Yayati

Uncommon card · No. 138328

Yayati (Sanskrit: ययाति, romanized: Yayāti) is an emperor in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded as the progenitor of the lineages of the Yadavas and the Pandavas. According to the Harivamsa, Yayati is the son of King Nahusha, and his wife, Virajas, the daughter of Pitris, and has five brothers: Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati, and Kriti. Yayati had conquered the whole world and was the Chakravarti ("Universal Monarch" or "World Emperor"). He married Devayani, the daughter of Shukra, and also took Sharmishtha, daughter of king Vrishaparvan, and the maid of Devayani, as his mistress. Upon hearing of his relationship with Sharmishtha, Devayani complained to her father, who in turn cursed Yayati to old age in the prime of life, but later allowed him to exchange it with his son, Puru. His story finds mention in the Mahabharata's Adi Parva, as well as in the Bhagavata Purana and the Matsya Purana.

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