YAKSHA PRASHNA
This episode is found in the Aranya Parva of the epic, the Mahabharata. The sons of Pandu along with their wife Draupadi are nearing the end of their twelve-year exile in forests. They are due to begin the thirteenth and final year, which they are required to spend undiscovered
In ancient days, it was the practice of certain brahmins to do homas and havanas as a part of their daily rituals and worship. One of the most essential tools needed in this practice is the device that can generate fire. This consists of two wooden pieces, a rod and a bow, the latter producing a churning action of the rod supported on a firm base of stone or wood. The churning action results in friction and heat at the support and any fibrous material at the base of the support catches fire, ready for use in a ritual.
One day one such brahmin, an agnihotri, came rushing to the Pandavas and begged for help. He had, it seems, hung the fire-drilling sticks in a tree. A passing stag happened to stop and rub his body on the trunk of this tree and, in the process, the sticks got entangled in the articulated horns of the animal. The stag fled, struggling in vain to rid himself of this unwanted burden; and the more he shook his head, the more firmly did the fire-sticks get wedged in his antlers. The poor brahmin now wanted the Pandavas to pursue the fleeing animal and recover the sticks.
The Pandavas believed that it was the duty of kshatriyas to provide any and all help and protection to those who practiced their dharma Therefore they proceeded forthwith fully armed in pursuit of the stag. While they soon caught sight of the stag, their attempts to stop the animal failed and more running and more huffmg and puffing ended in the tiring of the party. Not only had the quest failed, they ended up hungry, thirsty, tired, angry and frustrated.
The brothers sat down finally to rest under the cool shade of a large tree and naturally began to fret over the outcome of this relatively simple, uncomplicated task. Greater battles with their cousins lay ahead of them and yet they had not been able to help a brahmin even in such simple circumstances. Yudhishthira instructed Nakula to climb a tree nearby to locate any sources of water in the vicinity so that they could quench their thirst. Nakula did so and informed Yudhishthira that there was indeed a cluster of trees not too far off and that he could hear the cries of water cranes. Yudhishthira suggested that Nakula go to the pond and fetch some water in a quiver.
Nakula, after walking a short distance, located a beautiful spot, a crystal clear lake, surrounded by trees, flowers and birds. Nakula was overjoyed. His first instinct was to enjoy a cool drink himself, as long as he was already there. So he descended to the waters edge and prepared to scoop up some refreshing water. As he was about to do so he heard a strong and clear voice of warning:
"Ma tata sahasam karshirmama purva parigrahah prashnanuktva tu madreya pibasva ca harasva ca""Do not dare to touch that water, my dear child. You must first answer my questions. . ."
Nakula thought that he must be hearing things due to sheer fatigue and so he ignored the warning, drank the water and immediately fell dead.
When Nakula did not return within a reasonable time, Yudhishthira suggested that Sahadeva go and take a look at what was delaying him. Sahadeva arrived on the scene and was shocked to see Nakula lying as though asleep. Before doing anything, he thought he could quench his thirst. He heard the same warning, ignored it and, upon attempting to drink, also fell dead.
Now it was Arjuna's turn to determine what had happened. He proceeded with his Gandiva bow in his hand, suspecting some trouble. Upon arriving at the lake he was stunned to see his brothers lying as though dead. Again, he tried to quench his thirst and heard the same warning. But Arjuna did not ignore the warning. Instead he challenged the being to show himself and shot several arrows in the direction from which the voice came. He only received further and more stern warning. Arjuna challenged the voice by saying, "Stop me if you can," proceeded to drink the water and fell down dead. Some short time later, Bhima arrived and had the same fate.
Now Yudhishthira was clearly worried. Wondering about the possibilities of harm befalling his dear and powerful brothers, he decided to go in search of them. When he arrived at the lake, he could not believe the dreadful sight before him. All four brothers dead on the ground! Yudhishthira sat beside them and lamented. All his hopes were shattered now. How would he ever be able to recover his lost kingdom without the help of his able, powerful brothers? He grieved for a while and then began to look around to determine the reason for these deaths. He said to himself,
"Naisham shastra praharos ti padam nehasti kasyacit bhutam mahadidam manye bhrataro yena me hatah"(There are no signs of violence on their bodies, no foot-prints anywhere. The killer must be a supernatural being.)
He wondered if Duryodhana had had the pool poisoned. He ruled it out because the faces of the dead brothers looked calm and serene. Convincing himself that it must have been some supernatural being, he approached the water's edge to fetch some water to begin the last rites for his brothers. Then he heard a sudden voice: "Tavanujah maya preta vasham nita. . . (I am the cause of your brothers' death), Na chet prashnan prcchato vyakaroshi tvam pancamo bhavita. . . . (You shall be the fifth victim if you do not answer my questions. . . .)"
Yudhishthira asked, "Who are you? Are you a rudra, vasu, or marut(5)? You must be strong to be able to put to death these powerful brothers of mine. Your feat is remarkable because neither gods, antigods, gandharvas nor rakshasas could stand up to my brothers. But why? What do you want? Noble one! Why are you here? Who are you?"
The voice replied: "I am a Yaksha, Yudhishthira. May you prosper." As he heard these words, Yudhishthira saw before his eyes a form developing. A massive tall body with grotesque eyes, burning like the fire of the sun, and a voice like thunder: "I warned your brothers. But they would not listen to me. So now they are dead. This pool belongs to me and unless you answer my questions you shall not even touch this water."
Yudhishthira replied, "Na caham karnaye yaksha tava purva parigraham (I have no desire to take what is yours), "Yatha prajnam tu te prashnan prati vakshyami prccha mam (Ask me and I will answer as best as I can)."
Thus begins Dharmaraja's attempt to answer the Yaksha's questions. I have never read anything so beautiful, so subtle, so deep with layers of significance as these questions and answers. Through Yudhishthira, Bhagawan Vyasa has distilled the entire philosophy of the Hindus into an enquiry comprising some one hundred questions. The questions cover a lot of ground and a wide range, jumping from one topic to another. This question and answer session lays a firm framework for the gems of wisdom that are to come later in the teachings of the Srimadbhagavadgita. These questions and their answers are as important, as relevant and as significant today as they were when Yudhishthira stood with palms folded, by the side of his dead brothers, and attempted to do his best in meeting the Yaksha's challenge.
These answers have guided the lives of Hindus for a thousand and more years. Let us study them. Let each of us become a Yudhishthira and face the questions exercising the best in us. Let these questions and the answers to these questions be the torchlights that lead us from darkness, give us peace and comfort at times of stress. Let these questions and answers be talked about, meditated and debated until each of us has had our fill, has satisfied our thirst for this ancient, eternal philosophy of the Hindus. May these questions and answers inspire our children to stand firm and stand tall as they begin to shape their lives in a new land.
YAKSHA PRASHNA
| What is weightier than earth? | Mother |
| What is taller than the sky? | Father |
| What is faster than the wind? | Mind |
| What is more numerous than grass? | Thoughts |
i) We call this earth Mother Earth - Bhumi Mata. We worship her as a mother. What can be more important? The mother who gave birth to us is more important. Our mother is verily our God.
ii) For us humans our parents who gave us life in this world are like gods, the highest, the most important beings. This is consistent with the Upanishadic pronouncement "Matr devo bhava, pitr devo bhava" (May your mother and father be like gods to you).
iii) In an instant the mind can travel anywhere, everywhere and back again.
iv) What grows faster than grass? Thoughts grow faster. Waves and waves of thoughts arise in our minds constantly and move away. There is no end to it. They grow and grow and continue to grow with newer and newer layers of thoughts - faster than grass.
1. We should respect our parents.
2. We should keep our mind under control.
3. We should trim our thoughts, weeding out unnecessary worries.
| Who is the friend of a traveller? | A companion |
| Who is the friend of a householder? | A spouse |
| Who is the friend of the sick? | A doctor |
| Who is the friend of the dying? | His charity |
i) A traveller's best friend is the companion traveller.
ii) A householder's true friend is his wife. A Hindu man takes a woman by the hand at the wedding ceremony and walks seven steps (sapta padi) with her around the fire as both pledge their eternal friendship to each other. He says: "With these seven steps you have become my life's companion. We are both friends. I shall never fail to be your friend. May you also never fail to be my friend . . . ." " This is the understanding, the promise, the commitment that binds a Hindu couple.
iii) For a sick person the most desirable friend is a doctor.
iv) For the dying person the charity done during a lifetime serves as a friend by providing a sense of fulfillment and preparation for the life to come.
This group of questions stresses the need for and the role of friends and the need to be involved with others in a mutual, healthy, giving and receiving of support. The first three friendships referred to in this stanza are with other persons but the last category, the friend at the end of one's life, is one's own lifetime of giving.
| By renouncing what does one become loved? | Pride |
| By renouncing what is one free of sorrow? | Anger |
| By renouncing what does one become wealthy? | Desire |
| By renouncing what does one become happy? | Greed |
focuses on the need to be loved, to be free of sorrow, and on happiness and wealth.
ii) The answers revolve around controlling the mind in such a way that we gradually rid ourselves of our enemies within: pride, anger, desire and greed.
iii) When one succeeds in giving up desire, there is little need for material possessions and one's sense of well-being (original meaning of wealth) increases. Wealth is viewed here in the context of what one may have in relation to one's desire.
1. Every action/inaction is controlled by the mind. Therefore we should practice control of our minds.
2. Renunciation is not mindless self-denial but a method of exerting control over ourselves.
| What treasure is the best? | Skill |
| What wealth is the best? | Education |
| What is the greatest gain? | Health |
| And the greatest happiness? | Contentment |
i) To be skillful is to be fortunate and worthy of recognition.
ii) To be an educated person is to be a wealthy person.
iii) To be healthy is to possess the greatest gift.
iv) To be contented is to be happy
1. We should develop skills in areas which interest us most and continue to maintain those skills in order to excel.
2. The emphasis in our studies should be acquisition of knowledge, especially the higher knowledge.
3. A person who is not contented and is a slave to greed is a slave to everyone. A person who makes desire a slave rules the world.
4. These questions and answers provide a practical guide to mental, social and physical well-being.
| What is a man's self? | His progeny |
| Who is his God-given friend? | His wife |
| What supports his life? | Rain |
| What is his principal duty? | Charity |
i) A man's progeny represents the reflection and extension of his own self.
ii) His wife is his best friend, as discussed in an earlier shloka.
iii) Man's most basic need for food can be met only by adequate rainfall for crops.
iv) Giving and sharing serve as the foundation upon which a person should base his or her life.
These questions and answers focus attention on those areas immediate to the individual self: children, spouse, the element essential to sustain life and the concept of sharing.
Is there a person who enjoys all pleasures of the senses, who is intelligent, is respected by all creatures and worshipped by the world, who breathes and yet is not alive?
The person who fails to satisfy Gods, guests, servants, pitrs(9) and his Atman(10), may breathe but is not alive
This question underscores the standard by which a person can be deemed to be a living being. To be alive in the world means to fulfill certain duties, discharge certain obligations. The reference to pitrs emphasizes the Hindu reverence for the past. The reference to Gods, guests and servants explains what must be given in return for the pleasure and respect received. The final requirement is self-respect. All these are to be viewed as components of a society that an individual must relate to. This relationship is stressed as the essential requirement to qualify a person as a human being.
1. We should recognize and fulfiil our responsibilities in society.
2. In addition, the duties to one's own self are equally important and these include a constant effort to obtain knowledge of the self.
| What makes the sun rise? | Brahma |
| Who moves around him? | Gods |
| What causes the sun to set? | Dharma |
| How is he held firm? | Truth |
i) There are two interpretations to this riddle;(11) one sees the sun (aditya) as the natural wonder, the life-giving center of this world system and a principal creation of Brahma; the other interprets the sun to be the atma jyoti, the inner light.
The sun rises into view each morning as ordained by the Creator, Brahma. At the same time, the supreme knowledge of the Vedas causes the illumination of the atma jyoti.
ii) As Savitri said to Yama in an earlier section of the Mahabharata, "It is the truth of the good (people) that causes brilliance in the sun." Also, "By the power of the Rig Veda the sun rises in the morning; the same sun stays fixed at high noon by the power of the Yajur Veda; It is the power of the Sama Veda that causes his brilliance at setting."*
iii) Gods keep the Atman company, just as the planets, named after the Gods, circle the sun. When the self is realized through knowledge, that inner illumination leads to the man-God relationship which is the quest of Hinduism.
iv) The sun and the atma j yoti are firmly fixed in truth. The sun is held in space by physical laws of gravitation, energy and motion - by evident truths. The atma jyoti is sustained by eternal Truth, which exists beyond time.
v) The end result of this knowledge is dharma or right conduct. Dharmic action performed under the guidelines of one's own faith is interpreted as the cause for the brilliance of the atma jyoti.
*from the Taittiriya Brahmana.
The sun in all its phases, rising, setting or fixed in space, recalls the rising within us of the atma jyoti. The natural laws governing time and the heavenly bodies and the moral law, dharma, are equated here.
