SB 9.18 Summary

This chapter gives the history of King Yayati, the son of Nahusa. Among Yayati's five sons, the youngest son, Puru, accepted Yayati's invalidity.

When Nahusa, who had six sons, was cursed to become a python, his eldest son, Yati, took sannyasa, and therefore the next son, Yayati, was enthroned as king. By providence, Yayati married the daughter of Sukracarya. Sukracarya was a brahmana and Yayati a ksatriya, but Yayati married her nonetheless. Sukracarya's daughter, named Devayani, had a girl friend named Sarmistha, who was the daughter of Vrsaparva. King Yayati married Sarmistha also. The history of this marriage is as follows. Once Sarmistha was sporting in the water with thousands of her girl friends, and Devayani was also there. When the young girls saw Lord Siva, seated on his bull with Uma, they immediately dressed themselves, but Sarmistha mistakenly put on Devayani's clothes. Devayani, being very angry, rebuked Sarmistha, who also became very angry and responded by rebuking Devayani and throwing her into a well. By chance, King Yayati came to that well to drink water, and he found Devayani and rescued her. Thus Devayani accepted Maharaja Yayati as her husband. Thereafter, Devayani, crying loudly, told her father about Sarmistha's behavior. Upon hearing of this incident, Sukracarya was very angry and wanted to chastise Vrsaparva, Sarmistha's father. Vrsaparva, however, satisfied Sukracarya by offering Sarmistha as Devayani's maidservant. Thus Sarmistha, as the maidservant of Devayani, also went to the house of Devayani's husband. When Sarmistha found her friend Devayani with a son she also desired to have a son. Therefore, at the proper time for conception, she also requested Maharaja Yayati for sex. When Sarmistha became pregnant also, Devayani was very envious. In great anger, she immediately left for her father's house and told her father everything. Sukracarya again became angry and cursed Maharaja Yayati to become old, but when Yayati begged Sukracarya to be merciful to him, Sukracarya gave him the benediction that he could transfer his old age and invalidity to some young man. Yayati exchanged his old age for the youth of his youngest son, Puru, and thus he was able to enjoy with young girls.