The Yaksha

One day, a brahmin was distraught to find that he could no longer perform tapas, as his tools had become entangled in the horns of a stag.  So he enlisted the help of the warriors of the Pandava clan to pursue the animal and retrieve the churning stick.  The warriors - who were all brothers - chased the stag through the forest, but to no avail; it was too quick for even them.

They sat beneath a tree to rest, ashamed and confused as to why they were unable to capture the animal.  For surely their experience in battle had proven their might and worth tenfold?  Yet they were unable to defeat a common beast.  One of the brothers, whose name was Yudhishthira, instructed another brother to climb a tree and see if any water could be found.  The brother, who was named Nakula, spotted a grove of trees nearby, around which were many water cranes.  So he set off to fetch the water.

Nakula came to a beautiful lake, clear as glass, and surrounded by flowering trees, spreading vines, and birds of lovely colors.  Overjoyed, he descended to the water and began to draw it out of the lake in a vessel.  Before he could finish, however, a voice spoke to him.

"My son, do not draw the water until you have answered my questions."

Nakula, who feared his mind was stretched to the limit with exhaustion, ignored the voice.  He drank the water, and immediately died.

Meanwhile, the others noted that he had not returned.  So Yudhishthira sent Sahadeva to see what was the matter.  He arrived at the lake and saw Nakula dead, and would have done something about it had the lake not looked so inviting.  So he went to the edge and drew some water, so as to refresh himself, when the same voice spoke up.  He too ignored it, drank, and died.

Mighty Arjuna went, armed with his bow, Gandiva, and was dismayed to see both of his brothers dead.  He also noted how inviting the water was, and so went to drink, when the same warning echoed around him.  He did not ignore it, but instead challenged the speaker to reveal himself, and so take part in a battle.  When the voice did not answer, Arjuna fired an arrow into the surrounding woods.  The voice issued a second warning.  Arjuna declared that nothing could stop him, and so drew water, drank, and died.  Some time later, the brothers sent Bhima to see what had happened, and he, too, drank and died.

Yudhishthira himself came this time, and was horrified to see four of his brothers dead.  He sat beside them and mourned, for he had no one to help him in his fight to win back his kingdom.  He noted that there were no footprints, nor any sign of a struggle.  He concluded that the being that killed his brothers must be supernatural, and so descended to the lake so as to draw water for the last rites due his brothers.  The voice spoke loudly to him, and said, "It is I who killed your brothers."

Yudhishthira looked around, but so no one.  The voice continued:  "I will kill you unless you answer my questions."

Yudhishthira asked, "What are you?  You must be a mighty being to slay men whom neither the gods nor demons can slay.  So I ask again:  what are you?"

"I am a Yaksha, mighty Yudhishthira.  May you have prosperous fortune."

As Yudhishthira watched, a massive figure began to form.  Its eyes burned like the sun, and its voice was the thunder in the heavens.  It said, "I warned your brothers, but they heeded me not.  This water is my water, and those who touch without my consent must die, as your brothers did."

The warrior replied, "I will answer your questions as I am able, for I have no desire to take that which does not belong to me."

So began the questions, and Yudhishthira answered them.  In so doing, he led himself from darkness into light, and became full of wisdom. 

What is heavier than the earth?
            Mother
What is taller than the sky?
            Father
What is more swift than the wind?
           The mind
What is more plentiful than the grass?
           Thoughts

Who is the traveller's friend?
           A companion
Who is the householder's friend?
           A spouse
Who is the invalid's friend?
           A doctor
Who is the dying man's friend?
           His charity

What must we renounce to become loved?
           Our pride
What must we renounce to become free of misery?
           Our anger
What must we renounce to become wealthy?
           Our desire
What must we renounce to become happy?
           Our greed

What is our greatest treasure?
           Skill
What is our greatest wealth?
           Education
What is our greatest gain?
           Health
What is our greatest happiness?
           Contentment

What defines a man?
           His offspring
Who is a man's God-given friend?
           His wife
What is his life's support?
           Rain
What is his purpose?
           Charity

What causes the sun to rise?
           Brahma
Who moves around Brahma?
           The gods
What causes the sun to set?
           Dharma
What holds him firm?
           The truth



The tendency here would be to offer commentary on every question.  Rather than do that, however, I want us to explore the fundamental philosophies behind the myth as a whole, because these philosophies form the very basis of Hindu thought.  Therefore, if we can demonstrate accuracy (or fallacy) in the very basic heart of these philosophies, we can move in a direction of believing (or disbelieving). 

The general thrust of Hinduism is the belief that we must restore our relationship to God, who is kept at a distance from us by our own greed, pride, anger, desire, and so on.  How do we accomplish this?  The third question addresses that:  we must keep our minds under control. 

Now, it should only take us a moment to realize that this is nearly impossible, for even the second question notes that our minds can travel to a thousand different places in a mere instant.  Benjamin Franklin, in his autobiography, made a list of virtues that he tried to practice each and every day until, after thirteen weeks' time, he would have attained perfection.  In his own words:  "I fell far short of it."  Our minds can only, with great effort, be partially controlled, our desires only partially squelched.

Ever had a tune stuck in your head that you couldn't get out?  Ever had a craving for a type of food thay wouldn't go away until you had that particular food?  Ever been in a bad mood you just couldn't shake?

So here's the deal:  the basis of Hindu thought is founded on an impossibility.  Now - and please listen carefully - this is not an anti-Hindu rant.  This is not a call to gather up your torches and pitchforks and storm the homes of your Hindu neighbors.  I am not advocating a trade embargo on India.  Please don't vandalize local Hindu temples. 

My point is that this myth sets forth a mode of thinking that is impossible to fulfill, without any guidance  as to how to accomplish these goals.  What does that mean for the accuracy of the myth? 

It gives it credibility.

Assuming that Yudhishthira existed (and there's no reason to assume he's fictional - that is, there's no scroll somewhere with author's notes charting out the character development), in order to take a difficult (impossible) philosophy as truth, something must convince you that this thing has authority.  Dead brothers, unharmed by any weapon, would do it.  A being that can turn itself invisible would do it.  A being whose eyes blazed like the sun and who, when compared to a large warrior, was considered massive would do it. 

Yudhishthira saw this being and believed what it said, in spite of its impossible assertions.  The Yaksha, in other words, persuaded a trained warrior to listen to him.  Not too many men in that day would be able to do that.

So what is the Yaksha?  Clearly, he is supernatural.  He's also, clearly, lying.  Most cultures believe in evil spirits, even our modern-day science-oriented culture.  We are largely a materialistic society who has pushed God to the fringes, and yet our bookstores have shelves devoted to "true" tales of ghostly horrors. 

Because it remains a universal myth, then, and because this particular myth seems to point us in the same direction, we can suspect that the Yaksha story recounts a collaboration between a warrior and an evil spirit.  The Bible calls Satan "The Father of Lies," but his deceptions are rarely outright lies, but are rather lies mixed with a bit of truth (c.f. Genesis 1-3).

The Yaksha states that the mind is powerful; this is true.  With it, we invent and create, we make decisions that impact our lives and the lives of people around us, and we delve into our own deepest thoughts and emotions.

The Yaksha states that the mind needs to be controlled and tamed; this is true.  If left unchecked, those decisions, thoughts, and emotions of which we are capable can descend into some very, very dark places.  If left unchecked, our darkest thoughts turn into darker realities.  Wars and crime are proof of that. 

The Yaksha states that we are capable of controlling our own minds; this is the lie that has been artfully mixed in with truth.  As we have established, our minds are - on the best of days, with the sun out of our eyes and the wind in our favor - barely under our control.  As we also established, only a few moments of thought would reveal that to us.  What control we can accomplish, is rarely maintained, and control in one area always - this is what Franklin discovered - leaves a vacuum and a failure in another.

Why, then, would this stalwart warrior believe in what he learned that day?  Because the Yaksha was a real entity, and because what it conveyed was a classic example of an old theme:  lies become more believable when mixed with truth.