampayana said: "Yayati, having reached old age and come to his own city, spoke this word to his eldest and most excellent son, Yadu: 'Son, by the curse of Ushanas-Kavya (Shukra), old age, wrinkles, and gray hair have overtaken me, and I have not yet had my fill of youth. O Yadu, take this evil upon yourself along with old age; with your youth I will enjoy the objects of the senses. When a thousand years have passed, I will give your youth back to you and take back my own evil together with old age.' Yadu said: 'The old man -- with whitened beard and head, enfeebled by old age, his body covered in wrinkles, unsightly, powerless, gaunt, incapable of action, scorned by the young and by his own dependents -- that old age I do not desire.' Yayati said: 'Son, since you, born of my own heart, will not give up your youth, your offspring shall have no share in the kingdom. Son Turvasu, take this evil upon yourself along with old age; with your youth I will enjoy the objects of the senses. When a thousand years have passed, I will give youth back to you, and take back my own evil together with old age.' Turvasu said: 'Father, I do not desire old age, which destroys the enjoyment of desire, ruins strength and beauty, and wrecks the mind and the vital breaths.' Yayati said: 'Since you, born of my own heart, will not give up your youth, your offspring, O Turvasu, shall come to extinction. Fool, you will be king among people of mixed customs and laws, who act perversely, eaters of flesh, the lowest of men -- you shall rule over those bound to the wives of their teachers, living by the dharma of beasts, sinful mlecchas.'"
3c97b303deea · published Jul 12, 2026, 3:49:51 PM UTC
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Here Yadu and Turvasu refuse their father -- and bring a curse upon themselves. The test is telling: the king asks his sons for the greatest of sacrifices -- to give up youth and take on old age. This is a trial of filial love and obedience (pitri-bhakti): is the son willing to give himself for his father's sake? Yadu and Turvasu refuse, and their reasons -- old age is heavy, it destroys enjoyment -- are humanly understandable, but they reveal selfishness: each guards his own pleasure above his duty to his father. The curses, too, are telling: loss of the kingdom (Yadu), the extinction of the line, and dominion over "mlecchas and beast-like men" (Turvasu). Here is a stern law: disrespect toward one's father -- and, through him, toward the dharma of the family -- brings the loss of royal dignity and a descent into the "dharma of beasts." Note that the curses are not arbitrary but exactly proportioned: whoever prefers his own pleasure -- a beast's pleasure -- to duty will come to reign among those who live "by the dharma of beasts." So the scripture shows: as the choice, so the fate; selfishness debases, self-sacrifice exalts -- as Puru's example will soon show.