Winner of 'Dyanpeeth Purskar' (1976)
'Yayati’ is one of the most popular and respected novels in Marathi Literature. Revolving around the legendary love story of Yayati and Devyani, characters from Mahabharata, this novel is regarded as one of the best literary masterpieces ever written. The brilliant narration and metaphors used in the novel add to the poetic appeal. Written by V.S Kandekar, it is a story that keeps the reader glued till the end. It is published by Mehta Publishing Hous...e in 1959. This novel has won the Jnanpith Award which is India’s highest literary recognition.

Devyani and Sharmishtha are friends and jealousy creates tension among them. Both fall in love with Yayati, a handsome prince who is full of bravery and has won accolades which even made Indra hold him in high esteem. However, due to some tragic events, Yayati gets married to Devyani and Sharmishta comes with Devyani as her maid. During her stay with Devyani, Sharmishta and Yayati fall in love with each other and create a bond that is inseparable. This disrupts the married life of Yayati and Devayani. Yayati then falls in the never ending trap of lust and breaks all moral and ethical rules. Will Yayati ever come out out this lust-trap? Will his son sacrifice his youth for the enjoyment of his father? Can Devyani stop Yayati from this self-demolition? What does fate hold for Sharmishta? Can her love save Yayati? This novel is a beautiful love story written with the highest literary standards

Yayati, the great prince and son of King Nahush, was everything a young man of his time could dream to be. He was a renowned skilled warrior who travelled many lands astride his horse. The prince was part of an influential family and kingdom, and he also married a beautiful princess, Devyani.

However, a curse given to his father by Lord Indra when Yayati was young could wreak havoc on his life and lead him astray.

He deeply loved his wife Devyani, but unfortunately, his love was never reciprocated and that left him pining and wounded. He later fell in love with his wife's maid, Sharmishtha, and married her secretly. Although he got a dedicated wife in Sharmishtha, the curse given to his father had begun to take form upon him and he found his lust taking control of him.

Soon enough, he found himself drowning in alcohol and women and that began to truly affect his life. Things went from bad to worse and the situation came to the point where he began to lose count of the women he consumated with, and the wine he consumed. Like all unchecked addictions, this too had terrible repercussions when women began to give up their lives for Yayati's sake.

With matters having gone out of hand, he could control his desires no more, and longing for youth so he could grant further satisfaction to his lust, he asked his sons to give him their youth in exchange for his old age so he could be the vile, self-indulgent man and seek further carnal pleasure.

Yayati: A Classic Tale of Lust is a wonderful story told in first-person narrative by three different characters: Yayati, Devyani, and Sharmishtha. Hence, by the end of the book, readers are bound to have very mixed opinions about the protagonist and his situation as well as of other characters and their situations.

This story is a part of Mahabharata. Every character is brought to life by the juxtaposition of situations presented to Yayati, and the choices he makes during times of dilemmas. Each character is complex, with his own share of difficulties, and it is hard to form a simple judgement or render them as either black or white. In a nutshell, this is a thought-provoking classic story that will present a melange of human characters and also attempts to get the readers thinking on why sometimes people do the things they do.

This book was first published in the year 1959 in Marathi and has, since then, been re-published several times. Needless to say, that Yayati: A Classic Tale of Lust has been very well received across the country with positive reviews from the readers and critics alike.