Yayati | |
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![]() An illustration of Yayati on a throne | |
Texts | Mahabharata |
Genealogy | |
Parents |
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Consorts | Devayani, Sharmishtha |
Children | |
Dynasty | Chandravamsha |
Yayati (Sanskrit: ययाति, romanized: Yayāti) is an Abhira king in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas.[1]
He is considered in some texts to the son of King Nahusha, and his wife, Ashokasundari,[2] daughter of Shiva and Parvati; however, early sources state that Virajas, daughter of Ajyapas, was the mother of Yayati. He had five brothers: Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati, and Kriti. Yayati had conquered the whole world and was the Chakravarti ("Universal Monarch" or "World Emperor").[3]
He married Devayani, the daughter of Shukra, and also took Sharmishtha, daughter of king Vrishaparvan, and the maid of Devayani, as his mistress. Upon hearing of his relationship with Sharmishtha, Devayani complained to her father, who in turn cursed Yayati to old age in the prime of life, but later allowed him to exchange it with his son, Puru. His story finds mention in the Mahabharata's Adi Parva, as well as in the Bhagavata Purana and the Matsya Purana.[4]
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