The Overpowering Thirst
The voice and the warning
Yudhishtira instructed Nakula to fetch them water from the lake that he (Nakula) had spotted at a distance. Nakula emptied his quiver in order to fill it with water and set out.
Soon he came across the lake with its crystal clear water. His mind was dulled by dehydration, when he heard a voice. Or he thought he heard!
“O child, Maadreya*! Do not drink the water. This lake is mine. I will grant you permission to drink water only if you answer my questions”.
*son of Madri
A befuddled Nakula thought his mind was playing tricks on him and went ahead towards the water. As he bent down and lifted some water to his mouth, cupping his hands, he fell down in a dead faint.
Time passed, thirst increased, but there was no sign of Nakula returning with water. Yudhishtira told Sahadeva to fetch his brother and some water from the lake. When Sahadeva approached the lake, the same disembodied voice stopped him gently and repeated the words Nakula had heard, and had chosen to ignore. Sahadeva saw Nakula fallen on the ground but overwhelming thirst made him quickly drink the water before he investigated.
As he cupped water in his hands and raised them towards his mouth, Sahadeva met the same fate as his twin Nakula.
A puzzled Yudhishtira sent Arjuna, in search of the twins. When Arjuna reached the lake he saw his brothers lying on the ground, unconscious or dead! He looked around but saw no one. Wondering at the cause of the brave Nakula and the valiant Sahadeva lying lifeless, he approached the lake.
The voice spoke the same words as earlier but the tone was no longer gentle. “Do not drink the water. This lake is mine. I will grant you permission to drink water only if you answer my questions. Otherwise you will meet the same fate as your brothers.”
Arjuna shot an arrow towards the voice. But when the voice seemed to come from all directions, Arjuna quickly fired his arrows in all directions.
“It’s useless, Paartha!” the voice chided him for his futile attempts and repeated the warning yet again. Confused and thirsty, Arjuna challenged the unseen adversary to appear in front of him. Eliciting no response, he decided to go ahead and drink the water. Before the water touched his lips, he too fell to the ground.
It was Bheema’s turn to come to the lake in search of the brothers and water. Yudhishtira was convinced that Bheema would be successful, for there never ever was a task that Bheema set out to perform and failed!
When Bheema approached the lake and saw his warrior brothers lying dead, he was aghast. The voice did its thing, by warning Bheema to first answer his questions. Bheema declared that being a Kshatriya he could neither be forced into submission nor compelled to seek favours from anyone except God, let alone an unseen voice! Deciding to quench his thirst before seeking out the assailant, he bent down to drink the water and alas, dropped dead.