Mahabharata – 98

by 

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                            Aadivamsavatarana Parva

Yati became a sage & through asceticism he became one with Parabrahman  -- the reality behind the show of things. Yayati was the prince with great prowess. He became the monarch. He had two wives in Devyani & Sarmishta.He had five sons. They were Yadu & Turvasu from Devyani & Druha, Aanu & Puru by Sarmishta. They were great archers. They were endowed with all the princely qualities.

After maintaining his subjects as per virtue for long time Yayati attained  old age.The aged Yayati  asked his sons  Yadu, Turvasu, Drhuya, Anu & Puru if one of them would give up his youth to rejuvenate his father, so that he could enjoy the worldly happiness for a longer period. Yadu the eldest son of Devyani asked Yayati what Yayati would do with the youth  of his children?

In reply Yayati said that with the youth of his child he would enjoy the wealth of flesh. He added -- Oh my sons though I devoted the greater part of my life in observing sacrifices, due to the curse of Shukracharya the preceptor of demons I lost my youth. I am now an impotent old man. For that I am in great distress. If any one of you accept my old age & rule my kingdom  I  could enjoy my  youth  borrowed from you & have worldly happiness until I am ready to embrace my old age. The eldest son turned down his father’s request and so also the next three brothers. The youngest, the most devoted & the strongest Puru, however, said to him-- As per your wishes, take my youth & enjoy the worldly pleasures & let me rule the kingdom as a king by accepting your old age. On hearing thisYayati at once was transformed into a young man in his prime through his ascetic power. And thus king Yayati was enjoying the worldly pleasures borrowing the youth of Puru & Puru ruled the kingdom  of Yayati as per contract between father & son.Yayati rushed out as a young man to enjoy his life like a tiger & thus he spent thousand years. He went on for something like a fuckfest with Sharmishtha and Devayani. After some time, he also cohabited with the beautiful apsara Viswachi  of heaven at the  forest of Kubera, and enjoyed. But the more he had sex, the more he wanted to have more of it. And then he realised that sex is like oil in fire. The more you have sex, the more you want it. The want never ends. The globe with all its gems,the entire wealth of the globe & the female folk  can never make a person happy. Similarly sex desire can never be satisfied through enjoyment of sex.

Yayati further realised that when a human being with all his senses never tries to harm any body,he  achieves the Brahman.When a human being becomes fearless & no animal ever feels any enmity from him he ennobles himself. The person who is earmarked for the realisation of Brahman never desires anything from anybody. He never desires to do harm to others. And Yayati decided to give back the youth he had borrowed from Puru. Yayati repented after years spent in vain effort to quench his desires by indulgence, now made Puru the king. Puru got back his youth. And he said to Puru --- Oh my son! You are my real heir in the line & your race will be known as the famous Paurava race in the world.

Yayati then returned to the forest  of the Bhringutunga mountain & spent the rest of his days  with his wives in austerity. In due course, he attained heaven.

The episode of Yayati seems to have deeper meaning on many levels. Firstly Yayati was frank.He wanted to have longer youth & more sex. When he found that desire for pleasures of life are not extinguished through having pleasures. Just as the more you pour petrol into fire the fire burns the more. Similarly the more there are the supplies of the objects of desire, the fire of desire increases the more. True. But this must be realised from the depth of one’s being.Yayari pursued his desires till he realised the hollowness of desire of every kind.One must run after pleasures hundred percent. And only then one understands how hollow the desire is. Then he can renounce the world without any compunction in the mind.That is the road to the realisation of Brahaman.In this light one might argue that the world today mad with consumerism might realise the hollowness of  desire.Consequently the Satyayuga or golden age might be ushered in. Secondly Yayati having reached his old age wanted to get back youth & thereby he went against Nature & time. If modern civilisation & science go against Nature all their efforts will be in vain.However,Yayatis efforts were heroic.Because he wanted to take the wheel of time back.Now Yayati took the youth from Puru.Naturally Puru lost his youth.In exchange Puru attained royal power.This puts a crucial question before us.Is the desire for the pleasures of the flesh is more valuable than the craving for power?Yayati was a king for a long time.With him the desire for the flesh had the priority.But with Puru the desire for power was more important than the desire for flesh. The story poses the question before the listeners --- which one is more important – power or sensual pleasure?On another level Puru’s sacrifice of his youth for the sake of his father is as noble & as heroic as the readiness of Christ to die for the world & man to satisfy the will of God.Of course, Puru got his return.His Paurava race became famous in the world & this is singularly significan.Puru was the son of Yayati & Sarmishta.Sarmishta was a daughter of a demon.Thus in the figure of Puru both the lines of gods & demons unite. Besides the curse of the preceptor of demons on Yayati was farsighted. Because had not Yayati been impotent, Puru could not have proved his mettle & the lines of demons would pale. But at the same time the preceptor was not partial. Though Devyani was his daughter the children of Devyani were outdone by the child of Sarmishta.