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Puru

The youngest son of Yayati, who gave his youth to his father and became the ancestor of the Kurus.

Accounts of this vary across texts and traditions. This entry primarily follows Mahabharata, with other tellings (Puranic traditions (Harivamsha, Bhagavata Purana), Regional retellings) noted where relevant.

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Relationships

Parents
Yayati · Sharmishtha
Siblings
Yadu

Introduction

Puru is the youngest son of Yayati and Sharmishtha. He is the ancestor of the Puru dynasty, to which the Kurus and the Pandavas belong.

Family

Exchanging youth

When Yayati was cursed with old age, his elder sons refused to exchange their youth for it. Puru agreed, and after a thousand years his father gave it back, and made him king over his elder brothers.

Descendants

The Mahabharata traces the Kurus and the Pandavas to Puru, through Dushyanta and Bharata, and later Kuru and Shantanu.

Sources

  1. Mahabharata, Adi Parva (primary text) — https://sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/index.htm

This entry is independently written for myVamsam using the sources listed above. Where traditions differ, this entry identifies the relevant tradition rather than presenting one account as universally established fact.