Biography & True Stories
Yayati
by V.S. Khandekar
Rightfully hailed as one of the greatest literary works in the history of Marathipublishing, ‘YAYATI’, is an intriguing philosophical portrayal of human life as it flowsfrom attachment to detachment. Yayati, a hedonistic man who has been refused to bebreast-fed by his mother in the fear that it’ll spoil her physical beauty, and experiencingthe crippling power of death when his father Nahusha dies untimely. Yayati goes on aself-destructive spree for eighteen long years wherein he unabashedly indulges in everyimmoral activity possible. His craving for a different woman destroys his relationshipwith Devayani and even Sharmishtha. Unable to bear the pathetic degradation of hisdaughter’s marriage, Sage Shukracharya curses Yayati to a thousand years of old age!Jolted with the thought of losing his virility, Yayati pleads with his young son Puru toexchange their youth with him. Khandekar’s novel makes strong commentary on topicslike the sanctity of marriage, fidelity, loyalty, adultery, hedonism, lack of responsibility,and such other myriad emotional feelings.
