Shloka 37
Yayāti, Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and the Exchange of Youth: The Unsatisfied Nature of Desire
श्रीययातिरुवाच अतृप्तोऽस्म्यद्य कामानां ब्रह्मन् दुहितरि स्म ते । व्यत्यस्यतां यथाकामं वयसा योऽभिधास्यति ॥ ३७ ॥
śrī-yayātir uvāca atṛpto ’smy adya kāmānāṁ brahman duhitari sma te vyatyasyatāṁ yathā-kāmaṁ vayasā yo ’bhidhāsyati
King Yayāti said, “O learned, worshipable brāhmaṇa, I have not yet satisfied my lusty desires with your daughter.” Śukrācārya then replied, “You may exchange your old age with someone who will agree to transfer his youth to you.”
When King Yayāti said that he had not yet satisfied his lusty desires with Śukrācārya’s daughter, Śukrācārya saw that it was against the interests of his own daughter for Yayāti to continue in old age and invalidity, for certainly his lusty daughter would not be satisfied. Therefore Śukrācārya blessed his son-in-law by saying that he could exchange his old age for someone else’s youth. He indicated that if Yayāti’s son would exchange his youth for Yayāti’s old age, Yayāti could continue to enjoy sex with Devayānī.
FAQs
This verse shows Yayāti admitting that even after long indulgence he remains unsatisfied, indicating that kāma (sense desire) is inherently insatiable and cannot bring lasting fulfillment.
Because he still felt driven by desire, Yayāti proposed that someone who agreed could take his old age while giving him youth—an exchange he sought to continue enjoyment, which later becomes a key lesson leading toward renunciation.
It cautions that chasing pleasures does not satisfy the heart; a seeker can apply this by cultivating restraint, redirecting longing toward devotion and higher purpose, and practicing contentment.