तं पुत्रो देवयानेयः पूर्वजो यदुरब्रवीत् साहाय्यं भवतः कार्यम् अस्माभिर्यौवनेन किम्
Then Yadu, the eldest son born of Devayani, replied: What need have we to assist you with our youth?
ययातिरब्रवीत् पुत्राञ् जरा मे प्रतिगृह्यताम् यौवनेनाथ भवतां चरेयं विषयानहम्
Yayati said to his sons: Take my old age upon yourselves, so that with your youth I may pursue pleasures.
यजतो दीर्घसत्त्रैर्मे शापाच्चोशनसो मुनेः कामार्थः परिहीनो मे ऽतृप्तो ऽहं तेन पुत्रकाः
Through long sacrifices and the curse of the sage Ushanas, my desire has been diminished; I am unsatisfied, my sons.
स्वकीयेन शरीरेण जरामेनां प्रशास्तु वः अहं तन्वाभिनवया युवा कामानवाप्नुयाम्
Let one of you restrain this old age with your own body, so that I, with a renewed form, may attain pleasures as a youth.
न ते ऽस्य प्रत्यगृह्णन्त यदुप्रभृतयो जराम् चतुरस्तान्स राजर्षिर् अशपच्चेति नः श्रुतम्
None of them, beginning with Yadu, accepted his old age; the royal sage cursed those four, as we have heard.
तमब्रवीत्ततः पूरुः कनीयान्सत्यविक्रमः जरां मा देहि नवया तन्वा मे यौवनात्सुखी
Then Puru, the youngest and steadfast in truth, spoke: Do not give me old age; let me be happy with youth and a new body.
अहं जरां तवादाय राज्ये स्थास्यामि चाज्ञया एवमुक्तः स राजर्षिस् तपोवीर्यसमाश्रयात्
I will take your old age and remain in the kingdom by your command; so spoke the royal sage, relying on the power of asceticism.
संस्थापयामास जरां तदा पुत्रे महात्मनि पौरवेणाथ वयसा राजा यौवनमास्थितः
He then transferred old age to his noble son Puru, and the king assumed youth through Puru's vigor.
ययातेश्चाथ वयसा राज्यं पूरुरकारयत् ततो वर्षसहस्रान्ते ययातिरपराजितः
With Puru's youth, Yayati ruled the kingdom; after a thousand years, Yayati remained undefeated.
अतृप्त इव कामानां पूरुं पुत्रमुवाच ह त्वया दायादवान् अस्मि त्वं मे वंशकरः सुतः
Still unsatisfied in desire, he addressed his son Puru: Through you I have obtained an heir; you are the maker of my lineage, my son.
पौरवो वंश इत्येष ख्यातिं लोके गमिष्यति ततः स नृपशार्दूलः पूरुं राज्ये ऽभिषिच्य च
The lineage of Puru will attain fame in the world; then, that tiger among kings consecrated Puru in the kingdom.
कालेन महता पश्चात् कालधर्मम् उपेयिवान् पूरुवंशं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुध्वमृषिसत्तमाः यत्र ते भारता जाता भरतान्वयवर्धनाः
After a long time, he reached the destined end; I will recount the lineage of Puru—listen, O best of sages—where the Bharatas were born, enhancers of the Bharata line.
किमर्थं पौरवो वंशः श्रेष्ठत्वं प्राप भूतले ज्येष्ठस्यापि यदोर्वंशः किमर्थं हीयते श्रिया
For what reason did the lineage of Puru attain supremacy on earth, while the lineage of Yadu, though eldest, declined in prosperity?
अन्यद्ययातिचरितं सूत विस्तरतो वद यस्मात्तत्पुण्यमायुष्यम् अभिनन्द्यं सुरैरपि
O Suta, narrate in detail another account of Yayati's deeds, which is virtuous, life-giving, and praised even by the gods.
एतदेव पुरा पृष्टः शतानीकेन शौनकः पुण्यं पवित्रमायुष्यं ययातिचरितं महत्
This very question was formerly asked by Shatanika to Shaunaka: the great account of Yayati, virtuous, pure, and life-giving.
ययातिः पूर्वजो ऽस्माकं दशमो यः प्रजापतेः कथं स शुक्रतनयां लेभे परमदुर्लभाम्
Yayati, the eldest among us, was the tenth descendant of Prajapati; how did he obtain the exceedingly rare daughter of Shukra?
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं विस्तरेण तपोधन आनुपूर्व्याच्च मे शंस पूरोर्वंशधरान्नृपान्
O possessor of austerity, I wish to hear this from you in detail. Please recount to me, in order, the kings who held the lineage of Pururavas.
ययातिरासीद्राजर्षिर् देवराजसमद्युतिः तं शुक्रवृषपर्वाणौ वव्राते वै यथा पुरा
Yayati was a royal sage, his splendor equal to the king of the gods. In former times, Śukra and Vṛṣaparvan gave him their daughters, as it was.
तत्ते ऽहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि पृच्छतो राजसत्तम देवयान्याश्च संयोगं ययातेर्नाहुषस्य च
Now, as you ask, O best of kings, I shall tell you of Yayati, son of Nahusha, and his union with Devayānī.
सुराणामसुराणां च समजायत वै मिथः ऐश्वर्यं प्रति संघर्षस् त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे
There arose a mutual conflict between the gods and the asuras throughout the three worlds, with all their moving and unmoving beings, for the sake of sovereignty.
जिगीषया ततो देवा वव्रुराङ्गिरसं मुनिम् पौरोहित्ये च यज्ञार्थे काव्यं तूशनसं परे
Desiring victory, the gods chose the sage of the Aṅgiras lineage as their priest for sacrifice, while the others chose Kāvya Uśanas.
ब्राह्मणौ ताव् उभौ नित्यम् अन्योन्यं स्पर्धिनौ भृशम् तत्र देवा निजघ्नुर्यान् दानवान् युधि संगतान्
Those two Brāhmaṇas, constantly and fiercely rivaling each other, were present there. In that battle, the gods slew the assembled Dānavas.
तान्पुनर् जीवयामास काव्यो विद्याबलाश्रयात् ततस्ते पुनरुत्थाय योधयांचक्रिरे सुरान्
But Kāvya, relying on the power of his knowledge, revived them again. Then, rising up once more, they fought the gods.
असुरास्तु निजघ्नुर्यान् सुरान्समरमूर्धनि न तान्संजीवयामास बृहस्पतिरुदारधीः
But when the asuras killed the gods in the midst of battle, Bṛhaspati, of noble mind, did not revive them.
न हि वेद स तां विद्यां यां काव्यो वेद वीर्यवान् संजीवनीं ततो देवा विषादमगमन्परम्
Indeed, he did not know that knowledge which the mighty Kāvya knew—the science of reviving. Therefore, the gods fell into deep despair.
अथ देवा भयोद्विग्नाः काव्यादुशनसस्तदा ऊचुः कचमुपागम्य ज्येष्ठं पुत्रं बृहस्पतेः
Then, the gods, distressed by fear of Kāvya Uśanas, approached Kaca, the eldest son of Bṛhaspati, and spoke to him.
भजमानान्भजस्वास्मान् कुरु साहाय्यमुत्तमम् यासौ विद्या निवसति ब्राह्मणे ऽमिततेजसि
"Join with us, support us, and render the highest assistance. That knowledge resides in the Brāhmaṇa of immeasurable brilliance."
शुक्रे तामाहर क्षिप्रं भागभाङ्नो भविष्यसि वृषपर्वणः समीपे ऽसौ शक्यो द्रष्टुं त्वया द्विजः
"Quickly obtain it from Śukra. You shall receive a share of the offerings. That Brāhmaṇa dwells near Vṛṣaparvan; you, O twice-born, are able to see him."
रक्षते दानवांस्तत्र न स रक्षत्यदानवान् तम् आराधयितुं शक्तो नान्यः कश्चिदृते त्वया
"He protects the Dānavas there, but does not protect the non-Dānavas. No one but you is able to propitiate him."
देवयानी च दयिता सुता तस्य महात्मनः ताम् आराधयितुं शक्तो नान्यः कश्चन विद्यते
"Devayānī, the beloved daughter of that great soul, is there. No one but you is able to win her favor."