Shloka 12

ययातिपतनम् — Yayāti’s Fall and the Offer of Dharma

Nārada’s Account

Devanagari script

ययातिरपि पूर्वेषां राज्ञां वृत्तमनुछित: । बहुवर्षसहस्रायुर्युयुजे कालधर्मणा,राजा ययाति भी पूर्ववर्ती राजाओंके सदाचारका पालन करते हुए अनेक सहस्र वर्षोंकी आयु पूरी करके मृत्युको प्राप्त हुए

Transliteration

yayātir api pūrveṣāṁ rājñāṁ vṛttam anucchitaḥ | bahuvarṣasahasrāyur yuyuje kāladharmaṇā ||

Translation

Nārada said: “King Yayāti too, faithfully following the established righteous conduct of the earlier kings, completed a lifespan of many thousands of years and then, in accordance with the law of Time, met his appointed end.”

Word by Word

ययातिःKing Yayāti

अपिalso/even

पूर्वेषाम्of the earlier/former (ones)

राज्ञाम्of kings

वृत्तम्conduct/behavior

अनुचितःhaving followed/practised

बहु-वर्ष-सहस्र-आयुःone whose lifespan was many thousands of years

युयुजेjoined/entered (i.e., met/underwent)

काल-धर्मणाby the law/ordained course of Time (i.e., as per fate/time’s rule)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Yayāti

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the greatest kings, though they uphold the righteous customs of their predecessors and enjoy long life, must ultimately submit to Kāla (Time). Dharma guides life, but it does not exempt one from mortality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada cites King Yayāti as an example: he ruled in accordance with the established conduct of earlier kings, lived for many thousands of years, and then inevitably died according to the ordinance of Time—supporting a broader reflection on the fate of rulers and the inevitability of change.