Shloka 4

ययाति–दौहित्रसंवादः

Yayāti and the Grandsons: Discourse on Lokas, Dāna, and Satya

Devanagari script

शक्र उवाच यदा स पूरुस्तव रूपेण राजन्‌ जरां गृहीत्वा प्रचचार भूमौ | तदा च राज्यं सम्प्रदायैव तस्मै त्वया किमुक्तः कथयेह सत्यम्‌,इन्द्रने पूछा--राजन्‌! जब पूरु तुमसे वृद्धावस्था लेकर तुम्हारे स्वरूपसे इस पृथ्वीपर विचरण करने लगा, तुम सत्य कहो, उस समय राज्य देकर तुमने उसको क्या आदेश दिया था?

Transliteration

śakra uvāca | yadā sa pūrus tava rūpeṇa rājan jarāṃ gṛhītvā pracacāra bhūmau | tadā ca rājyaṃ sampradāyaiva tasmai tvayā kim uktaḥ kathayeha satyam ||

Translation

Śakra sprach: „O König, als Pūru deine Altersschwäche auf sich nahm, deine eigene Gestalt annahm und auf Erden umherging – sage mir die Wahrheit: Welche Weisung gabst du ihm damals, nachdem du ihm das Reich übergeben hattest?“

Word by Word

• {'śakraḥ': 'Indra, the lord of the gods', 'uvāca': 'said', 'yadā': 'when', 'saḥ': 'he', 'pūruḥ': 'Pūru (son of Yayāti)', 'tava': 'your', 'rūpeṇa': 'in the form/appearance', 'rājan': 'O king', 'jarām': 'old age, senescence', 'gṛhītvā': 'having taken/assumed', 'pracacāra': 'wandered, moved about', 'bhūmau': 'on the earth', 'tadā': 'then, at that time', 'rājyam': 'kingdom, sovereignty', 'sampradāya': 'having bestowed/handed over', 'eva': 'indeed, just', 'tasmai': 'to him', 'tvayā': 'by you', 'kim': 'what', 'uktaḥ': 'said, spoken', 'kathaya': 'tell, relate', 'iha': 'here', 'satyam': 'truth'}

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शक्र (Indra)
• पूरु (Pūru)
• राजन् (the king addressed—Yayāti in context)
• जरा (old age)
• भूमि (earth)
• राज्य (kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds सत्य (truthfulness) and responsible kingship: a ruler must speak truthfully about the ethical terms of succession, especially when power is transferred due to a profound sacrifice (Pūru taking on old age).

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra (Śakra) questions the king (Yayāti, by context) about the moment when Pūru assumed the king’s form and accepted old age, and asks what command or counsel the king gave Pūru when he formally handed over the kingdom.