Yudishtira and the Yaksha

 

Story on Damo – Calmness

Yudishtra and the Yaksha

The Pandavas had been exiled for a period of twelve years after their loss to the Gauravas in the game of dice. As per the conditions laid to the losers, they had to spend twelve years in the forest and the thirteenth year incognito. The brothers were discussing amongst themselves as to what should be the next course of action and how and where to live incognito.

When they were in the midst of their discussion, they were approached by a brahmin. He said that he needed their help. Being kshatriyas, the Pandavas thought it was their duty to help a person in distress. They asked the brahmin how they could help him. He said that his wooden sticks (arani) that are used to kindle the daily fire had gotten entangled in the horns of a stag. The stag had run into the forest with the wooden sticks. The brahmin requested the Princes to recover his arani as he would be unable to perform his daily rituals without them.

The Pandavas thought it was a very small and simple issue. They went looking for the stag. They saw it on the edge of the forest. When they tried to get closer, the stag started running and went into the dense jungle. The stag ran very fast and despite the five Pandavas giving chase, they could not catch the stag.

At some point in the chase, they became tired and sat down to take rest. The chase in the hot sun had made them very thirsty. Yudhistira told Nakula, the youngest prince to go nearby and see if there was any water body and to get him some water.

Walking ahead, Nakula came across a beautiful and pristine water body. He went eagerly towards the water to quench his thirst. Suddenly he heard a voice which told him “Son, do not drink the water. It belongs to me. I have a few questions. Answer them and then I shall allow you to drink.”

Nakula turned around and saw a crane. He did not listen thinking it was just a crane and he had imagined what he heard. He drank the water and fell dead.

The other four Pandavas waited for some time for Nakula. When he did not return, Yudishtira sent Sahadeva to look for Nakula. Sahadeva found the water body and the dead Nakula next to it. He was shocked and tried to go near the water body to take some water to revive Nakula. The crane said again “Do not go near the water. Your brother Nakula did not listen to me and see what happened to him. Be sensible. Answer my questions and then I will allow you to take the water.”

Sahadeva was too agitated to see his brother dead to listen to anything. He ran towards the water body and took the water in his hands. He inhaled the poisonous fumes from the water. Before he could even reach the banks of the pond, he fell dead.

After some time, Yudishtira sent Arjuna to find the younger brothers. Arjuna took his bow as a protection. Yet, he was unsuccessful. Arjuna also met a similar fate. Bhima who followed Arjuna also drank the water and fell down.

By now Yudishtira realised that there was some issue. He went looking for his brothers. He saw all four of them were lying dead. At first, he thought it was the handiwork of Duryodhana and his brothers. But he realised that his brothers were too strong and intelligent to fall for Duryodhana’s tricks.

Before he could figure out what to do, he heard the voice of the crane “Prince, I am the cause of the death of your brothers. They came here to drink water. I told them not to drink the water till they answered my questions. They did not listen to me. You will meet the same fate if you do not listen to me.”

Another person in that position would have got agitated. Yudishtira, on the other hand was very composed. He was trying to think of a suitable response. He said calmly “Who are you? Rudra, Vasu or Marut? You must be very powerful. My brothers are very strong and no one can defeat them easily. Why are you here? What do you want?”

The crane again said “I am a Yaksha. This is my pond. I will not allow you to drink water unless you answer my questions. Your brothers are dead because they ignored my warning. You are respectful and trying to understand who I am.”

Yudishtira calmly asked “Yaksha. I bow to you. Please ask me the questions. I shall do my best to answer your questions. I have no intention of taking what is yours. I will not take water from the water until you permit me.”

Then followed a series of questions between the Yaksha and Yudishtira. These questions are gems that give a treasure of knowledge of various tactical and philosophical aspects of Sanatana Dharma.( We shall discuss the series of Yaksha’s questions and Yudishtira’s answers in another story. )

Once Yudishtira answered all the questions, the Yaksha was pleased and allowed him to ask for the life of one of his brothers. Yudishtira chose the life of Nakula. The Yaksha was amused. He asked Yudishtira, “Two of your own brothers have died.  If you ask for Arjuna or Bhima’s life, it will come in useful in the coming war with Duryodhana. Why do you want the life of your half brother Nakula? “

Yudishtira stated “Yaksha, Amongst the sons of my mother Kunti, I am alive. I want one of the sons of Madri also to be alive. “The Yaksha was pleased that Yudishtira did not get agitated even when his brothers were dead. Nor did he become disrespectful or sway from the path of Dharma.”

The Yaksha revealed himself as Lord Yama, who was Yudishtira’s father. Yudishtira paid his respects to his father and took leave. Lord Yama then restored all the four brothers to life. He also blessed them saying that their one year of anonymity would be successful.

Yudishtira and his brothers took Lord Yama’s blessings and continued their exile.

This story is a classical example of a person who exhibited a rather tough trait of Damo (calmness) in the face of extreme provocation. Yudhistira was very close to his brothers. He sees all four of them dead. He also sees a crane who claimed that he was the cause of death. Another person in this situation would not have been able to react with so much equanimity.