What is the story of Yayati and his curse of premature old age?

How the story goes

Yayati was a powerful king who married Devayani, the daughter of Shukracharya, the sage and teacher of the gods' enemies. But Yayati also secretly took Sharmishtha, a princess who served Devayani, as another wife. When Shukracharya found out, he was furious. He cursed Yayati with premature old age, making his body wither before his time.

Yayati begged for mercy. Shukracharya softened a little. He said the curse could not be lifted, but Yayati could transfer it to a willing son, who would take on the old age while Yayati took back the son's youth.

Yayati went to each of his sons in turn. Most refused. Only his youngest son, Puru, agreed. Puru took on the old age, and Yayati walked away young again.

For many years Yayati lived in pleasure, enjoying everything a king could want. But no matter how much he had, the wanting never stopped. The tradition puts it plainly: desire is not quenched by indulgence the way fire is not quenched by pouring more fuel on it.

In the end, Yayati saw this for himself. He returned Puru's youth to him, took back his old age, and gave up his kingdom. He turned toward renunciation and eventually found liberation.

What the story points to

The story is really about the nature of desire. Yayati had everything, and then he had more time to have everything, and it still was not enough. The tradition uses this to say that no amount of pleasure satisfies desire for long. The only way out is not more, but letting go.

Puru's willingness to carry his father's burden is also noticed in the tradition. It is why Yayati eventually passes his kingdom to Puru rather than to his older sons who refused.

Yayati is also an ancestor of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, the two great families at the heart of the Mahabharata. So his story sits near the very roots of that epic.

Where it appears

This story comes from the Adi Parva, the first section of the Mahabharata. It is told early in the epic, before the main events begin. Some details vary across retellings and regional traditions, but the core of the curse, the exchange, the years of pleasure, and the final renunciation stays consistent.

Why people still tell it

The story of Yayati keeps coming up because the question it asks is still alive. Can wanting ever be fully satisfied? Yayati tried harder than most people ever could, with a whole extra lifetime of youth, and still found the answer was no. That is why his name is still used in conversation, in literature, and in discussions about how people chase pleasure and what it costs them.