Yayati
India- yayati

The story of King Yayati comes from Indian mythology, and it starts with the age-old problem of infidelity. Yayati was married to a woman named Devayani and things seemed to be going well until a former princess named Smarmistha became a maid at their house. She convinced the king to wed her as his second wife, and before long they had several children, all kept completely secret from Yayati’s first wife. When Devayani discovered the children, she told her father, who cursed the king for his unfaithfulness by turning him into an old man. Devayani’s father soon became wracked with guilt for the severity of the curse, but it was too late—he was unable to reverse the effects. So Devayani’s father gave Yayati another chance. According to the magic of the curse, if one of Yayati’s children was willing, they could exchange their youth for their father’s old age. Most of his children rejected his request, but finally his son Puru agreed to do so out of love for his father. Puru quickly became an old man, and Yayati was blessed with as much youth as he wanted. However, he didn’t find it satisfying. Before long, he realized that no matter how many carnal pleasures he could enjoy as a young man, he would never truly feel fulfilled. Realizing that he had made a terrible mistake, he returned to his kingdom and gave his youth back to his youngest son. Knowing that Puru had been the most loyal and wisest of his children, he made him king and retired into the forest to meditate for his remaining years.