That king, the foremost of Bharatas, likewise requested Turvasu, Drahyu
and Anu and was equally dishonoured by them all (30). Being enraged that
ever victorious Yayāti cursed them all as I had described to you before,
O foremost of the royal saints (31). Having thus cursed his four sons
who preceded Puru the king said to him, O descendant of Bharata (32). "O
Puru, if you agree, I shall transfer this my decrepitude to you and
being invested with your beauty and youth I shall roam over this world"
(33). His powerful son Puru accepted his decrepitude. Yayāti too, endued
with Puru’s beauty, ranged over the earth (34). Seeing the termination
of pleasures, O foremost of Bharatas, that lord lived in the
Chaitraratha forest with Vishrāvyā (35). When he was satiated with
enjoyments the king came to Puru and took back from him his decrepitude
(36). Hear, O great king, the songs sung there by Yayāti. Hearing them a
man withdraws himself from pleasures as a tortoise draws in its limbs
(37). "Desire is never satiated with the enjoy ment of its object. It
rather assumes proportions like a fire when clarified butter is thrown
into it (38). Rice, barley, gold, animals and women, that are on earth,
are not sufficient to afford satisfaction to one man. Seeing this even
men are not brought to their senses (39). When a man does not commit
injury to any creature even by his action, thought and words, he is
unified with Brahman (40). When a man is not afraid of another, when no
one is afraid of him, when he cherishes no desire or malice he is
unified with Brahman (41). Verily does he attain to happiness when a man
relinquishes thirst, which wicked people can never cast off, which does
not wear out even when a man is possessed by decrepitude and which is
like a fatal malady (42). When a man is worn out with age his hairs and
teeth fall off but the desire for life and wealth never disappears (43).
Whatever pleasure is there in this world derivable from the satisfaction
of sensual appetites, whatever great heavenly pleasure is there none of
them is equal to the one sixteenth of the pleasure derived from the
extinction of desire" (44). Having said this the royal saint Yayāti
retired into the forest with his wife and for many long years he carried
on hard austerities (45). Having carried on his penances on the Bhrigu
hill that great ascetic, renouncing his body, attained to heaven with
his wife (46).
O great king, in his family five royal saints were born. By them the
whole earth was occupied as by the rays of the sun (47). Hear now of the
family of Yadu honored by all the royal saints. In his family Nārāyana
Hari, the perpetuator of Vrishni race, took his birth (48), O king, he,
who listens to the sacred biography of the king Yāyāti or reads it,
acquires health, offspring, long life and renown (49).
CHAPTER XXXI. AN ACCOUNT OF PURU’S FAMILY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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