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*यक्ष उवाच-*
*को मोदते किमाश्चर्यं कः पन्थाका च वार्तिका।*
*वद मे चतुर प्रश्नान् मृता जीवन्तु बान्धवाः॥ ९५॥*
*युधिष्ठिर उवाच-*
*पञ्चमेऽहनि षष्ठे वा शाकम् पचति स्वे गृहे*
*अनृणी चाप्रवसी च स वारिचर मोदते॥ ९६*
* अहन्यहनि भूतानि गच्छन्तीह यमालयं*
*शेषा स्थावरमिच्छन्ति किमार्श्चर्यमतः परं॥९७*
*तर्कोऽप्रतिष्ठः श्रुतयो विभिन्नाः नैको ऋषिर्यस्य मतं प्रमाणं।*
*धर्मस्य तत्त्वं निहितं गुहायां महाजनो येन गतः स पन्था॥९८*
*अस्मिन् महामोहमये कटाहे सूर्याग्निना रात्रिदिवेन्धनेन।*
* मासर्तुदर्वी परिघट्टनेन भूतानि कालः पचतीति वार्ता॥९९*
*महाभारते आरण्यकपर्वणि यक्षप्रश्ने अध्ययः २९६*
*yakṣa uvāca-*
*ko modate kimāścaryaṁ kaḥ pantha kā ca vārtikā|*
*vada me catura praśnān mṛtā jīvantu bāndhavāḥ|| 95||*
* yudhiṣṭhira uvāca-*
*pañcame'hani ṣaṣṭhe vā śākam pacati sve gṛhe*
* anṛṇī cāpravasī ca sa vāricara modate|| 96*
*ahanyahani bhūtāni gacchantīha yamālayaṁ*
*śeṣā sthāvaramicchanti kimārścaryamataḥ paraṁ||97*
*tarko'pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnāḥ naiko ṛṣiryasya mataṁ pramāṇaṁ|*
*dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthā||98*
* asmin mahāmohamaye kaṭāhe sūryāgninā rātridivendhanena|*
*māsartudarvī parighaṭṭanena bhūtāni kālaḥ pacatīti vārtā||99*
*mahābhārate āraṇyakaparvaṇi yakṣapraśne adhyayaḥ 296*
*This is the concluding part of the question-answer session between
Dharmaputra, who is standing at the banks of a lake where his four younger
brothers are lying dead as punishment for defiance to a Yaksha ( in fact,
Yama Dharma himself in disguise) prohibiting them from taking water from the
lake. The yakshsa (a demi-god) puts many questions to the wise king on
proper conduct of life, statescraft etc., and the noble king has answered
all these questions to the satisfaction of the yaksha. Finally, the Yaksha
asks a question with four limbs and makes an offer to the king that if these
four points are answered, his younger brothers would be revived to life. *
*The questions are (1) who is really happy? (2) what is the most surprising
issue in human life? (3) what is the righteous path for a human being to
follow? (4) what is the most important news for all?*
*Yudhistira answers:- (1) Even when due to vagaries of life's fortunes, a
person is able to earn the wherewithals for cooking his food only in the
fifth or sixth part of the day (when the day is practically over) and still
he is remaining honest and truthful and does not wander away from the duties
of the householder, that person is the man of supreme happiness. (2) Every
day some of the mortal beings die, and they are led to the house of the god
of death, but other beings who are watching this do not even care to give a
fleeting thought to the fact that their turn for a visit to Yamaloka is not
far off, but consider themselves as permanent fixtures on this earth.. this
sense of self delusion is the most surprsing issue in human life. (3) There
are various schools of thoughts set out in scriptures and law and there is a
lot of difference of opinion in interpretations, various seers have given
divergent opinions on some common issues and therefore it is difficult to
decide as to which of the views are to be taken as precedent, and in this
process the real import and meaning of dharmas( the rules that guide us to
righteous life) are confined in the darkest corner of a very dark cave..
Therefore the righteous path to be followed is that which has been adopted
as the guideline by our elders and the noble people as a majority. (4) The
frying pan is the world filled with ignorance, the sun acts as fire and
time in slices of days and night cooks us the mundane creatures with seasons
and months serving as wooden ladles...the life is just cooked and spent
away..this is the greatest news.*
*The answer regarding the delusion of permanence lurking in the minds of the
living beings even when they see their peers perish is considered to be the
wisest answer given by Yudhistira. We have to appreciate the fact that the
instinct for survival is the driving force that keeps the world afloat. It
is good for us to admit the fact that death will come sooner or later, but
that is not reason good enough to ignore our duties and responsibilities.*
*"Nihitam guhaayaam" hidden in the darkness of a cave....this idea is
repeated in upanishads and this epic as well as elsewhere, because our
ancestors were always conscious of limitations of human thoughts and
reasoning.. "Yatho vaacho nivarthanthe apraapya manasaa saha... where words
come back emptyhanded because they fail to keep pace with the mind."
"kasmai havisha juhema?*
*whom shall we propitiate with havis (the holy offering of food)? we do
not know Him exactly.." these speculations always loomed large in the
thoughts of our ancestors...they were never stubborn or self sure and
arrogant..*
--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God
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