The Purana Index v3.c9.216

v3.c9.216

Yayāti—the middle son of Nahusa and Virajā, the mind-born daughter of Ajyapas married Śarmiṣṭhā, daughter of Vṛṣaparvan,¹ and had three sons by her, pleased with him Indra gave him a golden chariot yoked with swift horses and which became the ratha of the Paurava kings² Became king after his father desire for more territory, placed his younger brothers in charge of the four quarters of the kingdom, nature of his good rule described, in the course of a hunting expedition, he heard the cry of a girl coming out of a well and going near it found a girl inside standing helpless and naked, he gave her his upper cloth to wear and lifted her up. She was Devayānī, the daughter of Śukra and she became his wife and bore him two sons, Yadu and Turvasu. Śukra in offering his daughter to the king asked him not to share his bed with Śarmiṣṭhā. In a weak moment, forgetting his promise, he yielded to the entreaties of Śarmiṣṭhā and on this Devayānī departed to Śukra's place. Yayāti followed her and was cursed by Śukra to become old, but Śukra said that he could take the youth of somebody by exchanging it for his old age. He enquired of all his sons and all except Pūru refused to comply with his request. With Pūru's youth he enjoyed for long the company of Devayānī, narrated to her an old story of an ewe found in a well, loving a ram, who was not faithful at first but who spent ultimately a long time of enjoyment with her. He compared himself to that ram and said that he should thereafter bestow his thought on Hari. So he returned his youth to Pūru and led a life of penance at Bhrgutunga after anointing Pūru on the throne and appointing his other sons in different parts of the kingdom, discourses of, to Pūru on gentleness and friendliness to all, was devoted to Hari. Parīkṣit compared to Yayāti for his dharma³. Cursed that Yadu and his line be debarred from succeeding to the throne, though five dynasties of his sons are distinguished like the sun's rays⁴. Tenth in generation from Prajāpati⁵. Went to heaven but Indra sent him back, one version is that he stands in the antarikṣa and the other is that he went back to heaven, met Indra and narrated Pūru's coronation. Indra told him of the completion of his righteousness and hence birth on the earth⁶. Falling down, met Aṣṭaka and the other grandsons, who cleared him of his doubts regarding the course of fate and man's helplessness, the fruits of karma, the worlds enjoyed by him, the bhauma naraka, the means to get samjñā, and the duties of four āsramas and munis ⁷ These with Pratardana, Vasuman and Sibi offered a part of their punyam to make Yayāti enjoy heaven Sibi leading Yayāti to heaven in a golden chariot as a result of their good deeds and truthfulness ⁸