ययातिना पूरौ राज्याभिषेकः, दिक्प्रदानं, तृष्णा-वैराग्योपदेशः, वनप्रवेशः च
शुक्रेण मे समादिष्टा देवयान्याः कृते जरा प्रार्थितेन पुनस्तेन जरा संचारिणी कृता
śukreṇa me samādiṣṭā devayānyāḥ kṛte jarā prārthitena punastena jarā saṃcāriṇī kṛtā
Durch Śukras Weisung wurde mir auferlegt, um Devayānī willen das Alter (jarā) auf mich zu nehmen; und als man ihn erneut anflehte, wurde eben dieses Alter übertragbar gemacht, sodass es von einem Körper auf den anderen wechseln konnte.
Yayati (within Suta’s narration to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
It highlights jarā (decay) as a form of pāśa (bondage) that afflicts the pashu (individual soul); Linga worship directs the mind to Pati (Śiva), the one beyond time, decay, and compulsion.
By implication, it contrasts the conditioned state—where even old age can be “assigned” or “transferred”—with Śiva-tattva as kāla-atīta (beyond time) and pāśa-vimocaka (liberator from bonds) for the soul who takes refuge in Him.
The takeaway is vairāgya-based discipline: recognizing jarā as inevitable bondage and turning to Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā—self-restraint, devotion, and contemplation on the timeless Linga—rather than bargaining with embodied conditions.