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Harivaṃśa
30. Account of the king Yayati
VAISHAMPAYANA said:—The highly energetic Nahusha begat on his father's daughter Virajā six sons gifted with the effulgence of Indra (1).
They were Yati, Yayāti, Sangyāti, Ayāti and Yāti. And the sixth was Suyāti; of them Yayāti became the king (2).
Yati was the eldest of all. Next to him was Yayāti. On account of his being the foremost of the pious he obtained a daughter of Kakuthsthas by name Go. Yati was an ascetic. Having acquired final liberation he was united with Brahman (3).
Of the other five Yayāti conquered this world. He espoused Sukrācharya's daughter Devayāni as well as Sharmisthā the daughter of an Asura by name Vrishaparva (4).
Devayāni gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu and Vrishaparva's daughter Sharmishthā to Drahyu, Anu, and Puru (5).
Being pleased Sakra gave him a highly effulgent, celestial, golden chariot going every where without any interruption. White celestial and excellent horses, fleet like the mind, were yoked to it.
By that chariot he used to accomplish every work. Ascending that car, Yayāti, irrespressible in battle, within six nights conquered the entire earth and even the gods with Vāsava (6-7).
That car was in the possession of the Pauravas till Sunāmā was born, O Janamejaya (8).
Kuru's son the king Parikshit lost that car by the imprecation of the intelligent Gārgya (9).
O Janamejaya, that king slew the harsh-speeched boy of Gārgya and accordingly he was guilty of the crime of Brahmanicide (10).
With a stench all about his body that royal saint moved about hither and thither. Then cast off both by the citizens and villagers he could not enjoy happiness any where (11).
Thereupon stricken with grief he could not find relief any where. He then sought refuge with the ascetic Indrota born in the race of Shounaka (12).
Indrota then undertook the celebration of a horse-sacrifice for purifying that king (13).
When he bathed after the termination of a Yajna, that stench disappeared from his body. Then O king, the lord of gods, with pleasure, gave away that celestial car to Vasu the king of Chedis; from him Vrihadratha acquired it (14).
From him that car gradually passed into the hands of Jarāsandha. Thereupon slaying Jarāsandha Bhima, the descendant of Kuru, delightedly conferred that most excellent car on Vāsudeva.
Having conquered the earth consisting of seven insular continents with its oceans Yayāti divided it (amongst his sons). Nahusha's son installed Turvasa as the king of the south-eastern quarter, Anu and Druhya as the kings of the northern and eastern divisions respectively, the eldest Yadu as the king of the north-east, and Puru as the king of the Central division.
Even now they are righteously ruling over the earth consisting of seven insular continents and various cities in their respective provinces. O foremost of kings, I shall afterwards describe their progeny (15–20).
Having been thus blessed with five sons and conferred upon them his bows, arrows and the charge of the kingdom, the foremost of men, that king Yayāti was possessed by decrepitude.
Divested of weapons when that ever victorious king cast his eyes on the earth he felt joy. Having thus divided the earth he said to Yadu (21–22):—
“Retiring from thy office, O my son, do thou take this decrepitude of mine upon thee. Making over my decrepitude to thee and being gifted with thy youth and beauty I shall range over the earth.” Whereto Yadu replied (23):—
“I have promised to give alms to a Brāhmana. It has not been decided as yet. Without ascertaining this I cannot accept your decrepitude (24).
There are many inconveniences regarding food and drink in decrepitude. Therefore, O king, I do not like to take your decrepitude on me (25).
O king, you have many other sons who are more beloved than I. Therefore, O pious king, command any other son of yours to take your decrepitude” (26).
Thus accosted by Yadu the king was filled with anger. Then blaming his son Yayāti, the foremost of speakers, said (27):—
“O you of vicious intellect, disregarding me who am your preceptor and who have given you education, whom else can you seek and what religion can you follow” (28)?
Having addressed Yadu thus in anger he imprecated a curse on him, saying, “O foolish wight, your sons will be deprived of their kingdom” (29).
That king, the foremost of Bharatas, likewise requested Turvasu, Drahyu and Anu and was equally dishonoured by them all (30).
Being enraged that ever victorious Yayāti cursed them all as I had described to you before, O foremost of the royal saints (31).
Having thus cursed his four sons who preceded Puru the king said to him, O descendant of Bharata (32).
“O Puru, if you agree, I shall transfer this my decrepitude to you and being invested with your beauty and youth I shall roam over this world” (33).
His powerful son Puru accepted his decrepitude. Yayāti too, endued with Puru's beauty, ranged over the earth (34).
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Seeing the termination of pleasures, O foremost of Bharatas, that lord lived in the Chaitraratha forest with Vishrāvyā (35).
When he was satiated with enjoyments the king came to Puru and took back from him his decrepitude (36).
Hear, O great king, the songs sung there by Yayāti. Hearing them a man withdraws himself from pleasures as a tortoise draws in its limbs (37).
“Desire is never satiated with the enjoyment of its object. It rather assumes proportions like a fire when clarified butter is thrown into it (38).
Rice,barley, gold, animals and women, that are on earth, are not sufficient to afford satisfaction to one man. Seeing this even men are not brought to their senses (39).
When a man does not commit injury to any creature even by his action, thought and words, he is unified with Brahman (40).
When a man is not afraid of another, when no one is afraid of him, when he cherishes no desire or malice he is unified with Brahman (41).
Verily does he attain to happiness when a man relinquishes thirst, which wicked people can never cast off, which does not wear out even when a man is possessed by decrepitude and which is like a fatal malady (42).
When a man is worn out with age his hairs and teeth fall off but the desire for life and wealth never disappears (43).
Whatever pleasure is there in this world derivable from the satisfaction of sensual appetites, whatever great heavenly pleasure is there none of them is equal to the one sixteenth of the pleasure derived from the extinction of desire” (44).
Having said this the royal saint Yayāti retired into the forest with his wife and for many long years he carried on hard austerities (45).
Having carried on his penances on the Bhrigu hill that great ascetic, renouncing his body, attained to heaven with his wife (46).
O great king, in his family five royal saints were born. By them the whole earth was occupied as by the rays of the sun (47).
Hear now of the family of Yadu honored by all the royal saints. In his family Nārāyana Hari, the perpetuator of Vrishni race, took his birth (48).
O king, he, who listens to the sacred biography of the king Yāyāti or reads it, acquires health, offspring, long life and renown (49).
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