कथं शुक्रस्य दौहित्रं देवयान्याः सुतं प्रभो ज्येष्ठं यदुमतिक्रम्य राज्यं पूरोः प्रदास्यसि
O lord, how will you give the kingdom to Puru, the son of Devayani and grandson of Shukra, bypassing your eldest son Yadu?
ज्येष्ठो यदुस्तव सुतस् तुर्वसुस्तदनन्तरम् शर्मिष्ठायाः सुतो द्रुह्युस् तथानुः पूरुरेव च
Your eldest son is Yadu, then comes Turvasu; Druhyu is the son of Sharmishtha, then Anu, and Puru as well.
कथं ज्येष्ठमतिक्रम्य कनीयान् राज्यमर्हति एतत्संबोधयामस्त्वां स्वधर्ममनुपालय
How does the younger deserve the kingdom, passing over the eldest? We make this clear to you: uphold your own duty.
ब्राह्मणप्रमुखा वर्णाः सर्वे शृण्वन्तु मे वचः ज्येष्ठं प्रति यतो राज्यं न देयं मे कथंचन
Let all the classes, with the Brahmins at their head, hear my words: I will never give the kingdom to the eldest.
मम ज्येष्ठेन यदुना नियोगो नानुपालितः प्रतिकूलः पितुर्यश्च न स पुत्रः सतां मतः
My eldest, Yadu, did not obey my command; he acted against his father, and such a son is not considered a true son among the virtuous.
मातापित्रोर्वचनकृद् धितः पथ्यश्च यः सुतः स पुत्रः पुत्रवद्यश्च वर्तते पितृमातृषु
He who acts according to the words of his mother and father, who is beneficial and follows the right path—that son is truly a son and behaves as a son should toward his parents.
यदुनाहमवज्ञातस् तथा तुर्वसुनापि वा द्रुह्युणा चानुना चैवम् अप्यवज्ञा कृता भृशम्
I was disrespected by Yadu, and likewise by Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu; thus, I was greatly dishonored.
पूरुणा मे कृतं वाक्यं मानितं च विशेषतः कनीयान्मम दायादो जरा येन धृता मम
Puru fulfilled my command and especially honored me; though younger, he is my heir, for he bore my old age.
मम कामः स च कृतः पूरुणा पुत्ररूपिणा शुक्रेण च वरो दत्तः काव्येनोशनसा स्वयम्
My wish was accomplished by Puru, who is in the form of a son; and a boon was granted to me by Shukra, the sage Kavya Ushanas, himself.
पुत्रो यस्त्वानुवर्तेत स राजा पृथिवीपतिः भवन्तः प्रतिजानन्तु पूरू राज्ये ऽभिषिच्यताम्
He who follows his father is the son who should be king and lord of the earth; let all of you agree—let Puru be anointed as king.
यः पुत्रो गुणसम्पन्नो मातापित्रोर्हितः सदा सर्वं सो ऽर्हति कल्याणं कनीयानपि स प्रभुः
A son endowed with virtues, who always acts for the benefit of his mother and father, deserves all auspiciousness; even if he is the youngest, he is master.
अर्हं पूरोरिदं राज्यं यः प्रियः प्रियकृत् तव वरदानेन शुक्रस्य न शक्यं वक्तुमुत्तरम्
This kingdom belongs to the worthy eldest; he who is dear to you and does what pleases you. By granting a boon to Śukra, it is not possible to speak otherwise.
पौरजानपदैस् तुष्टैर् इत्युक्तो नाहुषस्तदा अभिषिच्य ततः पूरुं राज्ये स्वसुतमात्मजम्
Then Nahusha, addressed by the satisfied citizens and subjects, anointed Pūru, his own son, as king.
दत्त्वा च पूरवे राज्यं वनवासाय दीक्षितः पुरात्स निर्ययौ राजा ब्राह्मणैस्तापसैः सह
Having given the kingdom to Pūru, the king undertook a vow for forest-dwelling, and departed from the city together with Brahmins and ascetics.
यदोस्तु यादवा जातास् तुर्वसोर्यवनाः सुताः द्रुह्योश्चैव सुता भोजा अनोस्तु म्लेच्छजातयः
From Yadu came the Yādavas, from Turvasu the Yavanas, from Druhyu the Bhojas, and from Anu the Mleccha tribes.
पूरोस्तु पौरवो वंशो यत्र जातो ऽसि पार्थिव इदं वर्षसहस्रात्तु राज्यं कुरुकुलागतम्
From Pūru came the Paurava lineage, in which you were born, O king. After a thousand years, the kingdom came to the Kuru dynasty.
एवं स नाहुषो राजा ययातिः पुत्रमीप्सितम् राज्ये ऽभिषिच्य मुदितो वानप्रस्थो ऽभवन्मुनिः
Thus King Nahusha, Yayāti, joyfully installed his desired son in the kingdom, and became a forest-dwelling sage.
उषित्वा वनवासं स ब्राह्मणैः सह संश्रितः फलमूलाशनो दान्तो यथा स्वर्गमितो गतः
Having lived in the forest with Brahmins, subsisting on fruits and roots, self-controlled, he departed as one who attained heaven.
स गतः स्वर्गवासं तु न्यवसन्मुदितः सुखी कालस्य नातिमहतः पुनः शक्रेण पातितः
He went to dwell in heaven, joyful and happy; but after not much time, he was cast down again by Śakra.
विवशः प्रच्युतः स्वर्गाद् अप्राप्तो मेदिनीतलम् स्थितश्चासीद् अन्तरिक्षे स तदेति श्रुतं मया
Helpless, he fell from heaven, not reaching earth, and remained in the intermediate space; this I have heard.
तत एव पुनश्चापि गतः स्वर्गमिति श्रुतिः राज्ञा वसुमता सार्धम् अष्टकेन च वीर्यवान् प्रतर्दनेन शिबिना समेत्य किल संसदि
Then again, it is said, he went to heaven, together with King Vasumat, Aṣṭaka, the mighty Pratardana, and Śibi, meeting in the assembly.
कर्मणा केन स दिवं पुनः प्राप्तो महीपतिः कथमिन्द्रेण भगवन् पातितो मेदिनीतले
By what deed did that king again attain heaven? How, O blessed one, was he cast down to earth by Indra?
सर्वमेतद् अशेषेण श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः कथ्यमानं त्वया विप्र देवर्षिगणसंनिधौ
I wish to hear all this in full, as it truly happened, narrated by you, O sage, in the presence of the assembly of divine sages.
देवराजसमो ह्य् आसीद् ययातिः पृथिवीपतिः वर्धनः कुरुवंशस्य विभावसुसमद्युतिः
Yayāti, king of the earth, was equal to the king of the gods, a nourisher of the Kuru lineage, radiant like fire.
तस्य विस्तीर्णयशसः सत्यकीर्तेर् महात्मनः श्रोतुमिच्छामि देवेश दिवि चेह च सर्वशः
Of him, whose fame was vast and whose truthfulness was renowned, whose greatness was immense, I wish to hear from you, O lord of gods, both in heaven and here, entirely.
हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि ययातेरुत्तमां कथाम् दिवि चेह च पुण्यार्थां सर्वपापप्रणाशिनीम्
Indeed, I shall tell you the excellent story of Yayāti, both in heaven and here, for the sake of merit, which destroys all sins.
ययातिर्नाहुषो राजा पूरुं पुत्रं कनीयसम् राज्ये ऽभिषिच्य मुदितः प्रवव्राज वनं तदा
Yayāti, King Nahusha, joyfully installed Pūru, his youngest son, in the kingdom, and then departed for the forest.
अन्तेषु स विनिक्षिप्य पुत्रान् यदुपुरोगमान् फलमूलाशनो राजा वने ऽसौ न्यवसच्चिरम्
Having entrusted his sons, with Yadu at the forefront, to their respective ends, the king dwelt for a long time in the forest, subsisting on fruits and roots.
स जितात्मा जितक्रोधस् तर्पयन् पितृदेवताः अग्नींश्च विधिवज्जुह्वन् वानप्रस्थविधानतः
He, who has mastered himself and conquered anger, offering satisfaction to ancestors and deities, and properly making oblations to the fires according to the rule of the forest-dweller.
अतिथीन् पूजयन्नित्यं वन्येन हविषा विभुः शिलोञ्छवृत्तिमास्थाय शेषान्नकृतभोजनः
Honoring guests always with offerings from the forest, the great one, adopting the practice of gathering grains, ate only leftover food, not food prepared for himself.