Yayati was a
Puranic king and the son of King
Nahusha and his wife Viraja. He was one of the ancestors of
Pandavas. He had five brothers: Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. He had two wives,
Devayani and
Sharmishtha. Devayani was the daughter of
Shukracharya, the priest of
Asuras (the
demons). Sharmishtha was the daughter of the demons king
Vrishparva. Sharmishtha was a friend and later a maid of Devayani. After hearing of his relationship with second wife Sharmishtha from Devayani, her father, sage Shukracharya, 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-
Adi Parva and also
Bhagavata Purana.
