The Yaksha's Questions

Told in English, Telugu.

Long, long ago, the five Pandava brothers lived in the forest. There was Yudhishthira, the eldest and the wisest. There was Bhima, strong as a mountain. There was Arjuna, the finest archer in the land. And there were the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, gentle and brave.

One morning, an old priest came running to their little hut. He was quite out of breath.

"Oh, princes, please help me!" he cried. "I hung my fire sticks on a tree branch. A deer came by, scratched its head on the tree, and the sticks got caught in its antlers! Now it has run away. Without those sticks I cannot light the fire for my prayers."

"Do not worry," said Yudhishthira kindly. "We will bring them back."

So the five brothers ran after the deer. They ran through thorny bushes and over rocks and across little streams. But that deer was very quick. Every time they came close, it leapt away. At last it vanished between the trees, and the brothers sat down under a big banyan tree, hot and tired and terribly thirsty.

"Nakula," said Yudhishthira, "climb this tree and see if there is any water nearby."

Nakula climbed up and looked around. "I can see green plants and cranes flying over there," he called. "There must be a lake!"

"Go and bring us some water, little brother," said Yudhishthira.

Nakula soon found a beautiful lake. The water was clear and cool, and lotus flowers floated on top. He knelt down to drink. But just then, a deep voice boomed from somewhere above.

"Stop! This lake belongs to me. First answer my questions, and then you may drink."

Nakula looked around. He saw only a crane standing on one leg. He was so thirsty that he did not listen. He scooped up the water and drank, and at once he fell down beside the lake, as still as a sleeping stone.

Back under the banyan tree, the brothers waited and waited. "Sahadeva, go and see what is keeping your twin," said Yudhishthira.

Sahadeva went, and the very same thing happened. The voice warned him, but he drank anyway, and down he fell. Then Arjuna went. He heard the voice and shot arrows all around, but the arrows hit nothing at all. He drank, and down he fell. Then Bhima went, angry and ready for a fight. He drank, and down he fell too.

Now only Yudhishthira was left. His heart was beating fast as he walked to the lake. And there he saw his four dear brothers, lying still upon the grass.

Tears came to his eyes. But then he heard the voice.

"I am the one who did this. I am a yaksha, and this lake is mine. Your brothers did not listen to me. If you answer my questions, you may drink."

Yudhishthira did not shout. He did not reach for his bow. He folded his hands and said softly, "I will not take what belongs to you. Ask your questions, and I will answer as well as I can."

The crane flapped its wings, and a tall, shining yaksha stood before him.

"What is heavier than the whole earth?" asked the yaksha.

Yudhishthira thought for a moment. "A mother," he said. "Her love for her child is heavier than the whole earth."

"What is higher than the sky?"

"A father," said Yudhishthira.

"What is faster than the wind?"

Can you guess this one? Think... think...

"The mind," said Yudhishthira. "In one blink, our thoughts can fly anywhere."

"What are more in number than the blades of grass?"

"Our thoughts," said Yudhishthira. "They never stop coming."

"Who is the friend of a traveller far from home?"

"A good companion who walks beside him."

"What is the greatest happiness?"

"Contentment," said Yudhishthira. "Being happy with what we already have."

"And what must a person give up to be loved by everyone?"

"Pride," said Yudhishthira gently. "When we stop showing off, people come closer to us."

On and on went the questions, and to every one, Yudhishthira gave a calm and thoughtful answer. At last the yaksha smiled.

"You have answered well," he said. "Now I will give you a gift. One of your brothers may wake up. Choose which one."

Yudhishthira looked at his brothers. There was mighty Bhima, and brave Arjuna, the greatest helpers anyone could wish for. Then he looked at quiet little Nakula.

"Let Nakula wake up," he said.

The yaksha was surprised. "Why Nakula? Bhima and Arjuna are so strong. They would protect you."

"My father had two wives," said Yudhishthira. "Kunti is my mother, and I am alive. Madri is the mother of the twins. If Nakula wakes, then both mothers will still have a son. That is the fair thing to do."

The yaksha's face glowed with joy. "You think of fairness even when your own heart is aching. Because of this, all four of your brothers shall wake up!"

And one by one, Nakula, Sahadeva, Arjuna and Bhima opened their eyes and sat up, yawning, as if from a long afternoon nap.

Then the yaksha changed once more. He was really Dharma Deva, the god of goodness and right, and he was Yudhishthira's own father in heaven. He had become the deer, and the crane, and the yaksha, just to test his son.

"Here are the priest's fire sticks," he said, handing them over. "Go now, my children, and be blessed."

The five brothers drank the sweet, cool water together, laughing with relief. Then they walked back through the forest and gave the old priest his fire sticks. That evening, his little fire burned bright and warm.

And whenever the brothers felt like rushing into trouble, they remembered that day, and how their eldest brother had won not with a bow or a mace, but with a patient mind and a fair heart.