Yayati's Wisdom

A quick recap of the first part of this story.
Yayati was a predecessor of the Pandavas and Kauravas.
He was cursed to premature oldness by Shukracharya.
He exchanged his oldness with the youth of his youngest son, Puru.
He ruled for the next 1000 years righteously and enjoying comforts.
Then he retired after handing over the kingdom to Puru and went to the forest to observe tapas.
Hee attained Swarga.
In Swrga, Indra asks him what advice he gave to Puru while handing over the kingdom.
Yayati said -
A person who does not get angry is superior than a person who gets angry.
A person who is tolerant is superior than a person who is intolerant.
Among the knowledgeable, an expert is always respected, he is on the top.
Don't be harsh even with people who are harsh with you.
Eventually the tolerant person will emerge victorious.
Don't snatch from the weak.
Don't hurt anyone.
Those who hurt and harm others, prosperity will soon leave them.
Maintain polished and refined behavior
Maintain relationship only with good people.
Those whom you honor and respect should be good people.
Those who protect your back should be also good people.
Someone may be very strong but you should not trust him if he is not a good person.
There are people who establish connections with gangsters looking only at their power
Do you think these people can be trusted.
No, because their basic character itself is not good.
They will harm you anytime they want, they will act only in their own interest,
You can achieve anything through nice words.
Not only here in all the three worlds.
Always respect those who are worthy of respect.
Always give to and help others.
Never expect any favor from others.
Among all beings, man is the greatest, even greater than Devas, Gandharvas, and Yakshas.
Because only man has got the ability to act.
Only he can change his course through his own action.

Then Indra said - later you went to the forest and observed tapas.
Who would you equate the intensity and quality of your tapas with?
None.
There has never been anyone who observed tapas like me.
See, ego doesn't go away.
Even after 1000 years of righteous living and then tapas, ego hasn't gone.
Indra said - that is an irresponsible claim.
You don't really know, you don't know about everyone.
Because of this, your punya has diminished, it has become limited, you can not stay in Swarga forever. you will again have to go back to earth and work more and harder.
Yayati said - Yes, that was a blunder, I realize my mistake.
But at least give me a chance to be among good people.
Indra agreed.
Yayati came back to earth and ended up in the presence of a Rajarshi called Ashtaka.
Ashtaka said - I saw you falling down from the sky.
Who are you?
What happened to you?
I am Yayati, son of Nahusha and father of Puru.
I was thrown out of Swarga because I failed to recognize merit in others.
Of course, I stayed in Swarga for quite some time.
But then my punya exhausted and for the defect in me, I was asked to leave Swarga.
Devas are your friends only as long as you have punya in your account.
Once they see that your punya has exhausted, they are no longer your friends.
This point is very important.
Some people think, I have done so much good.
It should be enough.
You never know.
It's like a passbook.
On one side is the punya you earn by doing good deeds.
But you are also spending it away when you are enjoying comforts.
So at any point of time, you don't know how much balance you are left with.
Devas are very objective.
It's like a hotel.
The moment they know that your valet is empty and credit card limit is over, you are out.
From his own experience Yayati says - just one ego is enough to destroy all other punya.
Look at what happened to me.
I had everything. mind-control, self-control, I was charitable, honest, kind, righteous.
But this one vice, ego made me come back to earth.
Those scholars who think that they have known everything and look down upon others, they are going to have the same fate as me.
You can achieve everything through knowledge, yajnas, daily discipline and self-restraint.
But if you become proud about these, then all the merit you acquire through them will be lost,
Then Yayati and Ashtaka go on to discuss the dharma of brahmacharis, grihasthas, vanaprasthis, and sanyasis.

Ashtaka said, myself and all these righteous kings here, we will hand over all our punya to you so that you can go back to Swarga.
Yayati refused - I have enjoyed giving, not taking.
Never desire for anything.
Never live in expectation.
Whatever life gives you, pleasure or pain, accept it.
Raja Vasumana who was present there said - ok, if you don't want to take my punya for free, then give something in return as a token, buy it from me.
Isn't that cheating, taking something not paying the right price?
See the clarity that Mahabharata gives.
We give a coconut in the place of a cow and pretend that we have done godanam.
No problem, there are situations where it is not practical to do a real godanam.'
Agreed.
Consider it just as a filler, but please con't imagine that you have gained punya out of it.
When king Shibi offered his punya, Yayati expressed his gratitude and said I won't find it comfortable enjoying something that someone else has made with his hard work.
King Pratardana said - take my kingdom if you don't want to take my punya and rule happily.
What is the use? That is not eternal. I will be deprived of it one day.

Yayati finally concludes by telling about the virtue of honesty.
सत्येन में द्यौश्च वसुन्धरा च तथैवाग्निज्वलते मानुषेषु ।
न मे वृथा व्याहृतमेव वाक्यं, - सत्यं हि सन्तः प्रतिपूजयन्ति ।
सर्वे च देवा मुनयश्च लोकाः सत्येन पूज्या इति मे मनोगतम् ।
Being truthful to others and oneself is most important.
Truth is the foundation of the whole universe.
If you observe honesty then you are worshiping divinities.
How is this connected to his experience?
When he developed ego about his tapas, he was being dishonest to himself.
He assumed a false pretense that he was the best tapaswi.
That was dishonesty to himself.
That became the cause for his downfall.

It is such insights that you should gain from our scriptures.
Not just hear the stories.
That's their whole purpose.