First written on June 25, 2007 Revised and Updated April 03, 2009 Yaksha Prashna - The doctrine of death, truth, righteousness and justice In the article titled 'Bhagvat Gita & Management by Values' by Mr. M P Bhattathiri and in the footnote we had mentioned that we will publish the episode of 'Yaksha Prashna' at a later date. We are pleased to give the same. It is one of the greatest exchanges on philosophy.  When the five Pandav brothers were in exile and wandering in forests, they were asked by a holy Brahmin neighbor to chase a deer, which had accidentally taken a wooden piece used for lighting a fire in Vedic rituals, stuck in its horns. The famed brothers were unable to catch the deer. They all became thirsty after chasing the deer and King Yudhishtra asked his youngest brother Sahadev to go and fetch some water to quench their thirst. Sahadev reached a nearby pond and as he was entering the pond, an invisible voice asked him not to drink it without answering its questions. He ignored it , drank the water and fell apparently dead. When he did not return, Yushishtra sent the next brother and the same thing happened. One after another all four brothers did not return. King Yudhishtra finally reached the spot and saw his 4 brothers fallen on the ground with no apparent injury marks on their bodies. They appeared dead. He was extremely sad and decided to investigate the matter after quenching his thirst and the voice again repeated itself. It said that 'I am Yaksha and you can drink the water only after answering my questions, as otherwise you will also fall dead like your brothers. I gave the same warning to them but they did not heed me'. King Yudhishtra was the wisest and most just man of his time. The Yaksha wanted to test him. Yudhishtra understood that he was dealing with some supernatural element. He stopped and requested the Yaksha to ask his questions and gave his answers. The same are given below:  What makes the Sun rise everyday ? - The great supreme God in the form of Mother Nature Which is the thing that always aids a man and comes to his rescue - Courage and Conviction  Which book makes a man learned ? - No book makes a man learned. A man becomes learned by listening and obeying the learned and respecting experienced elders of the society What is heavier than the Earth ? - It is a mother who brings up her children What is higher than the sky - A Father What is faster than the wind ? - The Mind is faster than the wind What is less valuable even than grass ? - Worries What is required for a man leaving for uncharted and new territories ? - Skills Who is the best friend for a man in his house ? - His wife or mother, if unmarried Who is the best friend for an old man about to die - Charity and it begins at home. It is the good deeds that accompany the soul to the heavens Which is the biggest vessel ? - Mother earth. She can hold anything man made under the Sun.  How to achieve comfort and happiness ? - Comfort and happiness can be achieved by observing discipline When does a man become loved by everyone ? - When he leaves behind his pride and ego What should a man lose without feeling sad - Anger What should a man lose to become rich -  A man should not have any material desires to become rich Who is a Brahmin ? Is it by birth ? is it by learning ? is it by discipline ? - It is not by birth. It is not by learning. A man becomes a Brahmin by observing discipline Which is the biggest wonder in the world ? - The biggest wonder in the world is the man, while seeing people and other things die everyday, thinks he is permanent, knowing fully well he has to die one day. This is the biggest wonder in the world. There are more exchanges which are highly philosophical and we have not covered them because justice cannot be done in translating the writings of the greatest Sage Veda Vyasa, the father of the Vedas, who was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is not possible to find suitable English words for some terms in Sanskrit. I have tried to give the nearest meaning and failings are my own.  At the satisfactory end of the question and answer session, the Yaksha gave permission to Yudhishtra to quench his thirst and said that any one brother out of four would come alive based on Yudhishtra' s request. King Yudhishtra asked for his brother Nakul to become alive. Yaksha asked him as to why he did not choose his own brothers Bhima or Arjuna, who were well known for their strength, bravery and valor and who could have helped him in regaining the lost kingdom. King Yudhishtra replied that his father had two wives and he was the first born of the first wife Kunti. Nakul was the first born of the second wife Madhuri. It was fair and just that the one son of each wife to be alive. King Yudhishtra was not only a wise man, he was also known as 'Dharma Putra' which means Son of Lord of Justice, Righteousness and Truth. The Yaksha was no other than the demigod Lord Yama, also known as Lord Dharmaraj or Dhramadev, the lord of death, justice, righteousness and truth and his real father. King Pandu was their foster father. Lord Yama was so happy, he appeared in person and made all brothers come alive. He is one of the 'Ashtadhik Balaks'. He rules the planet Saturn. This is the reason, Saturn is considered as the planet of Death, Justice, Truth and Righteousness in Vedic Astrology. Though people say that Justice delayed is Justice denied, the process of Godly justice is agonizing and grinding slow. However, nothing ever escapes him. He also assured King Yudhishtra that he and his brothers would come out of their misery and regain their lost Kingdom and requested them to have patience and wait for their time.  Sage Vaisampayana, the first, foremost and most respected disciple of Sage Veda Vyasa has said that anybody reading this episode will not be tempted, succumb to any unearthly desires, will be successful against all odds, overcome misery in his or her life and justice will be done by the Supreme Lord one day. The only thing that is required is to have faith in the supreme lord. One must continue to do his duty with courage and equanimity in the face of hardships. It is very difficult but can be done with courage, conviction and faith. The Pandavs were highly privileged as they had the Supreme Lord Krishna to guide them throughout their life. Om Tat Sat Translated and Interpreted from Sanskrit by Madhavan T Gopalachary The views, opinions and interpretations are personal. 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