Shloka 1
The Yayāti Episode
with the Glory of Mātā–Pitṛ Tīrtha
ययातिरुवाच । एकेन गृह्यतां पुत्रा जरा मे दुःखदायिनी । धीरेण भवतां मध्ये तारुण्यं मम दीयताम्
yayātiruvāca | ekena gṛhyatāṃ putrā jarā me duḥkhadāyinī | dhīreṇa bhavatāṃ madhye tāruṇyaṃ mama dīyatām
ಯಯಾತಿ ಹೇಳಿದನು—‘ಓ ಪುತ್ರರೇ, ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬನು ನನ್ನ ದುಃಖದಾಯಕ ಜರೆಯನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಲಿ. ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಧೀರನಾದವನು ನನಗೆ ತನ್ನ ತಾರುಣ್ಯವನ್ನು ದಾನಮಾಡಲಿ।’
King Yayāti
Concept: Attempting to transfer the burden of old age reveals attachment to youth and pleasure; true welfare lies in mastering desire, not bargaining with time.
Application: Face aging and discomfort with acceptance; cultivate disciplines (fasting, restraint, prayer) rather than seeking to offload suffering onto others.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"King Yayāti, still adorned in royal splendor, speaks with a strained urgency, one hand clutching his chest as if feeling the weight of age. His sons stand in a semicircle—some startled, some conflicted—while the palace air thickens with incense and unspoken consequence.","primary_figures":["King Yayāti","his sons (including Pūru, Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu in common tradition)","purohita","queen/consort (implied presence)"],"setting":"royal chamber near the women’s quarters, with silk drapes, jeweled lamps, and a faint view of a garden pavilion","lighting_mood":"lamp-lit","color_palette":["royal purple","antique gold","smoldering amber","jade green","ash gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: King Yayāti pleading for the exchange of old age, gold leaf emphasizing crown, jewelry, and lamp halos; sons arranged in a formal arc with varied expressions; rich reds, greens, and purples; ornate palace archways and patterned carpets; dramatic yet devotional iconography.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate psychological scene—Yayāti’s anxious face and the sons’ conflicted reactions, delicate brushwork, soft interior lighting, translucent curtains, garden pavilion in the distance, refined textiles and subtle emotion.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, Yayāti centrally placed with expressive eyes and gesture of supplication, sons flanking symmetrically, warm red-yellow-green palette with black detailing, stylized lamps and palace motifs, moral drama conveyed through posture.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative panel framed by lotus borders, deep blue background with gold highlights, stylized palace interior, figures arranged in devotional symmetry; peacocks and floral creepers at margins subtly symbolizing desire and restlessness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["low mridangam pulse","tense silence","lamp crackle","distant thunder (subtle)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ययातिरुवाच = ययातिः + उवाच (विसर्ग-लोप); भवतां मध्ये (सन्धि नहीं); दीयताम्/गृह्यताम्—लोट् कर्मणि (passive imperative) रूप।
FAQs
King Yayāti is speaking, asking his sons that one of them accept his painful old age so that he may regain youth.
It raises the tension between personal desire (clinging to youth) and dharma (a ruler and father accepting the natural consequences of time), setting up a moral test for the sons.
“Dhīra” implies the son who is self-controlled and discerning—someone capable of sacrificing personal comfort for duty—highlighting virtue as steadiness rather than mere obedience.