Yaksha Prasna

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YAKSHA PRASNA
Questions by Yaksha / Answers by Yudhishthira
I
1. What is it that makes the sun rise up?
The Veda (Brahma) makes the sun rise.
2. Who are his surrounding attendants?
The Devas are his attendants.
3. Who makes the sun set?
Dharma makes the sun set.
4. In which is he firmly placed?
He is firmly grounded in truth.

II
1. By what does a person become a Vedic scholar?
By Vedic culture a person becomes a Vedic scholar.
2. By what means does he attain the Great?
By tapas a person attains the Great.
3. By what does a person acquire a second to him?
By steadfastness a person acquires a second to him.
4. By what means does a man become wise?
By service of elders a person becomes wise.

III
1. What is the divine nature of Brahmanas?
The knowledge of the Vedas is their divine nature.
2. What is their right conduct similar to that of the good?
Their tapas is similar to that of the good.
3. In what consists their ordinary human nature?
Their mortality is the ordinary human nature.
4. What is it in them that is similar to that of the bad?
Talking scandal is their conduct similar to that of the bad.

IV
1. What constitutes the divineness of Kshatriyas or warriors?
Arrows and missiles constitute their excellence.
2. What is their quality similar to that of goodness? (i.e. what is their virtue?)
Yagnas or sacrifices are their good qualities.
3. What constitutes their humanness?
Their humanness consists in fear.
4. What is their quality similar to that of bad men?
Abandonment of the afflicted is their bad quality.

V
1. What is the Sama which is beneficial for the sacrifice?
Prana or vital energy is the Sama which is most helpful to the sacrifice.
2. What is the Yajus which is beneficial to yagna?
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Manas or mind is the Yajus which is most helpful to the sacrifice. It is the Rik
which chooses the yagna for itself.
3. Which among them is chosen for the yagna itself?
It is the Rik alone which yagna or sacrifice cannot do without.
4. What is that which the sacrifice cannot be without?
It is the Rik alone which yagna or sacrifice cannot do without.

VI
1. What is the best among those that shower?
The rain is the best among those that shower.
2. What is the foremost among those put into the ground?
Seed is the foremost of those that are put into the ground?
3. What is the best among the four- footed animals?
Cows are the best among four-footed animals.
4. What is the best among those that are begotten?
The son is the foremost among those that are begotten.

VII
1. Who is that, enjoying the objects of senses, endowed with intellect, respected by the
world and accepted by all beings, though breathing does not live?
He who does not propitiate by offerings, the Devas, guests, dependants, pitris and
ones own self, those five, though breathing do not live.

VIII
1. Which is weightier than the earth itself?
The mother is weightier than the Earth.
2. What is higher than the sky?
The father is higher than the Sky.
3. What is swifter than the wind?
The mind is swifter than the Wind.
4. What is more numerous than grass?
Thoughts are more numerous than grass.

IX
1. What is that which does not close its eyes while asleep?
A fish does not close its eyes while asleep.
2. What is that which does not move after birth?
An egg does not move after birth.
3. What is that which is without heart?
A stone is without heart.
4. What is that which swells by its own force?
A river swells by the force of its current.

X
1. Who is the friend of one who goes on a journey?
The caravan is the friend of a person going on a journey.
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2. Who is the friend of one who remains at home?
The wife is the friend of the person who remains at home.
3. Who is the friend of one who is afflicted by sickness?
The physician is the friend of the sick man.
4. Who is the friend of one who is about to die?
Gifts constitute the friend of the person who is about to die.

XI
1. Who is the guest of all creatures?
Agni is the guest of all creatures.
2. What is the eternal dharma?
Soma is the eternal Dharma.
3. What is Amrita?
The cows milk is Amrita.
4. What is this entire Universe?
Vayu is the entire universe.

XII
1. What is that which journeys alone?
The Sun journeys alone.
2. What is that which is born again?
The moon is reborn.
3. What is the remedy against snow or fog?
The fire is the remedy for snow or fog.
4. What is the large receptacle?
The Earth is the large receptacle.

XIII
1. What is the all-comprehensive virtue?
Integrity is all-comprehensive virtue.
2. What is the all-comprehensive thing of fame?
Dana or charity is the one comprehensive matter of fame.
3. What, in one word, leads to Heavens?
Truth alone leads to Heaven.
4. In what is comprised all happiness?
Character comprises all happiness.

XIV
1. What is the soul of a person?
The son is the mans soul.
2. Which is the friend bestowed by divinity?
The wife is a friend bestowed by divinity.
3. What is that aids to sustain him?
Rain is the chief aid to life.
4. What is his greatest resort?
Charity is the great resort.
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XV
1. What is the best among laudable things?
Integrity is the best among laudable things.
2. What is the best among all assets?
Learning is the best asset.
3. What is the best of all gains?
Health is the foremost among gains.
4. What is the foremost happiness?
Contentment is the best happiness.

XVI
1. What is the highest Dharma in the world?
The highest Dharma is kindness to all.
2. What is that Dharma which always bears fruit?
The Dharma ordained by the Vedas always bears fruit.
3. What is that by controlling which people never grieve?
By controlling the mind, people never grieve.
4. With whom does an alliance never break?
Association with the good never breaks.

XVII
1. By renouncing which thing does one become lovable?
By renouncing pride one becomes lovable.
2. By renouncing which thing does one never suffer grief?
By renouncing anger one never experiences grief.
3. By renouncing which thing does one become wealthy?
By renouncing desire one becomes wealthy.
4. By renouncing which thing does one become happy?
By renouncing avarice one becomes happy.

XVIII
1. What for does one make gifts to the Brahmins?
It is for Dharma that one gives to Brahmins.
2. What for does one make gifts to actors and dancers?
It is for fame that one gives to actors and dancers.
3. What for does one give presents to servants?
It is for maintaining them that one gives to servants.
4. What for does one give to kings?
It is on account of fear that one gives to kings.

XIX
1. By what is the world enveloped?
The world is enveloped by ignorance.
2. On account of what is it that a thing does not shine?
It is on account of darkness that things do not shine.
3. For what reason does one give up friends?
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It is due to avarice that friends are abandoned.
4. For what reason is it that one does not go to heaven?
On account of attachment one does not go to heaven.

XX
1. How will one be considered as dead?
A person stricken with poverty may be considered as dead.
2. When will a Kingdom be considered as dead?
A country without a government may be considered as dead.
3. When will a Sraddha be considered as dead?
A Sraddha performed without men learned in the Vedas may be considered as
dead.
4. When will a sacrifice, Yagna be considered as dead?
A yagna (sacrifice) without dakshina or remuneration to the ritviks may be
considered as dead.

XXI
1. What constitutes the way?
The way is the good.
2. What has been spoken of as water?
Akasa or space is spoken of as water.
3. What is food?
The cow is mentioned as food.
4. What is poison?
Wants are poison.
5. What is the proper time for Sraddha?
Meeting a learned in the Veda is the proper time for Sraddha.

XXII
1. What is spoken of as the characteristic of Tapas?
Tapas consists in the observance of ones own Dharma.
2. What is known as Dama or self-control?
The control of the mind is Dama.
3. What is said to be the highest patience?
Patience is putting up with the dvandvas or the pairs of opposites.
4. What is well-known as Hree or shame?
Shame is what restrains one from bad conduct.

XXIII and XXIV
1. What is said to be knowledge?
Knowledge is the perception of the Truth.
2. What is sama?
Sama consists in the tranquility of the mind.
3. What is the highest compassion?
Compassion consists in desiring happiness to all.
4. What is referred to as straightforwardness?
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Straightforwardness is equality of mind towards all.
5. Who is the foe invincible to man?
Anger is the most invincible foe.
6. What are the endless desires?
Covetousness is the endless desire.
7. What is said to be goodness?
Goodness is seeking the welfare of all beings.
8. What is said to be badness?
Badness is absence of compassion.

XXV
1. What is delusion?
Delusion consists in not knowing Dharma.
2. What is pride?
Pride is self-consciousness.
3. What is to be understood by laziness?
Laziness consists in not doing Dharma.
4. What has been spoken of as or grief?
Ajnana is spoken of as grief.

XXVI
1. What is the steadfastness spoken of by the Rishis?
Not swerving from ones own duties of Swadharma is the steadfastness.
2. What is referred to as courage?
Courage is the control of the senses.
3. What is the supreme bath?
Bath is abandoning of the impurities of the mind.
4. What is here said to be Dana or charity?
Protecting all beings is charity.
5. Which man should be regarded as learned?
One who knows Dharma is known as learned.
6. Who is said to be a naasthika (or atheist)? Who is a fool?
He who believes that this material world alone exists and there is no higher region
is called a naasthika or atheist. The atheist is called a fool.
7. What is desire?
Desire is the source of samsara or cycle of birth and death.
8. What is envy?
Afflication of the heart is said to be envy.

XXVII
1. What is said to be egoity?
The highest ignorance is egoity.
2. What is known as conceit?
The flying aloft of the flag of Dharma is conceit.
3. What is said to be the supreme divine nature?
Divine nature is the result of daana or charity.
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4. What is back-biting or slandering?
Talking evil of others is Paisunya.

XXVIII
1. Dharma, Artha and Kama are opposed to one another. How do these eternal
antagonists co-exist in one place?
When a wife and virtue agree with each other and are in control, each of the other,
then there is coexistence of the three, namely, Dharma, Artha and Kama.

XXIX
1. By whom the most excellent among the Bharatha race, is ever-lasting hell attained?
Answer this question quickly.
He who voluntarily invites a poor Brahmin, who comes for help and then says
no to him goes to everlasting hell. He who ascribes falsehood to the Vedas,
Dharmasastras, to the Brahmins, to the Devas and to the rites done to Pitrs goes to
everlasting hell. He who possesses wealth, yet is devoid of charity or enjoyment owing to
avarice and afterwards says no attains everlasting hell.

XXX
1. By what, does Brahminhood result? Is it by kula or ancestry, vrtta or conduct,
swadhyaya or study of the Vedas, or sutra, hearing or culture? Tell me definitely.
Listen, it is not ancestry or study or learning of Veda, or hearing or culture that is
the cause of Brahminhood. Without doubt it is conduct that is the cause of Brahminhood.
Ones conduct should always be well protected especially by a Brahmin. He who keeps
his conduct unsullied never goes down. He, however, whose conduct is destroyed is
himself destroyed. The teachers and pupils and all who merely study the sastras are to be
regarded as fools. But he alone who possesses conduct is the man of real knowledge.
Even he who has studied the four Vedas is to be regarded as inferior to the unlearned man
if he is devoid of right conduct. He who performs the Agnihotra and has controlled his
senses is alone said to be a Brahmin.

XXXI
1. Tell me what does one gain who speaks pleasant words?
He who uses pleasant words is liked by all.
2. What does he gain that acts after due deliberation?
He who acts with due deliberation succeeds very much.
3. What does he get that makes many friends?
He who has many friends lives happily.
4. What does he attain who is devoted to Dharma?
He who is devoted to Dharma attains the liberation.

XXXII
1. Who is joyous?
The man who cooks vegetables in his own house on the fifth or sixth part of the
day, but who is not in need and who never goes out from his house is truly happy.
2. What is the wonder?
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Day after day beings are entering the abode of Yama, yet those that remain
believe that they will live for ever. What can be more wonderful than this?
3. What is the way?
Logic is uncertain. The Srutis are contradictory. There is not one Rishi whose
opinion is authoritative. Truth about Dharma is hidden. That alone is the path which great
men tread.
4. What is the news?
In the frying pan of this illusory world time is cooking the beings in the fire of the
Sun with fuel of days and nights and with the ladle constituted by months and seasons.
This is news.

XXXIII
1. Who is the person that is possessed of all wealth?
As long as ones fame touches heaven and earth by his good deed one will be
called a man. He to whom the things likeable and not likeable, or sorrow and happiness,
or the past and the future are the same, he is possessed of all wealth.