Yaksha Prasna episode in Mahabharata is one of the finest situations which brings to limelight and into focus the excellent character of Yudhisthira and also incidentally provides a set of answers to many significant problems of our life. In a sense it is a social philosophy of that time, providing us with an insight into their thinking and living. The episode of the questioning of Yaksha appears in the Mahabharata at the end of Vanaparva (chapters 312 to 314). The Pandavas along with Draupadi reached Dvaitavana having left the Kamyaka forest-range. They were all tired and exhausted and extremely thirsty. Yudhishtira asked Nakula to climb up a tree to locate any source of water. Nakula did accordingly and located the evidence for some water source by water-creepers, cranes etc. Yudhistira asked Nakula to go to the source and get immediately some water. He went there and saw a lake with crystal clear water and was about to drink it when he heard a voice: 'Don't venture to drink the water before answering my questions. Otherwise you will come to grief.' Nakula did not heed his words and tried to drink the water. Immediately he fell down dead. When Nakula did not return for a long time, Yudhishtira sent Sahadeva, who also met the same fate without listening to the warning of the Yaksha. Then Arjuna came and he also did not care for the warning of the Yaksha and thus fell down dead. Bhima also met with the same fate. Then Yudhishtira got worried and went to investigate the fate of his brothers. He was near the beautiful lake, as if constructed by Vishvakarma himself, all his brothers lying down dead. When he saw their fate, he lamented on their death. Even though they were dead they had not lost their color, there was no ghastly distortion of expression and he began to wonder as to the cause of this extraordinary situation. Then he heard the voice of Yaksha. "I am a Yaksha in the form of a Crane eating fish and water plants, and because of me all your brothers are dead. I asked them not to venture to drink the water of this pond without answering my questions. You will be the fifth one. Don't venture to do so before answering all my questions. Yudhishtira asked him about his history and the Yaksha told him: I am not a bird. Please answer my questions and then you may drink the water. Yudhishtira told him that he did not want to incur the wrath of the Yaksha, "You may ask your questions and I shall reply them" Thereupon the Yaksha asked a number of questions covering many moral, social and philosophical issues and Yudhishtira replied each one of them to the satisfaction of the Yaksha. Both the questions and answers are profound and esoteric in their import and one should study them with the available commentary to understand the significance of these dialogues.
The Questions and Answers Illaborated - Part 2
In the great epic Mahabharata, Maharaja Yudhisthira, the son of Dharmaraja is the embodiment of all good qualities. For this reason, he is often referred to as Ajatasatru, one who has no enemies. In many conversations Yudhisthira reveals his deep understanding of the Vedic scriptures and their practical applications. One day while living in exile in the forest, Yudhisthira finds that while attempting to drink water from a lake, all his brothers have been killed by a mysterious Yaksha (a celestial entity). When Yudhisthira arrives, the Yaksha challenges him to answer all his questions or else face the same consequences as his brothers. These questions-answers are like Vedic sutras, short, pithy and practical, and deal with piety and religiosity.
Yaksha:: Who is really a helpful companion?
Yudhisthira: Steady intelligence is a very good friend, and can save one from all dangers.
Yaksha: How can one acquire something very great?
Yudhisthira: Everything desirable can be attained by the performance of austerity.
Yaksha: What is amrita (nectar)?
Yudhisthira: Milk is just like nectar.
Yaksha: What is the friend bestowed upon man by the demigods?
Yudhisthira: Wife is such a friend.
Yaksha: What is the best of happiness?
Yudhisthira: True happiness comes as a result of contentment.
Yaksha: Why does one give in charity to brahmanas, artists, servants and kings?
Yudhisthira: For religious merit, prestige, maintenance and protection, respectively.
Yaksha: Why does one forsake friends?
Yudhisthira: Lust and greed drives one to forsake friends.
Yaksha: What is the only food?
Yudhisthira: The cow is the only food, for the milk that she produces is used to make ghee (clarified butter), which is used to perform sacrifices, pleased by which the demigods give rain, which causes the grains to grow. Therefore it should be understood that the cow is the root cause of all kinds of food.
Yaksha: What is the king of knowledge?
Yudhisthira: Knowledge pertaining to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the king of all kinds of knowledge.
Yaksha: What is ignorance?
Yudhisthira: Not knowing one's constitutional duty.
Yaksha: What is the best bath?
Yudhisthira: That which cleanses the mind of all impurities.
Yaksha: What is real charity?
Yudhisthira: Real charity is protecting one from the onslaughts of material nature.
Yaksha: Since dharma (virtue), artha (profit) and kama (desire) are opposed to each other, how can they co-exist harmoniously?
Yudhisthira: These three become congenial to one another when one has a virtuous wife.
Yaksha: Who is condemned to everlasting hell?
Yudhisthira: When one promises a brahmana charity, but upon his arrival refuses to give him charity.
Yaksha: What make one a brahmana, birth, learning or behavior?
Yudhisthira: It is behavior alone that make a person a brahmana. Even one who is expert in the four Vedas, born of brahmana parents, but whose behavior is not proper, should be considered a sudra.
Yaksha: Who is pleasing?
Yudhisthira: A person who speaks in a pleasing manner.
Finally the Yaksha asked Yudhisthira four questions of great significance:
Yaksha: Who is truly happy?
Yudhisthira: One who cooks his own food (is not dependant on anyone), is not a debtor (does not spend more than he can afford), does not have to leave home to make in order to earn his livelihood (does not over endeavor for material things) is truly happy.
Yaksha:What is the most wonderful thing?
Yudhisthira: The most amazing thing is that even though every day one sees countless living entities dying, he still acts and thinks as if he will live forever.
Yaksha: What is the real path to follow in this life?
Yudhisthira: The best path is to follow in the footsteps of the pure devotees, for they are the actual Mahajanas whose hearts are the sitting places of the real truths regarding religion.
Yaksha: What is news? (that is What is real situation in the material world?)
Yudhisthira: The material world is like a frying pan. The Sun is the fire, the day and nights are the fuel. The passing seasons are the stirring ladle, and time is the cook. All living entities are being thus fried in this pan. This is the real news of what is happening in the material world, which is a miserable place full of ignorance.
These questions and answers cover a wide gamut of instructions from being successful to pious to religious. Pleased by the answers of Yudhisthira, the Yaksha who was none other than Dharmaraja (the father of Yudhisthira and the embodiment of religiosity) revives all the brothers of Yudhisthira and offers him many benedictions.
Part -3
Yaksha: "What is ambrosia?"
Yudhishtira: "The cow's milk is Ambrosia"
Yaksha: "Who is the sustainer of all?"
Yudhishtira: "Air is the sustainer of all"
Yaksha: "Who wanders alone?"
Yudhishtira: "The sun wanders alone."
Yaksha: "Who is born again and again?"
Yudhishtira: "Moon is born again and again"
Yaksha: "Which is the container of all?"
Yudhishtira: "Earth is the container of all"
Yaksha: "Who is the self of man?"
Yudhishtira: "A son is the self of man"
Yaksha: "Who is a god-sent friend?" '
Yudhishtira: "Wife is the god-sent friend"
Yaksha: "One what does one live?"
Yudhishtira: "On rain does one live"
Yaksha: "What should be one's interest?"
Yudhishtira: "One's interest should be in doing charity"
Yaksha: "By losing what one becomes dear?"
Yudhishtira: "By losing one's self-importance one becomes dear"
Yaksha: "By losing what one does not grieve?"
Yudhishtira: "By losing getting rid of one's anger, one does not grieve"
Yaksha: "By losing what one does become purposeful (wealthy)"
Yudhishtira: "By losing one's passion one becomes purposeful (wealthy)"
Yaksha: "By losing what, one becomes happy?"
Yudhishtira: "By losing greed one would be happy."
Yaksha: "By what is the world enveloped?"
Yudhishtira: "The world is enveloped by ignorance"
Yaksha: ''Why does it not shine?"
Yudhishtira:"It does not shine because of darkness (Tamas)"
Yaksha: "Who would desert his friends?"
Yudhishtira: "A greedy man would desert his friends"
Yaksha: "By what reason, one does not reach heavens?"
Yudhishtira: "Because of attachments one does not reach heavens"
Yaksha: "When does a man die?" (as good as dead)
Yudhishtira: "When he becomes poor"
Yaksha: "When does a kingdom die?" (as good as naught)
Yudhishtira: "When it does not have a king."
Yaksha: "When do obsequies die?" (useless)
Yudhishtira: "When they are performed without the learned in the scriptures"
Yaksha: "When does a sacrifice die?" (as good as worthless)
Yudhishtira: "When it is devoid of charity (dakshina)"
Yaksha: ''What is food?"
Yudhishtira: "Sense-objects are food"
Yaksha: "What is poison."
Yudhishtira: "Desire is poision"
Yaksha: "What is Tapas (austerity)?
Yudhishtira: "To perform one's own duty is tapas"
Yaksha: "What is self-control?"
Yudhishtira:"Keeping the mind under control is self-control"
Yaksha: "What is shame?"
Yudhishtira: "Withdrawing from doing bad deeds is shame"
Yaksha: "Oh King, what is wisdom?"
Yudhishtira: "Understanding the true nature of Tatva (Reality)"
Yaksha: "What is compassion?"
Yudhishtira:"Compassion is wishing for the happiness of all"
Yaksha: "Who is the invincible enemy of man?"
Yudhishtira: "Anger is the invincible (difficult) enemy of man"
Yaksha: "Which is the incurable disease of man?"
Yudhishtira: "Greed is the incurable disease of man"
Yaksha: ''Who is pious?"
Yudhishtira: "One who is concerned with the welfare of all being"
Yaksha: ''Who is not pious?
Yudhishtira: "One who is cruel"
Yaksha: "Oh King, what is delusion?"
Yudhishtira:"Fanatism is delusion" (dharmamoodhat tuam)
Yaksha: "What is laziness?"
Yudhishtira: "Inactivity in one's own duty (dharma)"
Yaksha: "What is sorrow?"
Yudhishtira: "Ignorance is sorrow"
Yaksha: "What is courage?"
Yudhishtira: "Control over the senses"
Yaksha: "What is steadfastness?"
Yudhishtira: "To abide by one's own dharma, duty"
Yaksha: "What is bathing?"
Yudhishtira: "To cleanse the mind of its dirt"
Yaksha: "What is charity?"
Yudhishtira: "Protecting all beings is charity."
Part - 4
Yaksha: "Please tell me. Oh King, definitely, by what does a person attain the state of Brahminhood? Is it by birth, by study, by conduct or by learning?"
Yudhishtira: "Listen, oh, Yaksha, that none attains the state of Brahminhood by his birth, nor by his study or by the learning. It is undoubtedly, one's own conduct that is responsible for his brahminhood.Therefore, one especially a brahmin, should watch his conduct and maintain it without any lapses. A person who has not gone down in his conduct, would prosper; whereas one who has lost his conduct, is as good as dead.
A teacher, the taught and those others who are interested in scriptures and sastras, if they are indulgent they should be treated as fools. Only he who maintains his conduct and character is verily a Pandit. A very learned person in all the four Vedas if he is of bad conduct. would be worse than a low-born. One who maintains his sacrificial fire, austere and self-control is verily a brahmin."
Yaksha: "What is the greatest wonder in the world?"
Yudhishtira: "Every day people are dying and reaching the abode of death. Still the living desire to live for ever. Could there be a greater wonder?"
Yaksha: "What is the right path?
Yudhishtira: "Logic and reasoning is invalid; many are the laws and scriptures, differing from one another; there is no single sage whose words could be an authority. The essence of Dharma is hidden in the deep cave. The path tread by the pious and the wise is the right path."
The Yaksha was very much pleased. He told Yudhishtira that he was satisfied by the answers to all the questions.
Yaksha told Yudhishtira that he may ask for the life of anyone of his brothers. Yudhishtira asked; "May Nakula, the dark, the red eyed, the broad shouldered lying there like a big Shala tree be alive."
Yaksha was wonders truck. He said: "Bheema and Arjuna are dear to you. Then, why did you ask for the life of Nakula. your step-brother?"
Yudhishtira gave the reply which has become the most famous statement in the Mahabharata.
"If one were to kill the dharma, it would kill him in turn; and when one protects dharma, he would be protected by the Dharma"
Therefore, I shall not transgress the dharma, and I don't want to be destroyed by the dharma, killed by me. Non-cruelty and nonviolence towards others (anrushamsm) is the supreme dharma and it is the supreme goal. I shall abide by it. Oh, Yaksha may Nakula live! My father had two wives, Kunti, my mother and Madri, my step mother whose son is Nakula. Just like Kunti my mother, Madri is also my mother; there is no distinction. I want these mothers of mine to be treated equally, May Nakula live!"
Yaksha replied: "Yes, Non-cruelty is the supreme dharma. May all your brothers come back to life" The Yaksha was none other than Yama, the father of Yudhishtira. who came to meet, test and bless him.
The questions asked by Yaksha are not random, but they are very methodical and have a psychological sequence leading from one to the other.
-Written by Satyashree for Vedanta Vani Magazine
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