An Appeased Yaksha
The Questions
The Yaksha’s questions, 33 sets of mostly four questions each, were meant to illustrate the wisdom, sense of dharma, knowledge of the Vedas and common sense of Yudhishtira. The Yaksha expressed happiness upon Yudhishtira’s prompt and pithy answers.
The Yaksha continued...
“What is the distinguishing feature that makes a person blessed? What is the greatest wealth? What is profit? What is true happiness?”
“Equanimity (the ability to deal with every situation as required), knowledge (that which does not decrease even when distributed), health and contentment”.
“Which is the greatest ‘dharma’? What is always fruitful and never a wasted effort? What should be kept under restraint?” continued the Yaksha.
“Compassion is the greatest ‘dharma’, learning the Vedas is never a wasted effort, the mind”.... were Yudhishtira’s satisfactory answers.
“What envelopes the whole world? What makes a person lose his friends? How can a person go to heaven?”
“Ignorance envelopes the world, awareness destroys ignorance. Greed makes one lose friends. Detachment from worldly matters is a gateway to heaven” answered Yudhishtira.
“What is it that upon giving up, never causes regret? What is it that upon giving up, increases your wealth? What is it that upon giving up, increases your happiness?”
“Anger, desire, greed”, were Yudhishtira’s crisp answers.
“What is penance?”
“Penance is performing one’s duty decided by one’s natural inclination (swadharma)”.
“What is true forgiveness?”
“Forgiveness is tolerating the opposites that we face... happiness/misery, birth/death, profit/loss, health/sickness...”
“What constitutes knowledge, tranquility, mercy, charity?”
"Awareness of the divine, a peaceful heart, wishing happiness for all and protection of all creatures."
“What makes a man eligible for everlasting condemnation in hell?”
“He who denies alms to a needy brahmin, he who attributes false meanings to the Vedas and scriptures, he who has been granted riches but neither enjoys it himself nor distributes his wealth... these are the kinds of persons who will go to everlasting hell.”
“What makes one a ‘brahmin’? Is it birth, behaviour, knowledge or learning?”
“It is impeccable conduct (behaviour) that makes one a Brahmin, not the other three,” stated Yudhishtira emphatically.
“What is reality?”
“This world enveloped in ignorance is a pan, in which living beings are being fried by the fire called sun. It is fuelled by day and night, cooked by Time (kaala-purusha) using the seasons and months as a ladle... this is the reality!”
“What is the most amazing thing in the world?” asked the Yaksha. This is perhaps the best known question...
“Every day, countless people die. Yet every person continues to live as if he is immortal! That is the most amazing thing in the whole world” was Yudhishthira’s famous reply.
Many more questions were asked and many more correct answers were given, that are not mentioned here. With each answer, the Yaksha grew more and more pleased.
After the final question was asked and final answer was given, the Yaksha was so pleased that he wanted to grant boons to the eldest Pandava.
To be continued...