Yakshaprasna Sanskrit English

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Yaksha Prasnah

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Sanskrit Text of Mahabharata: Vedic Reserve atwww.mum.edu

English Translation by KM Ganguli:www.sacred-texts.com

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Chapter 296 of Aranyaka Parva in Mahabharata

Vaisampayana continued, "Then king Yudhishthiraaddressed Nakula saying, 'Do thou, O son ofMadri, climb this tree and look around the tenpoints of the horizon.

Do thou see whether there is water near us or suchtrees as grow on watery grounds! O child, thesethy brothers are all fatigued and thirsty.'



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Thereupon saying, 'So be it,' Nakula speedilyclimbed up a tree, and having looked around, saidunto his eldest brother;

'O king, I see many a tree that groweth by the

water-side, and I hear also the cries of cranes.Therefore, without doubt, water must besomewhere here.'

Hearing these words, Kunti's son Yudhishthira,firm in truth, said, 'O amiable one, go thou andfetch water in these quivers!'



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Saying, 'So be it,' at the command of his eldestbrother Nakula quickly proceeded towards theplace where there was water and soon came uponit.

And beholding a crystal lake inhabited by craneshe desired to drink of it, when he heard thesewords from the sky, 'O child, do not commit thisrash act! This lake hath already been in mypossession. Do thou, O son of Madri, first answermy questions and then drink of this water and takeaway (as much as thou requirest).



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Nakula, however, who was exceedingly thirsty,disregarding these words, drank of the cool water,and having drunk of it, dropped down dead.

And, O represser of foes, seeing Nakula's delay,Yudhishthira the son of Kunti said unto Sahadeva,the heroic brother of Nakula, 'O Sahadeva, it is

long since our brother, he who was bornimmediately before thee, hath gone from hence! Dothou, therefore, go and bring back thy uterinebrother, together with water.'



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At this, Sahadeva, saying, 'So be it,' set out in thatdirection; and coming to the spot, beheld hisbrother lying dead on the ground.

And afflicted at the death of his brother, andsuffering severely from thirst, he advanced

towards the water, when these words were heardby him, 'O child, do not commit this rash act! Thislake hath already been in my possession. Firstanswer my question, and then drink of the waterand take away as much as thou mayst require.'



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Sahadeva, however, who was extremely thirsty,disregarding these words, drank of the water, andhaving drunk of it, dropped down dead.

Then Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, said untoVijaya, 'It is long since, O Vibhatsu, that thy twobrothers have gone, O represser of foes! Blessed bethou! Do thou bring them back, together withwater. Thou art, O child, the refuge of us all whenplunged in distress!' Thus addressed, theintelligent Gudakesa, taking his bow and arrows



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and also his naked sword, set out for that lake ofwaters and soon came upon it.

And reaching that spot, he whose car was drawnby white steeds beheld those tigers among men, histwo younger brothers who had come to fetchwater, lying dead there. And seeing them as ifasleep, that lion among men, exceedinglyaggrieved, raised his bow and began to lookaround that wood. But he found none in thatmighty forest. And, being fatigued, he who wascapable of drawing the bow by his left hand aswell, rushed in the direction of the water.



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And as he was rushing (towards the water), heheard these words from the sky, 'Why dost thouapproach this water? Thou shalt not be able todrink of it by force. If thou, O Kaunteya, cananswer the question I will put to thee, then onlyshalt thou drink of the water and take away as

much as thou requirest, O Bharata!'



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Thus forbidden, the son of Pritha said, 'Do thouforbid me by appearing before me! And when thoushalt be sorely pierced with my arrows, thou wiltnot then again speak in this way!' Having said this,Partha covered all sides with arrows inspired bymantras. And he also displayed his skill inshooting at an invisible mark by sound alone. And,O bull of the Bharata race, sorely afflicted withthirst, he discharged barbed darts and javelins andiron arrows, and showered on the sky innumerableshafts incapable of being baffled.

Thereupon, the invisible Yaksha said, 'What need

of all this trouble, O son of Pritha? Do thou drinkonly after answering my questions! If thou drink,however, without answering my questions, thoushalt die immediately after.'



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Thus addressed, Pritha's son Dhananjaya capable

of drawing the bow with his left hand as well,disregarding those words, drank of the water, andimmediately after dropped down dead.

And (seeing Dhananjaya's delay) Kunti's sonYudhishthira addressed Bhimasena, saying, 'Orepresser of foes, it is a long while that Nakula andSahadeva and Bibhatsu (Arjuna) have gone to fetchwater, and they have not come yet, O Bharata!Good betide thee! Do thou bring them back,

together with water!'



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Thereupon saying, 'So be it,' Bhimasena set out forthat place where those tigers among men, hisbrothers, lay dead.

And beholding them, Bhima afflicted though hewas with thirst, was exceedingly distressed. Andthat mighty armed hero thought all that to havebeen the act of some Yaksha or Rakshasa.

And Pritha's son Vrikodara thought, 'I shall surely



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have to fight today. Let me, therefore, first appeasemy thirst.' Then that bull of the Bharata racerushed forward with the intention of drinking.

Thereupon the Yaksha said, 'O child, do notcommit this rash act! This lake hath already been inmy possession. Do thou first answer my questions,and then drink and take away as much water as

thou requirest!’

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed by thatYaksha of immeasurable energy, Bhima, withoutanswering his questions, drank of the water. Andas soon as he drank, he fell down dead on the spot.



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Then thinking that his brothers had left him longsince, Yudhishthira waited for some time. And theking said unto himself again and again, 'Why is itthat the two sons of Madri are delaying? And why

doth the wielder also of the Gandiva delay? Andwhy doth Bhima too, endued with great strength,delay? I shall go to search for them!' And resolvedto do this, the mighty-armed Yudhishthira thenrose up, his heart burning in grief. And that bullamong men, the royal son of Kunti thought within

himself. 'Is this forest under some malign



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influence? Or, is it infested by some wicked beasts?Or, have they all fallen, in consequence of havingdisregarded some mighty being? Or, not findingwater in the spot whither those heroes had firstrepaired, they have spent all this time in searchthrough the forest? What is that reason for whichthose bulls among men do not come back?' Andspeaking in this strain, that foremost of monarchs,the illustrious Yudhishthira, entered into thatmighty forest where no human sound was heardand which was inhabited by deer and bears andbirds, and which was adorned with trees that werebright and green, and which echoed with the humof the black-bee and the notes of winged warblers.As he was proceeding along, he beheld thatbeautiful lake which looked as if it had been madeby the celestial artificer himself.

And it was adorned with flowers of a golden hueand with lotuses and Sindhuvars. And it abounded



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with canes and Ketakas and Karaviras andPippalas, and fatigued with toil, Yudhishthira sawthat tank and was struck with wonder."

Thus ends chapter 296 in Aranyaka Parva in Mahabharata



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Chapter 297 in Aranyaka Parva in Mahabharata

Vaisampayana said, "Yudhishthira saw hisbrothers, each possessed of the glory ofIndra himself, lying dead like the Regents ofthe world dropped from their spheres at theend of the Yuga.

And beholding Arjuna lying dead, with hisbow and arrows dropped on the ground,



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and also Bhimasena and the twinsmotionless and deprived of life, the kingbreathed a hot and long sigh, and wasbathed in tears of grief and began to reflectin his mind as to who had slain those heroes.

'There are no strokes of weapons upon these,nor is any one's foot-print here. The beingmust be mighty I ween, by whom mybrothers have been slain. Earnestly shall Iponder over this, or, let me first drink of thewater, and then know all.



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It may be that the habitually crooked-minded Duryodhana hath caused this waterto be secretly placed here by the king of the

Gandharvas. What man of sense can trustwicked wight of evil passions with whomgood and evil are alike? Or, perhaps, thismay be an act of that wicked-souled onethrough secret messengers of his.' And it

was thus that that highly intelligent onegave way to diverse reflections. He did notbelieve that water to have been tainted withpoison, for though dead no corpse-likepallor was on them. 'The colour on the faces



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of these my brothers hath not faded!' And itwas thus that Yudhishthira thought.

And the king continued, 'Each of theseforemost of men was like unto a mightycataract. Who, therefore, save Yama himselfwho in due time bringeth about the end ofall things, could have baffled them thus.'



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And having concluded this for certain, hebegan to perform his ablutions in that lake.And while he descended into it, he heardthese words from the sky, uttered by theYaksha,-'I am a crane, living on tiny fish. It isby me that thy younger brothers have beenbrought under the sway of the lord ofdeparted spirits. If, thou, O prince, answernot the questions put by me, even thou shaltnumber the fifth corpse. Do not, O child, actrashly! This lake hath already been in mypossession. Having answered my questions

first, do thou, O Kunti's son, drink and carryaway (as much as thou requirest)!'



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Hearing these words, Yudhishthira said, 'Artthou the foremost of the Rudras, or of theVasus, or of the Marutas? I ask, what god artthou? This could not have been done by abird! Who is it that hath overthrown the fourmighty mountains, viz., the Himavat, theParipatra, the Vindhya, and the Malaya?Great is the feat done by thee, thou foremostof strong persons!

Those whom neither gods, nor Gandharvasnor Asuras, nor Rakshasas could endure inmighty conflict, have been slain by thee!Therefore, exceedingly wonderful is the



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deed done by thee! I do not know what thybusiness may be, nor do I know thy purpose.Therefore, great is the curiosity and fear alsothat have taken possession of me?

My mind is greatly agitated, and as my headalso is aching, I ask thee, therefore, “Oworshipful one, who art thou that stayest

here? ”

Hearing these words the Yaksha said, 'I am,good betide thee, a Yaksha, and not anamphibious bird. It is by me that all these



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brothers of thine, endued with mightyprowess, have been slain!'

Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing theseaccursed words couched in harsh syllabus 1,

Yudhishthira, O king, approaching theYaksha who had spoken then, stood there.And that bull among the Bharatas then

1 Lit. Letters



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beheld that Yaksha of unusual eyes andhuge body tall like a palmyra-palm andlooking like fire or the Sun, and irresistibleand gigantic like a mountain, staying on atree, and uttering a loud roar deep as that ofthe clouds.

And the Yaksha said, 'These thy brothers, Oking, repeatedly forbidden by me, wouldforcibly take away water. It is for this thatthey have been slain by me! He that wishethto live, should not, O king, drink this water!

O son of Pritha, act not rashly! This lake hath



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already been in my possession. Do thou, Oson of Kunti, first answer my questions, andthen take away as much as thou likest!'

Yudhishthira said, 'I do not, O Yaksha,covet, what is already in thy possession! Obull among male beings, virtuous personsnever approve that one should applaud his

own self (without boasting, I shall, therefore,answer thy questions, according to myintelligence). Do thou ask me!'



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The Yaksha then said, 'What is it thatmaketh the Sun rise? Who keeps himcompany? Who causeth him to set? And inwhom is he established?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'Brahma maketh theSun rise: the gods keep him company:

Dharma causeth him to set: and he isestablished in truth 2.'

2 Behind the plain and obvious meanings of the words employed

both in the question and the answer, there is a deeper significationof a spiritual kind. I think Nilakantha has rightly understood the passage. By Aditya, which of course commonly means the Sun, is



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The Yaksha asked, 'By what doth one

become learned? By what doth he attain

indicated the unpurified soul (from adatte sabdadin indriadivisetc.). The first question then, becomes, 'Who is it that exalteth theunpurified soul?' The act of exaltation implies a raising of the

soul from its earthly connections. The answer to this is, 'Brahma,i.e., Veda or self-knowledge.' The second question--'What arethose that keep company with the soul during its progress of purification?' The answer is, Self-restraint and other qualities,which are all of a god-like or divine nature.' The third questionis.-Who lead the soul to its place (state) of rest? The answer is,Dharma, i.e., restitude, morality, and religious observances.' It is

often asserted that one must pass through the observances(Karma) before attaining to a state of Rest or Truth or PureKnowledge. The last question is,-'On what is the soulestablished!' The answer, according to all that has been previouslysaid, is 'Truth or Pure Knowledge.' For the soul that isemancipated from and raised above all carnal connections, is nolonger in need of observances and acts (Karma) but staysunmoved in True Knowledge (Janana).



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what is very great? How can one have asecond? And, O king, how can one acquireintelligence?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'It is by the (studyof the) Srutis that a person becometh

learned; it is by ascetic austerities that oneacquireth what is very great: it is byintelligence that a person acquireth a secondand it is by serving the old that onebecometh wise 3.'

3 Nilakantha explains both Dhriti and Dwitiya in a spiritualsense. There is no need, however, of a spiritual explanation here.By Dhriti is meant steadiness of intelligence; by Dwitiya lit, asecond. What Yudhishthira says is that a steady intelligenceserves the purposes of a helpful companion.



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The Yaksha asked, 'What constituteth the

divinity of the Brahmanas? What even istheir practice that is like that of the pious?What also is the human attribute of theBrahmanas? And what practice of theirs islike that of the impious?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'The study of theVedas constitutes their divinity: theirasceticism constitutes behaviour that is likethat of the pious; their liability to death is



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their human attribute and slander is theirimpiety.'

The Yaksha asked, 'What institutes thedivinity of the Kshatriyas? What even istheir practice that is like that of the pious?What is their human attribute? And whatpractice of theirs is like that of the impious?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'Arrows andweapons are their divinity: celebration ofsacrifices is that act which is like that of thepious: liability to fear is their human



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attribute; and refusal of protection is that actof theirs which is like that of the impious.'

The Yaksha asked, 'What is that whichconstitutes the Sama of the sacrifice? Whatthe Yajus of the sacrifice? What is that which

is the refuge of a sacrifice? And what is thatwhich sacrifice cannot do without?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'Life is the Sama ofthe sacrifice; the mind is the Yajus of the

sacrifice: the Rik is that which is the refuge



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of the sacrifice; and it is Rik alone whichsacrifice cannot do without 4.'

4 Nilakantha explains this correctly, as I imagine, bysupposing that by 'sacrifice' is meant the spiritual sacrifice

for the acquisition of pure knowledge. In the objectivesacrifice which one celebrates, the Sama, the Yajus, and theRik mantras are all necessary. In the subjective sacrifice theacquisition of true knowledge, life and mind are asnecessary as the mantras from the Sama and the YajurVedas in an objective one. And as no objective sacrifice cando without the Riks, being principally dependent on them,

so the subjective sacrifices for acquiring true knowledge cannever do without prayerfulness, which, I imagine, isrepresented as the Riks. To understand this passagethoroughly would require an intimate acquaintance withthe ritual of a sacrifice like the Agnishtoma or any other ofthat kind.



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The Yaksha asked, 'What is of the foremostvalue to those that cultivate? What is of theforemost value to those that sow? What is ofthe foremost value to those that wish forprosperity in this world? And what is of theforemost value to those that bring forth?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'That which is of theforemost value to those that cultivate is rain:that of the foremost value to those that sowis seed: that of the foremost value to those

that bring forth is offspring 5.

5 Some texts read apatatam for uvapatam. If the former be thecorrect reading, the meaning would be-'What is the best of thingsthat fall?' Nilakantha explains both avapatam nivapatam in aspiritual sense. By the first he understands-'They that offer oblation to the gods,' and by the second, 'They that offer oblations



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The Yaksha asked, 'What person, enjoyingall the objects of the senses, endued withintelligence, regarded by the world andliked by all beings, though breathing, doth

not offer anything to these five, viz., gods,guests, servants, Pitris, and himself, thoughendued with breath, is not yet alive.'

to the Pitris.' The necessity of a spiritual interpretation, however,is not very apparent.



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The Yaksha asked, 'What is weightier thanthe earth itself? What is higher than theheavens?' What is fleeter than the wind?And what is more numerous than grass?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'The mother isweightier than the earth; the father is higherthan the heaven; the mind is fleeter than thewind; and our thoughts are more numerousthan grass.'



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Yudhishthira answered, 'The mother isweightier than the earth; the father is higherthan the heaven; the mind is fleeter than thewind; and our thoughts are more numerousthan grass.'

The Yaksha asked, 'What is that which dothnot close its eyes while asleep; What is thatwhich doth not move after birth? What isthat which is without heart? And what isthat which swells with its own impetus?'



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Yudhishthira answered, 'A fish doth notclose its eyes while asleep: an egg doth notmove after birth: a stone is without heart:and a river swelleth with its own impetus.'

The Yaksha asked, 'Who is the friend of the

exile? Who is the friend of the householder?Who is the friend of him that ails? And whois the friend of one about to die?'

Yudhishthira answered, 'The friend of the

exile in a distant land is his companion, the



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friend of the householder is the wife; thefriend of him that ails is the physician: andthe friend of him about to die is charity.

The Yaksha asked,-'Who is the guest of allcreatures? What is the eternal duty? What, O

foremost of kings, is Amrita? And what isthis entire Universe?'

Yudhishthira answered, “ Agni is the guestof all creatures: the milk of kine is amrita:



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Homa (therewith) is the eternal duty: andthis Universe consists of air alone 6.”

The Yaksha asked,-'What is that whichsojourneth alone? What is that which is re-born after its birth? What is the remedy

against cold? And what is the largest field?'

6 Yudhishthira has the authority of the Srutis for saying that theone pervading element of the universe is air.



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Yudhishthira answered,-'The sun sojournsalone; the moon takes birth anew: fire is theremedy against cold: and the Earth is thelargest field.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What is the highest

refuge of virtue? What of fame? What ofheaven? And what, of happiness?'

Yudhishthira answered,- 'Liberality is thehighest refuge of virtue: gift, of fame: truth,



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of heaven: and good behaviour, ofhappiness.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What is the soul of man?Who is that friend bestowed on man by thegods? What is man's chief support? And

what also is his chief refuge?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'The son is a man'ssoul: the wife is the friend bestowed on man



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by the gods; the clouds are his chief support;and gift is his chief refuge.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What is the best of alllaudable things? What is the most valuableof all his possessions? What is the best of allgains? And what is the best of all kinds of

happiness?'

Yudhishthira answered,-"The best of alllaudable things is skill; the best of allpossessions is knowledge: the best of all



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gains is health: and contentment is the bestof all kinds of happiness.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What is the highest dutyin the world? What is that virtue whichalways beareth fruit? What is that which if

controlled, leadeth not to regret? And whoare they with whom an alliance cannotbreak?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'The highest of

duties is to refrain from injury: the rites



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ordained in the Three (Vedas) always bearfruit: the mind, if controlled, leadeth to noregret: and an alliance with the good neverbreaketh.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What is that which, ifrenounced, maketh one agreeable? What is

that which, if renounced, leadeth to noregret? What is that which, if renounced,maketh one wealthy? And what is thatwhich if renounced, maketh one happy?'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'Pride, if renounced,maketh one agreeable; wrath, if renouncedleadeth to no regret: desire, if renounced,maketh one wealthy: and avarice, ifrenounced, maketh one happy.'

The Yaksha asked,-'For what doth one giveaway to Brahmanas? For what to mimes anddancers? For what to servants? And for whatto king?'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'It is for religiousmerit that one giveth away to Brahmanas: itis for fame that one giveth away to mimesand dancers: it is for supporting them thatone giveth away to servants: and it is forobtaining relief from fear that one giveth tokings.'

The Yaksha asked,-'With what is the worldenveloped? What is that owing to which athing cannot discover itself? For what arefriends forsaken? And for what doth one fail

to go to heaven?'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'The world isenveloped with darkness. Darkness doth notpermit a thing to show itself. It is fromavarice that friends are forsaken. And it isconnection with the world for which onefaileth to go to heaven.'

The Yaksha asked,-'For what may one beconsidered as dead? For what may akingdom be considered as dead? For whatmay a Sraddha be considered as dead? Andfor what, a sacrifice?'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'For want of wealthmay a man be regarded as dead. A kingdomfor want of a king may be regarded as dead.A Sraddha that is performed with the aid ofa priest that hath no learning may beregarded as dead. And a sacrifice in whichthere are no gifts to Brahmanas is dead.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What constitutes theway? What, hath been spoken of as water?What, as food? And what, as poison? Tell usalso what is the proper time of a Sraddha,and then drink and take away as much asthou likest!'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'They that are good

constitute the way 7. Space hath been spokenof as water 8. The cow is food 9. A request ispoison. And a Brahmana is regarded as theproper time of a Sraddha 10. I do not knowwhat thou mayst think of all this, O Yaksha?'

7 The word used in the question is dik, literally, direction.Obviously, of course, it means in this connection way.Yudhishthira answers that the way which one is to tread along isthat of the good. 8 The Srutis actually speak of space as water. These are questions

to test Yudhishthira's knowledge of the Vedic cosmogony.

9 The Srutis speak of the cow as the only food, in the followingsense. The cow gives milk. The milk gives butter. The butter isused in Homa. The Homa is the cause of the clouds. The clouds give rain. The rain makes the seed to sprout forth and produce food. Nilakantha endeavours to explain this in a spiritual sense.There is however, no need of such explanation here.10 What Yudhishthira means to say is that there is no special time for a Sraddha. It is to be performed.



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The Yaksha asked,-'What hath been said to

be the sign of asceticism? And what is truerestraint? What constitutes forgiveness. Andwhat is shame?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'Staying in one'sown religion is asceticism: the restraint ofthe mind is of all restraints the true one:forgiveness consists in enduring enmity; and

whenever a good and able priest may be secured.



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shame, in withdrawing from all unworthyacts.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What, O king is said tobe knowledge? What, tranquillity? Whatconstitutes mercy? And what hath been

called simplicity?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'True knowledge isthat of Divinity. True tranquillity is that ofthe heart. Mercy consists in wishing



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happiness to all. And simplicity isequanimity of heart.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What enemy isinvincible? What constitutes an incurabledisease for man? What sort of a man is called

honest and what dishonest?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'Anger is aninvincible enemy. Covetousness constitutesan incurable disease. He is honest that



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desires the weal of all creatures, and he isdishonest who is unmerciful.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What, O king, isignorance? And what is pride? What also isto be understood by idleness? And whathath been spoken of as grief?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'True ignoranceconsists in not knowing one's duties. Pride isa consciousness of one's being himself anactor or sufferer in life. Idleness consists in



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not discharging one's duties, and ignorancein grief.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What hath steadinessbeen said by the Rishis to be? And what,patience? What also is a real ablution? And

what is charity?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'Steadiness consistsin one's staying in one's own religion, andtrue patience consists in the subjugation of

the senses. A true bath consists in washing



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the mind clean of all impurities, and charityconsists in protecting all creatures.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What man should beregarded as learned, and who should becalled an atheist? Who also is to be called

ignorant? What is called desire and what arethe sources of desire? And what is envy?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'He is to be calledlearned who knoweth his duties. An atheist

is he who is ignorant and so also he is



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ignorant who is an atheist. Desire is due toobjects of possession, and envy is nothingelse than grief of heart.'

The Yaksha asked,-'What is pride, and whatis hypocrisy? What is the grace of the gods,and what is wickedness?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'Stolid ignorance ispride. The setting up of a religious standardis hypocrisy. The grace of the gods is the



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fruit of our gifts, and wickedness consists inspeaking ill of others.'

The Yaksha asked,-'Virtue, profit, and desireare opposed to one another. How couldthings thus antagonistic to one another exist

together?'

Yudhishthira answered,-'When a wife andvirtue agree with each other, then all thethree thou hast mentioned may exist

together.'



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The Yaksha asked,-'O bull of the Bharata

race, who is he that is condemned toeverlasting hell? It behoveth thee to soonanswer the question that I ask!'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'He thatsummoneth a poor Brahmana promising tomake him a gift and then tells him that hehath nothing to give, goeth to everlastinghell. He also must go to everlasting hell, whoimputes falsehood to the Vedas, thescriptures, the Brahmanas, the gods, and theceremonies in honour of the Pitris, He alsogoeth to everlasting hell who though inpossession of wealth, never giveth away norenjoyeth himself from avarice, saying, hehath none.'

The Yaksha asked,-'By what, O king, birth,behaviour, study, or learning doth a personbecome a Brahmana? Tell us with certitude!'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'Listen, O Yaksha! Itis neither birth, nor study, nor learning, that

is the cause of Brahmanahood, withoutdoubt, it is behaviour that constitutes it.One's behaviour should always be well-guarded, especially by a Brahmana. He whomaintaineth his conduct unimpaired, is

never impaired himself. Professors and



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pupils, in fact, all who study the scriptures,if addicted to wicked habits, are to beregarded as illiterate wretches. He only islearned who performeth his religious duties.He even that hath studied the four Vedas isto be regarded as a wicked wretch scarcelydistinguishable from a Sudra (if his conductbe not correct). He only who performeth theAgnihotra and hath his senses under control,is called a Brahmana!'

The Yaksha asked,-'What doth one gain thatspeaketh agreeable words? What doth hegain that always acteth with judgment?What doth he gain that hath many friends?And what he, that is devoted to virtue?'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'He that speaketh

agreeable words becometh agreeable to all.He that acteth with judgment obtainethwhatever he seeketh. He that hath manyfriends liveth happily. And he that isdevoted to virtue obtaineth a happy state (in

the next world).'

The Yaksha asked,-'Who is truly happy?What is most wonderful? What is the path?And what is the news? Answer these four



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questions of mine and let thy dead brothersrevive.'

Yudhishthira answered, 'O amphibiouscreature, a man who cooketh in his ownhouse, on the fifth or the sixth part of theday, with scanty vegetables, but who is not



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in debt and who stirreth not from home, istruly happy.

Day after day countless creatures are goingto the abode of Yama, yet those that remainbehind believe themselves to be immortal.What can be more wonderful than this?

Argument leads to no certain conclusion, theSrutis are different from one another; there isnot even one Rishi whose opinion can beaccepted by all; the truth about religion and

duty is hid in caves: therefore, that alone isthe path along which the great have trod.

This world full of ignorance is like a pan.The sun is fire, the days and nights are fuel.

The months and the seasons constitute thewooden ladle. Time is the cook that iscooking all creatures in that pan (with suchaids); this is the news.'



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The Yaksha asked,-'Thou hast, O represser of

foes, truly answered ail my questions! Tellus now who is truly a man, and what mantruly possesseth every kind of wealth.'

Yudhishthira answered,-'The report of one'sgood action reacheth heaven and spreadethover the earth. As long as that report lasteth,



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so long is a person to whom the agreeableand the disagreeable, weal and woe, the pastand the future, are the same, is said topossess every kind of wealth.'

The Yaksha said, -'Thou hast, O king truly

answered who is a man, and what manpossesseth every kind of wealth. Therefore,let one only amongst thy brothers, whomthou mayst wish, get up with life!'



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Yudhishthira answered,-'Let this one that isof darkish hue, whose eyes are red, who istall like a large Sala tree, whose chest isbroad and arms long, let this Nakula, OYaksha, get up with life!

The Yaksha rejoined,-'This Bhimasena is

dear unto thee, and this Arjuna also is one



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upon whom all of you depend! Why, then, Oking dost thou, wish a step-brother to get upwith his life! How canst thou, forsakingBhima whose strength is equal to that of tenthousand elephants, wish Nakula to live?People said that this Bhima was dear to thee.From what motive then dost thou wish astep-brother to revive? Forsaking Arjuna themight of whose arm is worshipped by all thesons of Pandu, why dost thou wish Nakulato revive?'



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Yudhishthira said,-'If virtue is sacrificed, hethat sacrificeth it, is himself lost. So virtuealso cherisheth the cherisher. Thereforetaking care that virtue by being sacrificedmay not sacrifice us, I never forsake virtue.Abstention from injury is the highest virtue,and is, I ween, even higher than the highestobject of attainment. I endeavour to practisethat virtue.

Therefore, let Nakula, O Yaksha, revive! Letmen know that the king is always virtuous! Iwill never depart from my duty. Let Nakula,therefore, revive! My father had two wives,Kunti and Madri. Let both of them have

children. This is what I wish. As Kunti is to



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me, so also is Madri. There is no differencebetween them in my eye. I desire to actequally towards my mothers. Therefore, letNakula live'

The Yaksha said,-'Since abstention from

injury is regarded by thee as higher thanboth profit and pleasure, therefore, let all thybrothers live, O bull of Bharata race!"

Yakshaprasna Sanskrit English

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