Epics of India Storybook

Yudhishthira sat on the bank of the lake, crossing his legs and relaxing his entire body. He would have to rely on all his training and experience to answer the riddles correctly. He cleared his mind and began to search his soul — his emotions, his thoughts, his memories. His mind first came upon thoughts and images related to nature: the creation of the world, the changes in the seasons, the growth of trees, the origins of mountains and valleys, the rising and setting of the sun.

He recalled his days studying with Drona, the priest turned warrior who had great knowledge of the sacred writings. Yudhishthira remembered a time when he and his brothers had risen while it was still dark and trained intensely for hours. When the sun began to appear over the horizon, Drona paused the physical training.

"Every day the sun rises because that is the purpose given to it by Brahma, the Creator. As it rises, it is satisfied because it is fulfilling its purpose. You each must find the Creator's purpose for you and fulfill that purpose. Then you too will be satisfied as the sun."

Yaksha: What makes the sun rise?

Yudhishthira: Brahma makes the sun rise.

The answer came immediately, prompted by his roaming through his soul. His mind continued to recall the scene with Drona, where his teacher expounded upon fulfilling one's created purpose. "Life will not always be pleasant or fair. You will not always have your friends and family around you; you will not always be popular. But do not let that keep you from your purpose. The sun has no companions on its road. It could choose to be lonely and bitter, but it instead chooses every day to rise anew."

Yaksha: What always travels its course alone?

Yudhishthira: The sun always travels alone.

The riddles continued to come, as did the answers. It was as if Yudhishthira's soul were anticipating the riddles and finding the answers within itself. The riddles covered a wide range of topics, from doing one's duty to the movements of the planets, from happiness in life to the fear of death.

Yudhishthira saw his uncle's palace in Hastinapura, when he had lived there as a boy. His uncle had great wealth, yet he was not happy. Some said the palace was beautiful, but Yudhishthira always felt it was gaudy and overdone. He saw his cousin Duryodhana, that base and jealous man who was never satisfied. No matter what he possessed, he always wanted more. He desired to be more wealthy than any other man, but his soul was impoverished.

Yaksha: What, if renounced, makes a person wealthy?

Yudhishthira: Desire, if renounced, makes a person wealthy.

He thought about all the desires that he and his brothers had renounced over the years. They had lived like princes, then they had been exiled and nearly killed, and then they had received a beautiful palace worthy of the gods, and then they had been exiled again. At each step of the journey, they had been more wealthy than Duryodhana because they had renounced many of the desires he vainly pursued.

Yaksha: What is the best type of happiness?

Yudhishthira: Contentment is the best type of happiness, because each of us can control whether or not we are content.

Had they been happy? In all those different circumstances, had they been content? It had been hard at times, but Yudhishthira believed they had remained content.

Yaksha: Who is truly happy with this best type of happiness?

Yudhishthira: Truly happy is the man who owes no one anything and lives with his family, even if he has only a few vegetables.

His thoughts turned to his relationships with others: his brothers, his wife, his cousins. Yudhishthira had known many people: some liked him and some hated him, some were helpful and some were a hinderance, some he respected and some he pitied, some he longed to see and some he wished to ignore.

The most pleasant memories from his life involved his relationship with Draupadi. He treasured each year that he had with her. He and his brothers had married other women, as well, and he knew they all felt the same about their other wives. His uncle's wife stood by his side, blindfolded to share in her husband's blindness.

Yaksha: Who is the friend given to a man by the gods?

Yudhishthira: A wife is the friend given to a man by the gods.

His thoughts strayed to his brothers. He feared that he would lose his brothers if he did not answer all the riddles correctly, and he feared that he would die as well. But why? Did such fear make any sense? Death was a part of life, a glorious part at that. Even if they survived that lake, would they not die one day? His fears confused and perplexed him.

Yaksha: What is the greatest wonder?

Yudhishthira: The greatest wonder is that — though we see death around us every day and we all know that human beings are mortal — we all live, work, plan, and play as if we will live forever.

With that, Yudhishthira had answered the final riddle. His brothers rose from their death-like slumber. They had heard the riddles and searched for the answers themselves, but their souls were not as rich as Yudhishthira's. They marvelled at his wisdom and learned much from his answers.