Shloka 18
Āśramadharma and the Marks of the Muni
Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Saṃvāda
वैशम्पायन उवाच प्रतिपेदे जरां राजा ययातिर्नाहुषस्तदा । यौवन प्रतिपेदे च पूरु: स्वं पुनरात्मन:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! उस समय नहुषनन्दन राजा ययातिने अपनी वृद्धावस्था वापस ले ली और पूरुने पुन: अपनी युवावस्था प्राप्त कर ली
vaiśampāyana uvāca pratipede jarāṃ rājā yayātir nāhuṣas tadā | yauvanaṃ pratipede ca pūruḥ svaṃ punar ātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors le roi Yayāti, fils de Nahuṣa, reprit sur lui la vieillesse ; et Pūru, en retour, recouvra sa propre jeunesse. Ainsi s’accomplit l’échange des conditions, par consentement et sacrifice.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension between desire and duty: youth and pleasure are shown as impermanent and even transferable, while Pūru’s willingness to accept hardship for his father exemplifies filial dharma and self-sacrifice.
Yayāti, afflicted with old age, and his son Pūru complete an exchange: Yayāti regains old age (i.e., takes it back from Pūru), and Pūru regains his own youth—marking the moment the swap of youth and senescence is reversed/settled in the story.