Yaksha Prashna - Gems of wisdom

Acquisition of knowledge is always through the asking of questions, especially in Hinduism. In the spiritual spheres too, it is questions which have revealed to seers the esoteric truths about themselves and their Maker. An entire Upanishad, the Kenopanishad, is in the form of questions and answers thereto, which teach us all that we need to know about the Lord and His attributes. "Keno" means "to ask"...

 

This story of Yaksha Prashna is from Mahabharatha's Aranya Kanda - Toward the end their 12 year exile, in the quest of mysterious circumstances, the Pancha Pandavas venture to fetch water from a lake. The lake was devoid of any living creature except a crane (Baka) and the crane tells Pandavas that if anyone consumes water without answering its questions, the water will turn into poision killing them - Sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna and Bheema do not heed and die - Yudishtra, in search of his brothers, answers these questions and finally the Crane reveals itself as Dharmaraj (Yama) in the form of a Yaksha - These are the 18 questions which are a store house of knowledge and termed as Yaksha Prashna..

 

This question and answer session are gems of wisdom which lay framework for Bhagavad Gita, and which have guided the lives of Hindus for a thousand and more years.. May these questions and answers inspire our children to shape their lives too.. Read on...
 

Question No. 1:

Yaksha : Who makes the sun to rise and ascend in the skies? Who moves around the Sun? Who makes the sun set in the horizons? What is the true nature of the Sun and where is the sun established?

Yudhisthira answered: Brahma makes the sun rise and ascend. The Gods perambulate about the Sun. The Dharm sets the Sun. Truth is the actual Sun and the Sun is established in truth only.

 Question No. 2:

Yaksha : What instills 'divinity' in Brahmins? What is the quality of virtuousity in a Brahmin? What is the humanlike quality of a Brahmin? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a Brahmin?

Yudhisthira replied: The self-study (Swadhyana) of the Vedas is divinity in a Brahmin. Penance is the quality like a virtuous person in a Brahhmin. Death is human-like quality in a Brahmin. Criticising others is conduct in a Brahmin like a non-virtuous person.

Question No. 3:

Yaksha asked: What instills 'divinity' in Kshatriyas? What is the quality of virtuousity in a Kshatriya? What is the humanlike quality of a Kshatriya? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a Kshatriya?

Yudhisthira replied: The art of archery is the divinity in a Kshatriya. Oblation is Kshatriya's quality of virtuousity in Kshatriya. Fear is his humanly quality. Abandoning people under protection of the Kshatriya is conduct like a non-virtuous person in the Kshatriya.

Question No. 4

Yaksha asked: What is that thing which is like a Mantra in the performance of oblations (Yajnya)? Who is the performer of rites and ceremonies during Yajnya? Who accepts the offerings and oblations of a Yajnya? What is that which even a Yajnya can not transgress?

Yudhisthira replied: 'Breath' is like a Mantra in the performance of rites. 'Mind' is the performer of all rites in the course of Yajnya. Only Shlokas of the Vedas, termed rucha or the richa accept oblation. The Yajnya can not surpass nor transgress the richas.

Question No. 5

Yaksha asked: What is heavier than earth, higher than heavens, faster than the wind and more numerous than straws?

Yudhishthira: One's mother is heavier than the earth; one's father is higher than the mountains. The mind is faster than wind and our worries are more numerous than straws.

Question No. 6

Yaksha asked: Who is the friend of a traveler? Who is the friend of one who is ill and one who is dying?

Yudhishthira: The friend of a traveler is his companion. The physician is the friend of one who is sick and a dying man's friend is charity.

Question No. 7 t

Yaksha asked: What is that which, when renounced, makes one lovable? What is that which is renounced makes happy and wealthy?

Yudhishthira: Pride, if renounced makes one lovable; by renouncing desire one becomes wealthy; and to renounce avarice is to obtain happiness.

Question No. 8

Yaksha asked: What enemy is invincible? What constitutes an incurable disease? What sort of man is noble and what sort is ignoble?

Yudhishthira: Anger is the invincible enemy. Covetousness constitutes a disease that is incurable. He is noble who desires the well-being of all creatures, and he is ignoble who is without mercy.

Question No. 9

Yaksha asked: Who is truly happy? What is the greatest wonder? What is the path? And what is the news?

Yudhishthira: He who has no debts is truly happy. Day after day countless people die. Yet the living wish to live forever. O Lord, what can be a greater wonder? Argument leads to no certain conclusion, the Srutis are different from one another; there is not even one Rishi whose opinion can be accepted by all; the truth about Dharma and duty is hid in caves of our heart: therefore, that alone is the path along which the great have trod. This world full of ignorance is like a pan. The sun is fire, the days and nights are fuel. The months and the seasons constitute the wooden ladle. Time is the cook that is cooking all creatures in that pan (with such aids); this is the news..

Tulsidas and Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman Chalisa - "Forty chaupais on Hanuman", a devotional song on Lord Hanuman as the model devotee is one of the most recited slokams in Indian households.

Tulsidas, who was acclaimed in his lifetime as an reincarnation of Valmiki, was the composer of this great slokam. He is best known for the great epic Ramcharitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa amongst other great literary works - Both were composed in the vernacular Awadhi.

 

Legend goes that Tulsidas was born after staying in the womb for twelve months, he had all thirty two teeth in his mouth at birth, his health and looks were like that of a five-year old boy, and he did not cry at the time of his birth but uttered "Rama" instead. He was named "Rambola" - literally, who uttered Rama, as Tulsidas himself states in Vinayapatrika. Tulsidas wrote twelve books and the most famous one is his Ramayan "Ram-charit-manas" —in Hindi. He wrote this book under the directions of Hanuman and this is read and worshipped with great reverence in every Hindu home in North India.The greatest of poets in Hindi and Indian literature, hints at several places in his works, that he had met Hanuman and Rama face to face.

According to this reference, Tulsidas used to visit the woods outside Varanasi for his morning ablutions with a water pot. On the way back, he used to splash the remaining water to a certain tree, which quenched the thrist of a "Preta" or a ghost in that tree, thristy for water! The ghost offered a boon to Tulsidas and he said that he wished to see Rama with his eyes.. The Preta guided Tulsidas to Hanuman, who could grant the boon he asked for. The Preta told that Hanuman comes everyday disguised as a leper to listen to Ramayana in the spot - where the famous "Sankat Mochan" temple at Varanasi stands today. At the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas bows down to this particular Preta and asks for his grace  in Doha 1.7!