Shloka 29

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

Devanagari script

प्रतिपत्स्यामि ते राजन् पाप्मानं जरया सह गृहाण यौवनं मत्तश् चर कामान् यथेप्सितान् //

Transliteration

pratipatsyāmi te rājan pāpmānaṃ jarayā saha gṛhāṇa yauvanaṃ mattaś cara kāmān yathepsitān //

Translation

O King, I shall take upon myself your sin together with your old age; take my youth from me, and enjoy the pleasures you desire as you wish.

Word by Word

• pratipatsyāmi: I accept/I take upon myself

• te: your/for you

• rājan: O king

• pāpmānam: sin/evil consequence

• jarayā saha: along with old age/with senescence

• gṛhāṇa: take/accept

• yauvanam: youth

• mattaḥ: from me

• cara: enjoy/roam in (indulge)

• kāmān: desired pleasures/objects of desire

• yathā-īpsitān: as wished/as desired

Speaker

• A younger person addressing the King (within the Yayāti narrative; traditionally one of Yayāti’s sons offering his youth).

Entities Mentioned

• King (Rājan)
• Old age (Jarā)
• Sin (Pāpmān)
• Youth (Yauvana)
• Desire (Kāma)

Tags

• Yayati episode
• Youth and old age
• Karma
• Royal ethics
• Desire

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it focuses on personal karma and the moral consequences of desire, framed through the motif of transferring old age and sin.

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

It warns that indulgence in kāma has ethical and karmic weight; a king’s pursuit of pleasure is not value-neutral, and responsible rulership ideally restrains desire rather than shifting its burden onto others.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the verse is narrative-ethical rather than architectural.