Some answers to certain questions in life are so simple that we tend to overlook them or fail to even think about them at the nick of the time! When it comes to using language as a consultant or trainer, counselling as a psychologist or conducting a lecture in a class of novices, what is important is to keep it simple and stick to the fundamentals. One may be omniscient and even unmatched in terms of knowledge; yet what makes him credible and likeable is his ability to articulate his mind and disseminate knowledge in a way that people from different walks of life understand the same. Nonetheless, it is from ‘fundamentality’ that advancement happens. Just like how the knowledge of alphabets is critical in developing meaningful words or sentences, similarly basic life lessons help shape our personalities and make us who we are. Sometimes, complexity leads to a perception of dubiousness especially in service-oriented fields; hence sticking to basics often helps.
Our ancient mythological texts teach us these simple facts and fundamental laws of nature. No matter the era we live in, what has never and can or will never change are the laws of nature! Most of the meanings are hidden or are conveyed allegorically in the texts, which leads to a high level of subjectivity, and it is up to the readers to read between the lines and infer meanings of various narrations. It is said that any conversation between two or more learned and highly revered beings was made so as to consign to posterity, vital learnings and understanding of Dharma. I am accounting below, one such encounter from the Mahabharatha (third Parva- Aranyaka Parva); this was a conversation between Emperor Yudhisthira and Dharmaraaj, God of Dharma , famously known as Yamraaj.
Backdrop : During their twelve year exile, Pandavas took shelter under various forests and mountain ranges, one of which was Dvaitavana. One day while here, a Brahmin sought their help in recovering his wooden sticks and paraphernalia, apparently taken away by a deer. With an intention to retrieve these, Pandavas set out to hunt down the deer. They had travelled a long way already. It was a long chase and the brothers were too tired and thirsty, although there was no sign of the deer. Upon Yudhisthira’s order, Nakula set out to the lake nearby to fetch some water in his quiver. As he bent down to take some water in his palms, a voice appeared from the skies and forbade him from drinking the water, unless some questions were answered. The handsome Nakula ignored this warning and drank the water. As soon as the water reached his mouth, he fell unconscious, as though dead. Worried as Nakula had not returned for over an hour, Yudhisthira sent Sahadeva over to the lake to fetch some water and get Nakula back. The same fate occurred to Sahadeva and he too fell on the ground, unconscious. When Arjuna arrived here and heard the voice, he shot few arrows in the thin air which were capable of destroying any illusion, but all in vain and he fell unconscious and seemingly dead on the ground. The same happened when Bhima arrived at the lakefront. Finally, it was Yudhisthira’s turn. He looked around carefully and analyzed the whole situation. In no time, he learnt that there was something suspicious in the water as there were no signs of a war (Yuddha) or bloodshed in the vicinity.He bent down to drink some water as his thirst overpowered his ability to think any further. Upon hearing the voice, Yudhisthira modestly responded and enquired who that was. A crane appeared in front of him; Yudhisthira was quick to guess that it possessed some supernatural powers and was a celestial being disguised as a crane. He emphatically said that a crane could not have brought about such a fate upon his valiant and invincible brothers. The crane immediately transformed itself into another form and replied, “I am a Yaksha and this lake belongs to me. If you wish to drink my water, you may answer my questions and proceed, else would see the same fate as your brothers’.” Yudhisthira agreed and a spate of questions followed. The questions on spirituality, philosophy and many other fields that the Yaksha asked were impeccably answered by Yudhisthira, and to date are referred to as a concise guide to life lessons. The Yaksha asked Yudhisthira to choose ONE of his brothers whom he would want to see get back to life; Yudhisthira chose Nakula. He asserted that Madri was like Kunti to him and that atleast one son of each mother must be alive; this would do justice to both mothers. Despite the fact that his victory in the war with Kauravas depended on Bhima and Arjuna's prowess, the Emperor chose his younger brother Nakula over them. The Yaksha was so moved by Yudhisthira’s sense of righteousness and objectivity that he brought all his brothers back to life. Yudhisthira was assured that benevolence of this extent and life-giving powers were not a Yaksha’s prerogative. It was then that Dharmaraaj appeared in His true form in front of the brothers and benedicted the Emperor with righteousness and fame for as long as he lived and beyond. He then returned the wooden sticks and paraphernalia of the Brahmin and confirmed that it was Him that disguised as a deer to test the Emperor.
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