Yayati's Curse and the Sacrifice of Puru

Verse 1 (vishnu.4.10.1)

यतिययातिसंयात्यायातिवियातिकृतिसंज्ञा नहुषस्य षट् पुत्रा महाबलपराक्रमा बभूवुः

yatiyayātisaṁyātyāyātiviyātikṛtisaṁjñā nahuṣasya ṣaṭ putrā mahābalaparākramā babhūvuḥ

Nahusha had six sons of great might and prowess, named Yati, Yayati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati, and Kriti.

Verse 2 (vishnu.4.10.2)

यतिस् तु राज्यं नैच्छत्। ययातिस् तु भूभृद् अभवत्

yatis tu rājyaṁ naicchat| yayātis tu bhūbhṛd abhavat

Yati did not desire the kingdom. Yayati became the ruler of the earth.

Verse 3 (vishnu.4.10.3)

उशनसश् च दुहितरं देवयानीं शर्मिष्ठां च वार्षपर्वणीम् उपयेमे। अत्रानुवंशश्लोको भवति

uśanasaś ca duhitaraṁ devayānīṁ śarmiṣṭhāṁ ca vārṣaparvaṇīm upayeme| atrānuvaṁśaśloko bhavati

He married Devayani, daughter of Ushanas (Shukra), and Sharmishtha, daughter of Vrishaparvan. Here is a genealogical verse on this —

Verse 4 (vishnu.4.10.4)

यदुं च तुर्वसुं चैव देवयानी व्यजायत। द्रुह्युं चानुं च पूरुं च शर्मिष्ठा वार्षपर्वणी

yaduṁ ca turvasuṁ caiva devayānī vyajāyata| druhyuṁ cānuṁ ca pūruṁ ca śarmiṣṭhā vārṣaparvaṇī

Devayani bore Yadu and Turvasu; Sharmishtha, daughter of Vrishaparvan, bore Druhyu, Anu, and Puru.

Verse 5 (vishnu.4.10.5)

काव्यशापाच् चाकालेनैव ययातिर् जराम् अवाप

kāvyaśāpāc cākālenaiva yayātir jarām avāpa

By the curse of Kavya (Shukra), Yayati was struck by premature old age.

Verse 6 (vishnu.4.10.6)

प्रसन्नशुक्रवचनाच् च स्वजरां संक्रामयितुं ज्येष्ठपुत्रं यदुम् उवाच

prasannaśukravacanāc ca svajarāṁ saṁkrāmayituṁ jyeṣṭhaputraṁ yadum uvāca

But by the pleased Shukra's own word, wishing to transfer his old age, he said to his eldest son, Yadu —

Verse 7 (vishnu.4.10.7)

त्वन्मातामहशापाद् इयम् अकालेनैव जरा माम् उपस्थिता। ताम् अहं तस्यैवानुग्रहाद् भवतः संचारयाम्य् एकं वर्षसहस्रम् अतृप्तोऽस्मि विषयेषु त्वद्वयसा विषयान् अहं भोक्तुम् इच्छामि। नात्र भवता प्रत्याख्यानं कर्तव्यम् इत्य् उक्तः स नैच्छत् तां जराम् आदातुम्। तं चापि पिता शशाप। त्वत्प्रसूतिर् न राज्यार्हा भविष्यतीति

tvanmātāmahaśāpād iyam akālenaiva jarā mām upasthitā| tām ahaṁ tasyaivānugrahād bhavataḥ saṁcārayāmy ekaṁ varṣasahasram atṛpto'smi viṣayeṣu tvadvayasā viṣayān ahaṁ bhoktum icchāmi| nātra bhavatā pratyākhyānaṁ kartavyam ity uktaḥ sa naicchat tāṁ jarām ādātum| taṁ cāpi pitā śaśāpa| tvatprasūtir na rājyārhā bhaviṣyatīti

'By your maternal grandfather's curse, this old age has come upon me before its time. By his own grace, I can now transfer it to you for a thousand years. I am not yet satisfied with sensual pleasures; I wish to enjoy them with your youth. You must not refuse me in this.' Thus addressed, he was unwilling to take on that old age. And his father cursed him in turn: 'Your offspring shall not be fit to rule.'

Verse 8 (vishnu.4.10.8)

अनन्तरं च दुर्वसुं द्रुह्युम् अनुं च पृथिवीपतिर् जराग्रहणार्थं स्वयौवनप्रदानाय चाभ्यर्थयाम् आस। तैर् अप्य् एकैकश्येन प्रत्याख्यातस् ताञ् छशाप

anantaraṁ ca durvasuṁ druhyum anuṁ ca pṛthivīpatir jarāgrahaṇārthaṁ svayauvanapradānāya cābhyarthayām āsa| tair apy ekaikaśyena pratyākhyātas tāñ chaśāpa

Then that lord of the earth entreated Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu likewise, to take his old age in exchange for his youth. When each of them, in turn, refused, he cursed them too.

Verse 9 (vishnu.4.10.9)

अथ शर्मिष्ठातनयम् अशेषकनीयांसं पूरुं तथैवाह। स चातिप्रवणमतिः प्रणम्य पितरं सबहुमानं महान् प्रसादोऽयम् अस्माकम् इत्य् उदारम् अभिधाय जरां प्रतिजग्राह। स्वकीयं च यौवनं पित्रे ददौ

atha śarmiṣṭhātanayam aśeṣakanīyāṁsaṁ pūruṁ tathaivāha| sa cātipravaṇamatiḥ praṇamya pitaraṁ sabahumānaṁ mahān prasādo'yam asmākam ity udāram abhidhāya jarāṁ pratijagrāha| svakīyaṁ ca yauvanaṁ pitre dadau

Then he spoke likewise to Puru, Sharmishtha's youngest son. He, of most devoted mind, bowing to his father with great reverence, and nobly saying, 'This is a great favor to me,' accepted the old age. And he gave his own youth to his father.

Verse 10 (vishnu.4.10.10)

सोऽपि पौरवं यौवनम् आसाद्य धर्माविरोधेन यथाकामं यथाकालोपपन्नं यथोत्साहं विषयांश् चचार। सम्यक् च प्रजापालनम् अकरोत्

so'pi pauravaṁ yauvanam āsādya dharmāvirodhena yathākāmaṁ yathākālopapannaṁ yathotsāhaṁ viṣayāṁś cacāra| samyak ca prajāpālanam akarot

He too, having obtained Puru's youth, enjoyed sensual pleasures without violating dharma, as he desired, as befit the season, and with full vigor. And he governed his subjects well.

Verse 11 (vishnu.4.10.11)

विश्वाच्या देवयान्या च सहोपभोगं भुक्त्वा कामानाम् अन्तम् अवाप्स्यामीत्य् अनुदिनं तन्मनस्को बभूव

viśvācyā devayānyā ca sahopabhogaṁ bhuktvā kāmānām antam avāpsyāmīty anudinaṁ tanmanasko babhūva

Enjoying pleasures with Vishvachi and Devayani, he became, day after day, absorbed in the thought: 'I shall reach the end of desire.'

Verse 12 (vishnu.4.10.12)

अनुदिनं चोपभोगतः कामान् अतीवाभिरम्यान् मेने

anudinaṁ copabhogataḥ kāmān atīvābhiramyān mene

And day after day, through enjoyment, he found his desires ever more delightful.

Verse 13 (vishnu.4.10.13)

ततश् चैवम् अगायत। न जातु कामः कामानाम् उपभोगेन शाम्यति। हविषा कृष्णवर्त्मेव भूय एवाभिवर्धते

tataś caivam agāyata| na jātu kāmaḥ kāmānām upabhogena śāmyati| haviṣā kṛṣṇavartmeva bhūya evābhivardhate

Then he sang thus: 'Desire is never quenched by the enjoyment of desires; like a fire fed with clarified butter, it only blazes up all the more.'

Verse 14 (vishnu.4.10.14)

यत् पृथिव्यां व्रीहियवं हिरण्यं पशवः स्त्रियः। एकस्यापि न पर्याप्तं तस्मात् तृष्णां परित्यजेत्

yat pṛthivyāṁ vrīhiyavaṁ hiraṇyaṁ paśavaḥ striyaḥ| ekasyāpi na paryāptaṁ tasmāt tṛṣṇāṁ parityajet

'Whatever there is on earth — rice, barley, gold, cattle, women — is not enough for even a single man; therefore one should abandon craving.'

Verse 15 (vishnu.4.10.15)

यदा न कुरुते भावं सर्वभूतेषु पापकम्। समदृष्टेस् तदा पुंसः सर्वाः सुखमया दिशः

yadā na kurute bhāvaṁ sarvabhūteṣu pāpakam| samadṛṣṭes tadā puṁsaḥ sarvāḥ sukhamayā diśaḥ

'When a man harbors no ill-will toward any being, and looks upon all with an equal eye, then every direction becomes filled with happiness for him.'

Verse 16 (vishnu.4.10.16)

या दुस्त्यजा दुर्मतिभिर् या न जीर्यति जीर्यतः। तां तृष्णां संत्यजेत् प्राज्ञः सुखेनैवाभिपूर्यते

yā dustyajā durmatibhir yā na jīryati jīryataḥ| tāṁ tṛṣṇāṁ saṁtyajet prājñaḥ sukhenaivābhipūryate

'That craving which is so hard to abandon for the ill-minded, which does not age even as one ages — the wise man should abandon it; then he is filled with true happiness.'

Verse 17 (vishnu.4.10.17)

जीर्यन्ति जीर्यतः केशा दन्ता जीर्यन्ति जीर्यतः। धनाशा जीविताशा च जीर्यतोऽपि न जीर्यतः

jīryanti jīryataḥ keśā dantā jīryanti jīryataḥ| dhanāśā jīvitāśā ca jīryato'pi na jīryataḥ

'As a man ages, his hair grows old; as he ages, his teeth grow old; but the craving for wealth and the craving for life do not grow old even as he ages.'

Verse 18 (vishnu.4.10.18)

पूर्णं वर्षसहस्रं मे विषयासक्तचेतसः। तथाप्य् अनुदिनं तृष्णा ममैतेष्व् एव जायते

pūrṇaṁ varṣasahasraṁ me viṣayāsaktacetasaḥ| tathāpy anudinaṁ tṛṣṇā mamaiteṣv eva jāyate

'A full thousand years have I spent with my mind attached to sensual objects; and yet, day after day, my craving for these very things keeps arising.'

Verse 19 (vishnu.4.10.19)

तस्माद् एताम् अहं त्यक्त्वा ब्रह्मण्य् आधाय मानसम्। निर्द्वन्द्वो निर्ममो भूत्वा चरिष्यामि मृगैः सह

tasmād etām ahaṁ tyaktvā brahmaṇy ādhāya mānasam| nirdvandvo nirmamo bhūtvā cariṣyāmi mṛgaiḥ saha

'Therefore, abandoning this craving, and fixing my mind upon Brahman, freed from the pairs of opposites and from all sense of "mine," I shall now wander with the deer.'

Verse 20 (vishnu.4.10.20)

पराशर उवाच पूरोः सकाशाद् आदाय जरां दत्त्वा च यौवनम्। राज्येऽभिषिच्य पूरुं च प्रययौ तपसे वनम्

parāśara uvāca pūroḥ sakāśād ādāya jarāṁ dattvā ca yauvanam| rājye'bhiṣicya pūruṁ ca prayayau tapase vanam

Parashara said: Taking back his old age from Puru, and returning to him his youth, and having consecrated Puru upon the throne, he set out to the forest for austerities.

Verse 21 (vishnu.4.10.21)

दिशि दक्षिणपूर्वायां तुर्वसुं प्रत्य् अथादिशत्। प्रतीच्यां च तथा द्रुह्युं दक्षिणायां ततो यदुम्

diśi dakṣiṇapūrvāyāṁ turvasuṁ praty athādiśat| pratīcyāṁ ca tathā druhyuṁ dakṣiṇāyāṁ tato yadum

He then assigned Turvasu to the south-eastern region; likewise Druhyu to the west; and, in the south, Yadu.

Verse 22 (vishnu.4.10.22)

उदीच्यां च तथैवानुं कृत्वा मण्डलिनो नृपान्। सर्वपृथ्वीपतिं पूरुं सोऽभिषिच्य ययौ वनम्

udīcyāṁ ca tathaivānuṁ kṛtvā maṇḍalino nṛpān| sarvapṛthvīpatiṁ pūruṁ so'bhiṣicya yayau vanam

And Anu, likewise, he set in the north; and, having made these tributary kings, he consecrated Puru as sovereign of the whole earth, and departed to the forest.