In the ancient age of the Treta Yuga, the kingdom of Pratishthana was ruled by King Yayati, a powerful monarch of the Chandravamsha or Lunar Dynasty. Yayati was the son of Nahusha and Ashokasundari, and he was known as a conqueror of the world and a righteous upholder of dharma. However, his life was defined by a complex web of relationships and a curse that would eventually teach the world a profound lesson about the nature of human desire and the futility of seeking satisfaction in material pleasures.
The genesis of Yayati’s trials lay in a dispute between two women: Devayani, the proud daughter of the great sage Shukracharya, and Sharmishtha, the princess of the Asuras and daughter of King Vrishaparvan. During a social outing to a forest pool, a mishap occurred when the clothes of the two women were swapped or mistaken. In the ensuing argument, Sharmishtha, emboldened by her royal status, insulted Devayani and pushed her into a dry well. Leaving her there to perish, Sharmishtha returned to the palace. However, Yayati, who was hunting nearby, heard the cries of the trapped Devayani. He reached down and pulled her out of the well by her right hand. In the customs of the time, the act of taking a woman's right hand was equivalent to a marriage proposal. Devayani, captivated by the king's nobility and grateful for her life, declared that she would marry no one but him.
When Shukracharya learned of the insult to his daughter, he threatened to abandon the Asura king, Vrishaparvan. To appease the sage, the Asuras were forced to agree to Devayani’s condition: Sharmishtha must become her personal servant and accompany her to her husband’s home. Thus, when Yayati married Devayani, Sharmishtha came along as a handmaiden, though Shukracharya strictly warned Yayati never to share his bed with the princess. For a time, Yayati lived happily with Devayani, but the proximity of Sharmishtha, who was equally beautiful and of royal blood, eventually led to a secret romance. Yayati and Sharmishtha were married in secret, and she bore him three sons: Druhyu, Anu, and Puru. Devayani already had two sons by Yayati: Yadu and Turvasu.
The secret was eventually revealed when Devayani noticed the royal bearing and likeness of Sharmishtha’s children. Upon learning that her husband had betrayed her and violated her father's command, she fled in rage to Shukracharya. The sage, incensed by the king's lack of self-control and deceit, cast a terrible curse upon Yayati: the king would immediately lose his strength, his hair would turn white, his skin would wrinkle, and he would be overcome by the infirmity of extreme old age. The king, once in the prime of his life, suddenly found himself a frail, trembling old man. Terrified of the loss of his vitality and his ability to enjoy the world, Yayati begged for mercy. Shukracharya, softening slightly at the king’s genuine distress, provided a loophole: if one of his sons was willing to trade his own youth for Yayati’s old age, the king could remain young and the curse would be transferred.
Yayati returned to his capital and gathered his five sons. He first approached his eldest, Yadu, the son of Devayani. He pleaded with Yadu to take his old age for a thousand years so that he might satisfy his remaining desires. Yadu, however, was blunt; he refused to surrender his youth, stating that an old man could not enjoy life, could not ride horses, and was useless in the pursuit of dharma and pleasure. Angered, Yayati cursed Yadu, declaring that his descendants would never be kings (founding the Yadava line). He then asked Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu, but each in turn refused, citing their own fears of death and decay. Finally, he turned to his youngest son, Puru, the son of Sharmishtha. Puru, out of deep filial devotion, agreed without hesitation. He told his father that it was the duty of a son to serve the father's needs, and he willingly accepted the burden of the curse.