Shloka 23
Āśramadharma and the Marks of the Muni
Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Saṃvāda
ययातिरुवाच ब्राह्मणप्रमुखा वर्णा: सर्वे शृण्वन्तु मे वच: । ज्येष्ठं प्रति यथा राज्यं न देयं मे कथंचन,ययातिने कहा--ब्राह्मण आदि सब वर्णके लोग मेरी बात सुनें, मुझे ज्येष्ठ पुत्रको किसी तरह राज्य नहीं देना है
Yayātir uvāca: brāhmaṇa-pramukhā varṇāḥ sarve śṛṇvantu me vacaḥ | jyeṣṭhaṃ prati yathā rājyaṃ na deyaṃ me kathaṃcana ||
Yayāti said: “Let all the social orders, with the Brāhmaṇas foremost, listen to my words. Under no circumstance shall I grant the kingdom to the eldest (son).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of royal succession: a king publicly declares a decisive policy about inheritance, emphasizing that kingship is not merely a birthright but a responsibility that may be withheld even from the eldest if the ruler deems it improper.
King Yayāti addresses the assembled community—explicitly invoking the varṇas with Brāhmaṇas foremost—and announces that he will not give the kingdom to his eldest son, signaling a significant turn in the succession arrangement.