Shloka 37
Śukra’s Ultimatum and Devayānī’s Demand (शुक्र-प्रतिज्ञा तथा देवयानी-वर-याचना)
जराभिभूत: पुत्रान् स राजा वचनमब्रवीत् | यदु पूरुं तुर्वसुं च द्रुह्-ुं चानुं च भारत,जनमेजय! वृद्धावस्थासे आक्रान्त होनेपर राजा ययातिने अपने समस्त पुत्रों यदु, पूरु, तुर्वसु, ट्रहयु तथा अनुसे कहा--
jarābhibhūtaḥ putrān sa rājā vacanam abravīt | yaduṃ pūruṃ turvasuṃ ca druhyuṃ cānuṃ ca bhārata janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Von den Gebrechen des Alters überwältigt, wandte sich König Yayāti an seine Söhne—Yadu, Pūru, Turvasu, Druhyu und Anu—o Janamejaya aus dem Geschlecht der Bhāratas.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic dilemma: when age and decline overtake a ruler, he must address responsibility, succession, and the rightful expectations between parent and child. It prepares the ethical ground for evaluating what children owe to a parent-king and what a king may rightly ask of his heirs.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that King Yayāti, afflicted by old age, calls and speaks to his sons—Yadu, Pūru, Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu—while addressing Janamejaya as the listener. This is the setup for Yayāti’s forthcoming request and the consequential choices of his sons.