Shloka 44
Yayāti, Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā, and the Exchange of Youth: The Unsatisfied Nature of Desire
उत्तमश्चिन्तितं कुर्यात् प्रोक्तकारी तु मध्यम: । अधमोऽश्रद्धया कुर्यादकर्तोच्चरितं पितु: ॥ ४४ ॥
uttamaś cintitaṁ kuryāt prokta-kārī tu madhyamaḥ adhamo ’śraddhayā kuryād akartoccaritaṁ pituḥ
A son who acts by anticipating what his father wants him to do is first class, one who acts upon receiving his father’s order is second class, and one who executes his father’s order irreverently is third class. But a son who refuses his father’s order is like his father’s stool.
Pūru, Yayāti’s last son, immediately accepted his father’s proposal, for although he was the youngest, he was very qualified. Pūru thought, “I should have accepted my father’s proposal before he asked, but I did not. Therefore I am not a first-class son. I am second class. But I do not wish to become the lowest type of son, who is compared to his father’s stool.” One Indian poet has spoken of putra and mūtra. Putra means “son,” and mūtra means “urine.” Both a son and urine come from the same genitals. If a son is an obedient devotee of the Lord he is called putra, or a real son; otherwise, if he is not learned and is not a devotee, a son is nothing better than urine.
FAQs
This verse says the best son anticipates and fulfills the father’s intention without being told; the average acts when instructed; the lowest lacks faith and neglects even direct instructions.
He uses a familiar family-duty example to teach gradations of character and śraddhā (faithful respect), showing how dharma is expressed through responsible action.
Cultivate reliability: understand responsibilities without needing repeated reminders, act respectfully when guided, and avoid neglecting duties due to cynicism or lack of faith.