Shloka 42
Yayāti, Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and the Exchange of Youth: The Unsatisfied Nature of Desire
अपृच्छत् तनयं पूरुं वयसोनं गुणाधिकम् । न त्वमग्रजवद् वत्स मां प्रत्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥ ४२ ॥
apṛcchat tanayaṁ pūruṁ vayasonaṁ guṇādhikam na tvam agrajavad vatsa māṁ pratyākhyātum arhasi
King Yayāti then requested Pūru, who was younger than these three brothers but more qualified, “My dear son, do not be disobedient like your elder brothers, for that is not your duty.”
FAQs
This verse highlights Yayāti appealing to Pūru not to refuse him, implying that virtue and dutifulness toward one’s father are honored qualities in the Bhagavatam’s narrative.
Yayāti approached Pūru because Pūru was younger yet “greater in qualities,” and Yayāti hoped he would not reject the request the way the elder brothers did.
Cultivate character over seniority—true respect and responsibility come from virtue and integrity, not merely from being older or having higher status.