Shloka 13

Devanagari script

“तदनन्तर अपने अधीन रहनेवाले आज्ञापालक छोटे पुत्र पूरुको नृपश्रेष्ठ ययातिने राज्यपर बिठाया ।। एवं ज्येष्ठोडप्यथोत्सिक्तो न राज्यमभिजायते । यवीयांसो5पि जायन्ते राज्यं वृद्धोपसेवया,“इस प्रकार यह सिद्ध है कि ज्येष्ठ पुत्र भी यदि अहंकारी हो तो उसे राज्यकी प्राप्ति नहीं होती और छोटे पुत्र भी वृद्ध पुरुषोंकी सेवा करनेसे राज्य पानेके अधिकारी हो जाते हैं

Transliteration

tadanantaraṃ svādhīnaṃ ājñāpālakaṃ kṣudra-putraṃ pūruṃ nṛpaśreṣṭhaḥ yayātiḥ rājye 'bhiṣicya nyaveśayat | evaṃ jyeṣṭho 'pi atha utsikto na rājyam abhijāyate | yavīyānso 'pi jāyante rājyaṃ vṛddhopasevayā |

Translation

Después de ello, el rey Yayāti—el mejor entre los gobernantes—sentó en el trono a su hijo menor Pūru, obediente y bajo su dominio. Así queda establecido: aun el primogénito, si se hincha de orgullo, no alcanza la realeza; en cambio, los hijos menores, por su devoto servicio a los mayores, se vuelven dignos de obtener el reino.

Word by Word

एवम्thus

ज्येष्ठःthe eldest (son)

अपिeven/also

अथthen/indeed

उत्सिक्तःarrogant, puffed up

नnot

राज्यम्kingdom, sovereignty

अभिजायतेis obtained/comes to (one)

यवीयांसःyounger (sons/men)

अपिalso/even

जायन्तेare born/come to be (i.e., become entitled)

राज्यम्kingdom, sovereignty

वृद्धby/through an elder (person)

उपसेवयाby service/attendance

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Yayāti

Pūru

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Birth order alone does not confer entitlement. Arrogance disqualifies even the eldest from rulership, while humility, obedience, and service to elders can make a younger son worthy of sovereignty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva recounts how King Yayāti placed his younger, obedient son Pūru on the throne, using this episode to illustrate a moral principle about fitness for rule and the value of serving elders.