Yayati By V.S Khandekar

I strongly believe that there is a time for each act in our life and the same act can have different significance in different situations.  Similarly, reading a book in different periods of your life can be totally different experience too. A re-reading of V.S. Khandetkar’s Yayati was such an experience for me. I was surprised on how much I had omitted during the first reading of this book in my childhood days.

As Yayati feels the difference in his perspectives during the four stages-Childhood, teenage, youth and old age- every human being must be feeling a difference in perspectives during these four stages in their lives too. That may be the reason; I got attracted to the dilemmas of characters in their young age during this second reading.

There is no doubt on the genius of the author to pen out the inner dilemmas of human life in an appealing manner. What we neglect about our ‘self’ in the day today life stand in bright colours in this piece of literary work. We not only think about the philosophical thoughts that hare vivid in the work but also consider our own inner dilemmas that we neglect in fear of facing them.

Human life itself is a change or growth in different levels. When we begin from our childhood, we are acutely aware of our existence within nature, which might wear off in our adolescence or youth and which might come back with a bang in our old age. When we think of this unbreakable relation with nature and not able to go with its order, there might be a tendency to wander off the path. 

Characters like Yayati, Devayani, Sage Sukracharya, and King Nahusha tried to find a way of their own through earthly pleasures. Whereas people like Yati tried to get away from the bond through extreme abandonment of worldly aspects. In a way, we, normal human beings like Sharmishta also tend to follow either of these paths when we cannot get hold on our own lives.  Curiously, it is only through a strong bond between worldly duties and our inner self that we can arrive at the final salvation.

In his long letter to Yayati, Kachan explains the intense relationship between one’s Atman (soul) and body (p.226-229). People may neglect the relationship sometimes and may realize the relationship in another turn of life. The excerpts from Upanishads and Vedas, on this relationship have been put in the novel in simple and coherent way for the reader’s thoughts.

I am not going in detail on the story line of the novel in this review. The re adaptation of the original story of  Yayati from Mahabharatha, has been made interesting with writer’s imagination and profound thoughts. In this novel, even the minor character has their own significance as Alaka (depiction of re birth and pure love), Madhavan (true friendship), Vrishaparvavu (a considerate ruler), Mandaran (depiction of fake sages) etc.

The novel progress as Yayati tells his life story from childhood to old age for the sake of humanity, so as to keep them away from his mistakes. The story is substituted also through the thoughts of his wives Devayani and Sharmishta. I felt that the technique is also an attempt to show that how two people’s perceptions on the same event can be different from one another.

Over all, you won’t be the same person who had started reading the book, after turning the last page. I missed this novel in my adolescence but keeps in my mind that I’ll take this book for re reading in my old age.

More about the book:

V.S. Khandekar had originally written Yayati in Marathi in . The book has won so many accolades, the major among them are Gyanpeeth Award (1974),  Sahitya Academy Award (1960 ) and Maharashtra State Award (1960). I read the Malayalam translation of the work done by Prof.P. Madhavan Pillai. The English translation of the book is available online

Book: Yayati

Price:  150

Writer: V.S. Khandekar

Translator: Prof.P. Madhavan Pillai

Publishers: D. C. Books