Shloka 9
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 85: Āṣṭaka–Yayāti संवादः
Merit-Exhaustion, Rebirth, and the Critique of Pride
ययातिरुवाच यत् त्वं मे हृदयाज्जातो वय: स्व॑ न प्रयच्छसि । तस्मादराज्यभाक् तात प्रजा तव भविष्यति,ययातिने कहा--तात! तुम मेरे हृदयसे उत्पन्न (औरस पुत्र) होकर भी मुझे अपनी युवावस्था नहीं देते; इसलिये तुम्हारी संतान राज्यकी अधिकारिणी नहीं होगी
Yayātir uvāca: yat tvaṁ me hṛdayāj jāto vayaḥ svaṁ na prayacchasi | tasmād arājyabhāk tāta prajā tava bhaviṣyati ||
Yayāti said: “Since you, though born from my very heart, do not grant me your own youth, therefore, my son, your descendants shall not be entitled to kingship.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kingship as tied to ethical reciprocity and duty: refusal to support one’s father in a critical moment brings a lasting consequence, extending to one’s lineage, showing how personal choices can shape dynastic fate.
In the Yayāti episode, the king seeks youth from his sons to counter a curse of premature old age. Here he rebukes the son who refuses and declares that the son’s descendants will be barred from royal succession.