MAARKANDEYA presents MAHAABHAARATHAM

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W E L C O M E

YAYAATHI

( The two 'y's in this name are pronounced like Y in 'you' and th is pronounced like th in 'with'.)

Yayaathi was one of the ancestors of paandavas. He was son of Nahusha. The dynasty was lated known as Pooru after Yayaathi's son Pooru and the kings of the dynasty were known as 'pouravas' in general.

Yayaathi was a famous king. He was also known for his penances that brought him the higher abodes. When he was young, he once went on a hunting trip to a forest where he found a beautiful young lady in a well appearing to have fallen in it . He helped her out of the well and asked about her whatabouts. She informed that she was Devayaani, daughter of the demons' preceptor Shukra and she was thrown in to the well by the demon king Vrishaparva's daughter Sharmishtha over a small dispute between them. Yayaathi went home but once again he went to the same forest after a few years and saw Devayaani being attended by Sharmishtha and her thousand maids ( which was arranged by Vrishaparva, to placate an aggrieved Devayaani ). Devayaani asked Yayaathi to marry her but Yayaathi refused her word as he, a kshathriya, should not marry a braahmana girl. But Devayaani called for his father Shukra and obtained his endorsement for the converse marriage. Shukra's permission dispelled Yayaathi's doubts and he married Devayaani. At the time of marriage, Sharmishtha and her thousand servant maids too went along with Devayaani to serve her. Shukra warned Yayaathi to take good care of the demon princess Sharmishtha but to strictly avoid her from bed. Yayaathi agreed and went home with his wife and her attendant princess followed by the maids. He got two sons Yadu and Thurvasu from her.

after a few years of their birth, Sharmishtha once requested Yayaathi to marry her too, as a servant is all the property of her mistress' husband. Yayaathi obliged her request and they got three sons Druhyu, Anu and Pooru. Devayaani came to know about Yayaathi's misbehaviour and complained to her father who instantly cursed Yayaathi to become a ripe old fellow. At the prayer of Yayaathi, Shukra conceded that the king can exchange his old age with the youth of any of his sons and that such son would become the heir to the throne too. All the elder sons refused Yayaathi's request ridiculing his desire but the youngest son Pooru obliged. Yayaathi enjoyed the pleasures for a very long time and installed Pooru on the throne and went to the forests for penance.

After many years of great penance Yayaathi went to heaven but he was to forego that place due to Indra's anger over his proud about his penance. He was thrown out of the heaven but Indra allowed him to be in the world of Saths . As Yayaathi fell into the Saths' world, he met his four grandsons (sons of his daughter Maadhavi) Ashtaka, Prathardana, Vasumaan and Shibi who bestowed their powers of penance by endowing to him and sent him to hgher abodes again.