Shloka 23

Matsya Purana — Yayāti and His Sons: The Exchange of Youth and Old Age

Devanagari script

*ययातिरुवाच यस्त्वं मे हृदयाज्जातो वयः स्वं न प्रयच्छसि जरादोषस्त्वयोक्तो यस् तस्मात्त्वं प्रतिपद्यसे //

Transliteration

*yayātiruvāca yastvaṃ me hṛdayājjāto vayaḥ svaṃ na prayacchasi jarādoṣastvayokto yas tasmāttvaṃ pratipadyase //

Translation

Yayāti said: “Though you were born from my very heart, you do not grant me your own youth. Therefore, the very affliction of old age that you have spoken of—may you yourself come to attain it.”

Word by Word

• yayātiḥ uvāca: Yayāti said

• yaḥ tvam: you who

• me: my

• hṛdayāt: from (my) heart

• jātaḥ: born

• vayaḥ: youth/vital age

• svam: your own

• na: not

• prayacchasi: you give/grant

• jarā-doṣaḥ: the fault/affliction of old age

• tvayā uktaḥ: spoken/uttered by you

• yaḥ: which/that

• tasmāt: therefore

• tvam: you

• pratipadyase: you attain/come to (that state)

Speaker

• King Yayāti

Entities Mentioned

• Yayāti
• jarā (old age)

Tags

• Dynasties
• Genealogy
• Curse
• Kshatriya Dharma
• Ethics

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse does not address Pralaya; it belongs to a dynastic-ethical narrative where Yayāti invokes a curse connected to old age (jarā) and the consequences of refusal of filial support.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It frames a moral tension around filial duty and reciprocity: a son born “from the heart” is expected to support the father, while the father-king’s response shows how anger and desire can distort dharma and lead to harsh, fate-shaping words.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, iconography, or ritual procedure is mentioned in this verse; its focus is interpersonal ethics and the karmic force of speech (a curse) in royal lineage narratives.