Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret
Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
Swetha Sundaram
Swetha Sundaram
ii
Copyright © 2012 Swetha Sundaram
All rights reserved.
Acknowldegement
This book is based on my lecture notes taken from Yaksha
Prashnam - A discourse in Tamil by Sri U.Ve. Karunakarachariar
Swamy (Any errors or inconsistencies in the following book is due
to the mistakes I made while stydying. )
Copies of the CDs can be obtained from Sri U.Ve.
Karunakarachariar Swami’s website http://www.nadadoor.org/
There are many people interested in the Vishishtadwaita Philosophy
but who do not understand Tamil; this book is for the benefit of
such people.
Swetha Sundaram
iv
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
v
Table of Contents
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A Successful Life ............................................................... i
Acknowldegement .................................................................. iii
Prologue: ...................................................................................... i
The Toxic Pond ......................................................................... 2
Yaksha Prashnam .................................................................... 9
Phalashruthi: ......................................................................... 139
i
Prologue:
2
The Toxic Pond
The five Pandavas sat outside their Ashram engrossed in
discussion. They had to start Agnantha Vasam soon and remain
incognito so that the men of Duryodana cannot find them for a
year. They had to disguise themselves suitably so that no one will be
able to identify them as the Pandavas. They had successfully
completed living in the forest for twelve years and compared to the
upcoming year, the twelve years passed by with ease as it was the
easier part of the challenge.
‘Could you please help me?’
The brothers turned to look at a poor Brahmin standing at their
door step.
‘How can we help you?’ asked Yudhishtirar.
‘As you can see I am a poor Brahmin. My only property was my
arani wood used to churn the sacred fire. I have lost my arani wood.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
3
I had hung the wood from a tree branch to keep it safe but alas it
got caught on the antlers of a deer that was grazing under the tree.
The deer got spooked when I approached it and ran away into the
woods with my arani. I seek your help to recover my arani from the
deer!’
The brothers immediately left in the direction pointed by the
Brahmin in search of the deer. They carried their bow and arrows.
They soon came upon the deer and the arani wood was caught
between the deer’s antlers. As they neared the deer, it started to run.
The brothers chased the deer through the forest. The weather was
oppressive and the heat unbearable. They soon felt very tired and
lost their quarry. They felt very thirsty.
‘Nakula, please climb that tree and see if you can spot a water body
near by,’ said Yudhishtirar.
Nakulan obliged and climbed a tall tree.
‘I can see some aquatic birds younder!’ he exclaimed as he shimmied
down the tree.
‘Take our quiver bag and fetch us water in our bags,’ requested
Yudhishtirar.
In the mean time Duryodanan had sought the help of Kalamamuni
and had asked him to use black magic to kill the Pandavas. The
muni had created a demon from the fire and sent the demon in
Swetha Sundaram
4
search of Nakulan so as to kill Nakulan first. Lord Krishna had
arranged for the Brahman’s arani to be stolen by the deer knowing
very well that the Pandavas would definitely help the Brahmin. The
following events were all part of Lord Krishna’s plan to protect the
Pandavas.
Nakulan soon reached a beautiful pond. The water looked inviting.
It was refreshing to look at the beautiful oasis. Nakulan walked
towards the pond and was about to enter the water when he heard a
voice commanding him to stop.
‘Halt! Do not drink the water without answering my questions!’
Nakulan searched for the source of the voice. As he did not find
anyone, he ignored the warning and drank the water. As soon as he
took a sip, he fell down dead on the bank. At this exact moment the
demon sent by Kalamamnui ccame to the pond looking for
Nakulan. As it neared Nakulan it noticed that he was already dead.
The demon felt angry that the muni had sent him on a wild goose
chase to kill a man who was already dead. The demon went back to
the muni but the muni consoled it and asked it to go after
Sahadevan.
The brothers waited for a long time but Nakulan did not return.
‘Sahadeva, why don’t you go in search of Nakulan? Please make sure
that he is okay and is not in need of any assistance,’ said
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
5
Yudhishtirar.
Sahadevan went in search of Nakulan and he too arrived at the
oasis. He saw Nakulan lying dead on the shore. As his throat was
parched he wanted to have a drink of water before attending to
Sahadevan. As he went near the water, he too heard the voice
warning him to not drink the water without answering some
questions. The tired Sahadevan ignored the command and fell dead
after drinking the water. As per Lord Krishna’s plan, the demon
arrived after Sahadevan fell dead. The demon felt enraged and
rushed back to the muni who pacified the demon to go after Arjuna.
‘I feel very worried that the twins have not returned! Arjuna, please
go in search of them,’ said Yudhishtirar.
The same sequence of events happened and Arjuna too fell dead on
the bank next to his brothers and Kalamamuni convinced the
demon to get Bhima.
‘Something is not right!’ exclaimed Yudhishtirar.’Bhima please make
sure our brothers are all right.’
Bhima too reached the pond and heard the warning. He too ignored
the warning and drank the water. As he fell down, just before
passing out he wrote a warning on the sandy shores for Yudhishtirar
informing him that the water was toxic. Meanwhile Kalamamuni
convinced the demon to go in search of Yudhishtirar.
Swetha Sundaram
6
Yudhishtirar felt very worried and started to search for his brothers.
He soon came upon his dead brothers. Griefstricken, he knelt down
beside his brothers and chanted the Dwaya manthram in their ears
so that they would reach good worlds. The demon arrived at this
moment and was terrified to see Yudhishtirar chanting Dwayam. It
rushed backed to Kalamamuni.
‘Are you trying to destroy me! You know very well that Bagawathas
cannot be approached by me!’ yelled the demon and in blind rage it
killed the muni with one blow.
Yudhishtirar tried to console himself as it was his duty to go back to
the Ashramam to inform Draupadi. He went near the water body to
quench his thirst when he too heard the warning.
He stopped and looked around. ‘Please reveal yourself so that I
know with whom I am speaking,’ said Yudhishtirar.
A white crane appeared amongst the lotus blooms in the water.
‘This pond is in my possession,’ said the Crane. ‘Your brothers fell
dead because they drank the water without my permission. You may
drink water as well as carry it in your quiver bags if you answer my
questions.’
'I don’t think that you are just a bird,’ said Yudhishtirar, ‘are you the
foremost of the Rudras, or of the Vasus, or of the Marutas? My
brothers could not have been defeated by just a bird. Neither devas ,
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
7
nor asuras or gandharvas could defeat my brothers in battle.You are
definitely a strong being for my brothers were like the four
mountains the Himavat, the Paripatra, the Vindhya, and the Malaya;
a mere bird could not have overthrown them. Please reveal your
true self to me.’
The bird vanished from Yudhishtirar’s view and to his amazement
he found a tall Yakshan standing next to a palm tree. The Yakshan
was as tall as the palm tree with a formidable appearance.
Yudhishtirar was not shaken to see the Yakshan.
‘I am a Yakshan. If you answer my questions I will grant you
permission to drink the water.’
‘I will not take that which is in your possession without your
permission,’ said Yudhishtirar, ‘therefore, proceed with your
questions and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge.’
The hero of Mahabharatam is Yudhishtirar. He is the only one who
remained alive dyuring this episode. He is called Yudhishtirar
because he stays steady in battle. The battle referred to is the day to
day battle when we have to choose between dharmam and our day
to day living. Yudhishtirar never strayed away from the dharmic
path. Despite being shaken up by the tragic death of his four
brothers, he faced the Yakshan with courage and answered the
Yakshan’s questions. Lord Krishna was very fond of Yudhishtirar.
Per the ancient laws a person has to pay obesiance to anyone who is
Swetha Sundaram
8
older than him/her by three years. Thus Lord Krishna waited for
three years after the birth of Yudhishtirar so that He can pay His
obesiance to Yudhishtirar!
The Yakshan was none other than Lord Yama the deity of
Dharmam sent by Lord Krishna to the pond to protect the
brothers. Yudhishtirar answered the Yakshan’s questions without
realizing that the uestions were being asked by his own father!
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
9
Yaksha Prashnam
Swetha Sundaram
10
The Yakshan asked the first 4 questions all at once.
Kin svidadithyam munnayathi? Ke cha tasyabhitascharaha?
Kounamastham nayathi? Kasmincha prathitishtathi?
Who makes the Sun rise? Who keeps him company? Who causes
him to set? In whom is he established and stands steady?
In Sanskrit there are many names for Sun. The Yakshan specifically
uses the name “Adithya” in the above question. The first four
questions are trick questions with hidden meaning. Outwardly it
looks like the Yakshan is questioning Yudhishtirar about the Sun
but the hidden meaning is about the jeevatma. Yudhishtirar answers
in such a way that the answer satisfies both the supercficial meaning
of the question as well as it provides the perfect answer to the
hidden esoteric meaning.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
11
Brahmadithya munnayathi. Devastasyaabhitascharaha.
Dharmaschstham nayathi cha sathye cha prathitishtati.
Yudhishtirar answered that Brahmaditya munnayathi to the first
question.
By using the sandhi rule the word Brahmaditya could be split as
Brahma + Adithya or Brahmam + Adithya.
Brahma refers to the creator Lord Brahma, it can also refer to the
Brahmin community.
Brahmam refers to our Supreme Lord Narayana as well as to the
Vedas.
To examine the answers further we need to understand the origin of
performing the Sandhya Vandhanam rite.
Once, the Asuras performed a penance meditating upon Lord
Brahma. Pleased with their devotion Lord Brahma agreed to confer
a boon upon them. The Asuras sought the boon that they should be
able to continuously fight with the Sun. Lord Brahma conferred
this boon on them. The Asuras started to fight with the Sun and as
the Sun had to defend himself, he couldn’t rise. As the activities in
this world depend on the solar journey, the people requested Lord
Brahma to help the world by making the Sun rise. Lord Brahma
Swetha Sundaram
12
agreed to help them and asked the Brahmins to perform Sandhya
Vandhanam rite. As part of this rite, the Brahmins have to chant the
Gayathri Manthram and sprinkle few drops of water towards the
path of the Sun. The water droplets fall on the Asuras making them
very weak. The Asuras are pushed away from the Sun thus making
the Sun rise without any delay. The Sandhya Vandhanam rite has to
be performed again the next morning as the Asuras regain their
power and come to fight with the Sun.
By using the first split Brahma + Adithya, we can derive the answer
as the Brahmin community makes the Sun rise by performing
Sandhya Vandhanam.
The word can also be split as Brahmam + Adithya i.e., Lord
Narayana makes the Sun to rise. All the heavenly bodies function
properly out of fear of Parabrahmam. Brahmam in Sanskrit is neuter
gender and hence can refer to the Vedas/ Gayathri Manthram as
well. This then brings us back to Sandhya Vandhanam.
Thus, the complete answer is Parabrhmam makes the Sun rise
through the Brahmin community when the Brahmins chant
Gayathri Manthram while performing Sandhya Vandhanam.
This answer is true for places inhabited by the Brahmins but what
happens to other places and countries where there are no Brahmin
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
13
inhabitants? The Japanese never perform Sandhya Vandhanam but
the rising Sun is first seen by them. Similarly the Europeans,
Americans, Africans or Australians do not perform Sandhya
Vandhanam but yet the Sun rises in all these places. How can we
then justify the statement that it is the Brahmins who make the Sun
rise?
Tarpanam is a ritual performed for a person’s deceased ancestors.
The ritual aims at uplifiting the departed souls to a good position.
What would happen to the souls who do not have progeny on Earth
to do this ritual? There are people belonging to other religions and
communities; what would happen to their souls?
Each Brahmin performs the Tarpanam for the benefit of all souls.
The manthram “Yesham napitha nabrahtha ananya gothrina…” is
chanted for the benefit of every deceased person who do not have
anyone on this Earth to perform this rite.
Like the Tarpanam rite, the Brahmins perform Sandhya Vandhanam
for the sake of every community. They pray for the Sun to rise in all
places including Japan, America, Europe or Australia. Thus even if
the citizens of other countries do not perform any of the Vedic rites
they are not affected since they are protected by the rites performed
by the Brahmins.
Lord Narayana Himself regularly performs the Sandhya Vandhana.
Even if the Brahmins stop performing or do not perform the rite
Swetha Sundaram
14
properly, the world is protected as our Lord performs the rite
regularly for our benefit.
So far we have only examined the answer provided by Yudhishtira
to the superficial meaning. The same answer “Brahmadhithya
munnayathi” also answers the hidden esoteric question asked by
Yakshan.
The word “Adityan” in Sanskrit refers to Sun, a horse as well as a
jeevatma. Adityan means the “one who takes”. Sun is called Adityan
because he draws up water by evaporating liquid water. A soul is
called Adityan because the jeevatma takes many birth.
Yudhishtira’s answer, “Brahmadithya munnayathi” in this context
means that Paramatma helps us to rise by lifting us to a higher
spiritual plane.
The Yakshna’s second question is , “who travels with Adityan?”
Yudhistar answered that the Devas accompany the Adityan in his
travel. If we take Adityan to be the Sun then the Devas are as
follows.
There are in total 12 Suns known as the 12 Adithyas; one Adithya
for every month.
The Sun is accompanied by 1 rishi every month . The rishi keeps the
Sun commpany by chanting Vedas. There is also a Gandharva who
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
15
palys music to entertain the Sun. The Sun’s chariot is drawn by 7
horses. A Yakshan travels with the Sun to control the horses. To
protect the Sun, a Rakshasha travels with the Sun. The Sun is also
accompanied by a Naga. Apsaras entertain the Sun by dancing. Lord
Vishnu has twelve forms. The Lord accompanies the Sun every
month in one of His twelve forms.
N
o Ruling Month
Peruma
l
Sun-
god Sage
Yaksh
a
Gand
harva Apsara
Raksha
sha Naga
1
No
v -
De
c
Margas
hirsha Keśava
Amsh
uman
Kasya
pa
Tarks
ya
Rtase
na Urvasi
Vidyuc
chatru
Mahas
ankha
2
De
c -
Jan Pausha
Nārāya
ṇa Bhaga Ayur Uma
Arista
nemi
Purvac
itti
Sphurj
a
Karkot
aka
3
Jan
-
Fe
b Magha
Mādha
va
Pushy
a
Gauta
ma Suruci
Susen
a
Ghrtac
i Vata
Dhana
njaya
4
Fe
b -
Ma
rch
Phalgu
na
Govind
a
Parja
nya
Bhara
dvaja Ritu Visva Senajit Varca
Airava
ta
5
Ma
rch
-
Apr
il Chaitra Viṣṇu Dhata
Pulas
tya
Ratha
krt
Tumb
uru
Krtast
hali Heti Vasuki
6
Apr
il -
Ma
y
Vaisha
kha
Madhu
sūdana
Arya
ma
Pulah
a
Athau
ja
Narad
a
Punjik
asthali Praheti
Kaccha
nira
7
Ma
y-
Jun
Jyeshth
a
Trivikra
ma Mitra Atri
Ratha
svana Haha
Menak
a
Paurus
eya
Taksak
a
Swetha Sundaram
16
e
8
Jun
e -
Jul
y
Ashadh
a
Vāman
a
Varun
a
Vasist
ha
Citras
vana Huhu
Ramb
ha
Sahaja
nya Sukra
9
Jul
y -
Au
g
Shrava
na
Śrīdhar
a Indra
Angir
a Srota
Visva
vasu
Praml
oca Varya
Elapat
ra
1
0
Au
g-
Se
p
Bhadra
pada
Hṛṣīkeś
a
Vivas
van Bhrgu
Asara
na
Ugras
ena
Anuml
oca
Vyaghr
a
Sankh
apala
1
1
Se
p -
Oct
Ashvin
a
Padma
nābha
Tvash
tha
Jama
dagni Satajit
Dhrta
rastra
Tilotta
ma
Brahm
apeta
Kamba
lasva
1
2
Oct
-
No
v Kartika
Dāmod
ara
Vishn
u
Visva
mitra
Satyaj
it
Surya
varca
Ramb
ha
Makha
peta
Asvata
ra
The following are the names for the 12 forms of the Lord.
1. Keśava
2. Nārāyaṇa
3. Mādhava
4. Govinda
5. Viṣṇu
6. Madhusūdana
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
17
7. Trivikrama
8. Vāmana
9. Śrīdhara
10. Hṛṣīkeśa
11. Padmanābha
12. Dāmodara
When Yudhishtira mentioned that the Devas accompany the Sun,
he was referring to the rishi, Gandharva, Yakshan, Rakshasha, Naga,
Apsara, and Lord Vishnu. The Devas accompanying the Sun are
known as “Saptha Ganangal”.
The Lord is the supreme Deva who gives strength to the Sun to
carry out his duties. This is why during Tarpanam, manthrams are
chanted to thank the Lord. Depending on the month in which the
Tarpanam is performed, the name of the Lord’s form accompanying
the Sun during that month is mentioned.
Esoterically, if we take Adityam to mean jeevatma, Yudhishtira’s
answer shows that our sense organs accompany us. The sense
organs are called as Devas. We need them in our journey to attain
the divine feet of our Lord. We need ears to listen to His story,
toungue to chant His names, eyes to see His beautiful form, and so
Swetha Sundaram
18
on. The sense-organs never leave us. They accompany us after death
in a micro form till we cross the Viraja river to reach Sri
Vaikuntham.
The Yakshan asked the following questions. How can a person
become Shrothriyan (learned)? How can a person attain that which
is great? When and how can a person always have good company?
How will a person become intelligent?
Yudhishtira answered that by listening to an Acharyan teach the
Vedic scriptures one can become learned.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
19
Hardwork makes a person reach that which is great. In
Yudhishtira’s answer, “tapas” refers to hardwork. The word “tapas”
is derived from “tapa alochanai”. It is also known as “lateral
thinking” in English. It is not enough to just learn a subject; a
person must also be able to apply the knowledge he/she has learnt
in real life situations. A person must think about the required criteria
and constraints before doing any task. A person must not
mechanically perform tasks without thinking about it. The following
anecdote explains Yudhishtira’s answer.
In the year 1976 to 77 a state of emergency was declared in India. In
the year 1978 a new government was formed under Prime Minister
Moraji Desai and the country came out of emergency. During
emergency all government offices were ordered to fill out a form
stating that they comply with the rules of emergency. The
government employees were mechanically filling out these forms
without reading the forms. They continued to sign and file these
forms upto the year 1979 even after the country had come out of
emergency. They only stopped signing these forms when this was
noticed by a new officer. This is an example of people performing a
task without applying their mind. If they had applied their mind and
had read the form they would have known that they need not sign
these forms after the new government was formed in 1978. As they
only performed their task mechanically like a ritual, they continued
to file unnecessary paper work for over a year thus wasting time as
well as money. People who perform tasks mechanically are people
Swetha Sundaram
20
without tapas; they will never achieve that which is great.
A person with courage and determination always has good
company.
A person becomes intelligent by obtaining training from an
experienced person. By Vridha sevaya Yudhishtira did not mean an
aged person; he meant an experienced individual. Any person trying
to learn a new skill must be trained by a person who has experience.
In his book “Adventures in Two Worlds”, A.J. Cronin narrates his
life experiences. A.J.Cronin was a physician and after graduating
from medical school he worked under the guidance of a senior
physician. Once, the senior physician had to step out of the clinic
and Cronin was left in charge. A woman rushed in with her child.
The child was wheezing. Cronin noticed that the child was unable to
breath and the childs breathing sounded like a whistle. Cronin
diagonosed that the child was suffering from pneumonia. To ease
the child’s breathing, Cronin started to make preparations to
perform tracheotomy. At this moment the senior physician walked
in. He re-examined the child. The senior physician then held the
child upside down and slapped the child’s back. To everyone’s
surprise a whistle fell out of the child’s mouth. The child was not
suffering from pneumonia but had only swallowed a whistle. When
Cronin picked-up the whistle to dispose it in the garbage, his
mentor told him to retain the whistle as a souvenir so that everytime
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
21
Cronin looked at the whistle he could recall this event and learn
from his mistakes. Cronin studied hard in medical school but just
the medical knowledge alone was not sufficient. He had to pick-up
diagnostic skills from an experienced senior.
The following anecdote is an example of experience which cannot
be obtained by just attending university.
Dr Rangachari was once called in to treat a pregnant woman who
had been gored by a bull. The baby’s finger was poking out of the
hole in the mother’s stomach. It was still too early for the baby to
be delivered and the proper procedure was to sew the hole in the
mother’s stomach to allow the baby to develop further. The main
concern was the baby’s finger which was poking out of the mother’s
stomach. Other physicians could not figure out a way to push the
finger back into the womb. Dr Rangachari purchased a cigarrette.
After lighting the cigarette, he touched the baby’s finger with it and
immediately the baby pulled its finger inside allowing the doctor to
close the wound.
Yudhishtira’s answers contain hidden esoteric meaning as well. They
are as follows.
The Yakshan asked , ‘How can a person become Shrothriyan?’
Shrothriyan means both learned as well as liberated soul in Sanskrit.
Yudhishtira answered that by listening to the good teachings of a
Acharya a person will become Shrothriyan. A person must first
Swetha Sundaram
22
listen about the qualities of Bagawan. This is per the pasuram “Nee
en sevi vazhiye pugundu..” of Sri Namazhwar as well. Sri
Nammazhwar asked Perumaal to enter Azhwar’s mind through
Azhwar’s ears. Only by listening about the divine past times of the
Lord we will be able to develop love for Him. Once we feel the
divine love kindled in our hearts, we will perform the necessary
things required to reach Him.
To the second part of the question, Yudhishtira answered that by
doing tapas a person can achieve that which is great. The word
“Mahat” is used to represent “great” by the Yakshan. Here, mahat
refers to attaining Vishnu Padam. Tapas is working hard to follow
even the hard to follow rules as prescribed by the Acharya according
to the Shastras.
Once, a restaurant owner attended a discourse rendered by HH
Srimad Mukkur Azhagiya Singar (44th Jeer). Jeer mentioned during
the discourse that anyone who invites a person to consume food on
Ekadashi will go to a special type of hell. The restaurant owner met
with Jeer the following day and requested him to mark all the 24
Ekadashis on the calendar so that the restaurant could stay closed
on Ekadashi.
Every single day a restaurant remains open is business for the
owner. Ekadashis would also fall during different days of the week
making it difficult for the owner to announce ahead of time the days
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
23
when the restaurant would be closed. Despite these difficulties, the
owner wished to follow the instructions of his Acharyan. This is an
example of the “tapas” mentioned by Yudhishtira to attain
Moksham; i.e, working hard to follow even the hard to follow rules
as prescribed by the Acharya according to the Shastras.
By listening about the past times of the Lord and by following the
instructions prescribed by the Acharyan, a person develops strong
belief that Lord Sriman Narayana is the only Supreme Being who
can uplift the jeevatmas to Moksham. This belief gives courage and
determination to a person seeking Moksham. The courage that the
Lord is ready to save a jeevatma from all kinds of danger because of
the strong belief in the Lord’s supremity and capacity is the good
company a person must seek.
In the last question Yudhishtira answered that a person becomes
intelligent by working under the guidance of a person with
experience. This can be taken as, a person remains steadfast in his
devotion towards Lord Vishnu by performing service to other
devotees of the Lord. It is very essential for a mumukshu (person
seeking moksham) to serve his/her Acharyan.
Swetha Sundaram
24
The Yaksha asked, ‘What is the “divine nature” present in
Brahmanas? What is their dharma ? Describe
the character present in them which shows them as mere humans.
What is their negative quality?
Yudhishtira answered that Svadhyaya gives them divine nature.
Svadhyaya is the act of learning Vedas.
When we worship devas we make offerings to them but we cannot
see if they accept our offerings.
There are devas on earth who are fit to be worshipped; we can also
see them accept our offerings.
These devas are the Brahmins well versed in the Vedas. In the
Puranas we learn about the powers of the
ancient seers. For example the Rishi Jamadagni used to practice
shooting with a bow and arrow. As soon as he shot the arrow, his
wife would help him by fetching the arrow. Once on a hot summer
day his wife
couldn’t bear the scorching heat of the Sun; seeing his wife suffer,
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
25
the rishi was ready to curse the Sun
to protect his wife. The Sun immediately appeared before the rishi
to apologize. As, the Sun could not stop shining; the Sun offered an
umbrella and a pair of sandals to the rishi’s wife. This incident
shows us that even the Sun was afraid of the powers possessed by
the rishi. The source of the rishis powers was his Vedic training.
During the ancient times the Brahmins had the capacity to learn the
entire Vedas. With passage of time
the future generation did not possess the same capability. To protect
the Vedas and to help the younger generations learn Vedas easily,
Sage Veda Vyasa divided the Vedas into four branches called Rig,
Yajur, Sama and Atharvana. Each family was given a branch they
were responsible for. The Brahmins belonging to a particular branch
were obligated to learn the Vedic verses of their branch. If a
Brahmin belonged to a family responsible for learning the Rig Veda
then he had to learn the Rig Vedic verses. If a Brahmin wished to
learn verses from other branches, he had to complete his training in
the branch of Vedas assigned to his family first before proceeding to
learn verses from the other branches. Failure to do so results in the
accumulation of sin. Thus the Brahmin society through their efforts
is responsible for safe guarding the Vedic learning. This gives them
their divine nature. The present generation faces many challenges in
life due to lack of time to practice even the branch of Vedic studies
assigned to their family. The ancients have made it easier for our
Swetha Sundaram
26
generation by reducing the syllabus so that it is sufficient to just
chant one chapter from the Vedas. Those who are unable to do
even this could comply with the rules by chanting the Purusha
Suktam Manthram. The Purusha Suktam is present in all four
branches of the Vedas and it is sufficient for Brahmins to just chant
this when they are faced with time constraints. To retain the “divine
qualities” present in them, Brahmins have to chant at least one
chapter from the Vedic branch assigned to their family or chant the
Purusha Suktam without fail every day.
The above is the law assigned to Brahmin men. Women are not
allowed to chant Vedic verses. What is the dharmam assigned to
Brahmin women? The women are responsible for taking care of
their families and to ensure that the men can chant the Vedas
without any obstruction. For helping the men practice their Vedic
dharmam regularly, the women obtain 50% of the fruit obtained by
their husbands while chanting Vedas. For example if a Brahmin
chants the Gayathri Manthram for 108 times, his wife automatically
gets the fruit of chanting the manthram for 54 times and the man
will be left with the fruit of chanting the manthram for the
remaining 54 times alone. The women get good merit easily without
putting in rigorous efforts. A wife is asked to nag her husband to
make sure he follows the laws prescribed in the Vedas. For nagging
her husband to perform his Vedic rites she automatically gets 50%
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
27
of her husband’s merit for performing the rite.
Women are assigned the task of nurturing their families because
they are naturally caring. The Vedas also say that a husband is
forced to share 50% of his wife’s sins. If a wife performs a good
deed then she is entitled to enjoy all the merit and her husband has
no share in the merit she earned. Similarly the wife does not share
her husband’s sins. If a man commits a misdeed then he has to bear
all the bad fruits which resulted from committing the sin. Thus
women come out on the top as they get to keep 100% of the merits
they had earned plus they get 50% of any merit their husbands
earned. Fifty percent of a woman’s demerit points are automatically
transferred to her husband thus easing her burden. Men have to
work harder since they lose half of the merits they earn to their
wives and their wives do not share in their demerit points.
Thus a Brahmin man retains his divinity by practicing the Vedas and
a Brahmin woman retains her divinity by helping her husband to
practice the Vedas.
The following story illustrates how the Vedic manthrams protect a
Brahmin.
Once, the Devas decided to perform a sacrifice but the fire would
not burn properly as it was afflicted by sin. It is prohibited to
perform sacrifices if the fire smolders. The devas went to get ghee
to make the fire burn properly but the ghee solidified as it was
Swetha Sundaram
28
affected by sin. It is not allowed to pour solid ghee into the fire.
They were then instructed by Lord Brahma to give dakshina
(donations) to people to transfer the sin to other people. No one
wanted to receive the dakshina as they did not want to get the sins.
Lord Brahma then asked the Brahmins to take the dakshina but they
too refused. Lord Brahma then asked them to get the dakshina by
wearing protective gloves so that the sin will not stick to them. This
protective glove is the recitation of the Vedic mantras.
The Vedic mantras are never affected by sin as it is the nature of the
Vedic mantra to repel sin. When we eat greasy food with our hand,
the grease sticks to our hand. We scrub our hand to remove the
grease but it is not necessary to scrub our tongue. Even though our
tongue comes in contact with the greasy food, the grease does not
stick to the tongue as it is the nature of the tongue to repel grease.
The rituals performed by the Brahmins on a daily basis, is their
penance. It is their duty to follow the dharma prescribed to their
community.
What makes them human? They too die.
What is their negative quality?
A Brahmin’s negative quality is gossiping. A Brahmin loves to
spread rumours and scandals. Once, a Brahmin was chased by a
bull. To escape from the bull he ran into the hut of a rowdy called
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
29
Rangayan.
Rowdy Rangayan was drinking alcohol when the Brahmin enter.
The rowdy wished to help the Brahmin.
He asked the Brahmin to hold his liquor bottle while he went
outside to subdue the bull. The Brahmin stood outside the rowdy’s
hut with the rowdy’s liquor bottle watching the rowdy control the
bull. This Brahmin was noticed bottle in hand by his colleague. The
colleague spread rumours in the Brahmin community that the other
Brahmin was an alcoholic whose drinking partner was Rowdy
Rangayan.
Spreading such untruths and rumours are the negative qualities of a
Brahmin. A Brahmin must control the urge to gossip.
Esoteric Meaning of Yudhishtira’s Answers:
A Brahmin is a person who embarks on a spiritual journey to realize
God. By chanting the praise of God and singing His holy names
(Nama sankeerthanam) divinity is kindled in a Brahmin.
The tapas prescribed for them is to keep meditating upon the Lord.
They become mortal when they fear death. Only a person who does
not realize that he is the soul and not the body fears death. A person
who knows that he/she is the eternal soul will never fear death.
Thus fear of death makes a Brahmin mortal. This fear must be
overcome by anyone who is trying to realize God. They must refrain
Swetha Sundaram
30
from doing the negative deed of hurting the Lord’s other devotees.
They should not even think ill about the Lord’s other devotees.
Bagawatha Apacharam is the negative quality which must be
controlled by a person trying to realize God.
The Yakshan then asked Yudhishtira the reason divinity is present
in a Kshatriya? The Dharmam (duties) prescribed for a Kshatriya?
What makes the Kshatriyas mere humans and the weakness a
Kshatriya must overcome.
The Kshatriyas use weapons to wage wars. The weapons of a
Kshatriya gives them their divinity. The Dharma prescribed for the
Kshatriya class is the performance of Yagnam. Only Kshatriyas can
perform Yagnams like Ashwamedha Yagam or Rajasuya yagam;
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
31
Brahmins can only assist a Kshatriya to perform the Yagam.
Brahmins are not eligible to perform these yagams. Lack of courage
makes a Kshatriya human. Fear must be overcome by a Kshatriya as
it is their duty to protect their nation. A Kshatriya must offer
protection to anyone who surrenders to them. They must overcome
their weakness to abandon the people under their protection. They
must follow in the foot step of Lord rama and King Dilipan. Lord
Rama never abandons anyone who surrenders to Him. Similarly
King Dilipan was asked by his guru Sage Vashishta to graze the cow
Nandhini. The king personally looked after Nandhini. He followed
her everywhere with a bow and arrow in hand to protect her from
danger. One day while grazing in the foothills of the Himalayas, a
lion pounced on the cow. As the lion was about to kill the cow, the
king lifted his bow to shoot the lion. The lion immediately started to
converse with the king. The king was surprised to hear the lion
speak. The lion introduced itself to be a servant of Lord Shiva and
Parvati. Goddess Parvati was growing a special tree in that area. She
was very fond of the tree and had given permission to the lion to
kill anyone who tresspasses in that area. The king realised that he
had not paid any attention to the warning signs. As a result of his
negligence, Nandhini was in danger. He immediately made a deal
with the lion and asked the lion to eat him instead of the cow. The
lion was surprised. The lion asked the king the reason why he was
keen on protecting Nandhini. Dilipan said that as he had promised
his guru, he had to make sure that Nandhini was safe. The lion then
Swetha Sundaram
32
asked the king to forget about Nandhini, go back to his kingdom
and compensate sage Vashishtha with thousands of cows. The king
replied that his life wouldn’t be worth living as he would have failed
to protect Nandhini.
The esoteric interpretation of Yudhishtira’s answer is as follows.
Perumaal (Tamil word meaning Lord Vishnu) exists in the Archa
(idol) form at various temples to protect us. He never fails a person
who surrenders to Him. Human nature is revealed when out of
devotion we fear for His safety. It is our duty to protect the
Temples in our neighbourhood. We must not fail to take care of the
needs of the local temple or the needs of Perumaal in our home. It
is futile to donate funds to Thirumala if we neglect the Perumaal in
our house as well as in our neighbourhood temples. This behaviour
must be avoided by us.
The Yakshan asked yudhishtira to name the Sama most suitable for
a Yagnam, the Yajus most suitable for a Yagnam. Name that which
keeps the Yagnam steady and that which cannot be crossed by the
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
33
Yagnam.
Of the four Vedas, the Rig Veda is in the form of poetry. The Yajur
Veda is in the form of prose and the Sama Veda is poetry with
musical notes. By the word “Sama” music is implied by the
Yakshan. Yagnam means worship and does not refer to just sacrifice
in the above question. The word yagnam is derived from “yaja deva
poojanam” and refers to the proper way to worship the devas. The
Upanishads also state that “Yagnovai Vishnuhu”. Lord Vishnu is
called as Yagna. Yudhishtira’s answers become clear if we keep the
meaning of Yagnam as Lord Vishnu.
The Yakshan wanted to know the Lord’s favourite music which is
unique in nature and prose suitable to worship the Lord in the first
two question. Yudhishtira answered that “prana” is the Lord’s
favourite music. By Prana he is referring to the sound made when
we breathe. Our Lord likes to know that His devotees are alive and
well by listening to their breathing.
Prose can have any number of sentences. It is thus unlimited in
nature. Thus the best prose suitable to worship the Lord is our
mind. Our mind has no limitation. Even if we cannot afford to buy
Swetha Sundaram
34
gold vessels to worship the Lord with, we can imagine that we have
gold vessels when we worship the Lord.
In the next question the Yakshan wanted to know which poetry
attracts Yagnam? Again this can be rephrased as the poem which
attracts Lord Narayna. Yudhishtira answered this question by saying
that the unique poem attracts the Lord. He said that Rig eka runuthe
yagnam. That is “one rig attracts Yagnam”. The number “one” is
used to indicate uniqness. The Vedas when stating about God say
that He is “Ekameva advitiyam”. This statement does not mean that
He is the only one in the Universe; the statement means that He is
unique.
In the Tamil anthology called Thirupavai, the pasuram (poem)
“Oruthi maganai pirandhu oriravil oruthi maganai olinthu valara”,
both Devaki and Yashoda are called as “one lady”. The literal
translation of the pasuram is that, “the Lord incarnated as one lady’s
son on one night and was raised by one lady”. According to the
rules of grammar, if Devaki as the first lady in the pasuram is
indicated as “one lady” then Yashoda should be called as “another
lady”. That is the Pasuram should be , “the Lord incarnated as one
lady’s son on one night and was raised by another lady”; instead,
both Devaki and Yashoda are called as “one lady” to show us that
they are “unique”. The night is also called as “one night” because it
was a unique night because the Lord incarnated on that night.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
35
Thus the number one is used to show uniquness. According to
Yudhishtira, a unique poem attracts Lord. This unique poem is the
Gayathri Manthram which is called as Savithri Rig. The clue to the
fact that this poem is Gayathri Manthram is provided when the
Yudhishtira /Yakshan say that the poem “attracts” our Lord.
To examine why the gayathri manthram attracts our Lord, let us
first take a look at the following.
The Vedic verse describes brilliant rays emanating from our Lord
which blind us. We are unable to see Him as we are blinded by His
effulgence. He shines brilliantly like a Sun and is hence unseen by
us. We request Him to appear like the moon so that we can easily
see His auspicious appearance. We can meditate upon our Lord only
if the Lord reveals His form to us.
The following table shows a comparison between our body, our
soul, the Lord’s soul and the Lord’s divine form in helping us to
reach Him. It is very easy to meditate on our body but the result
obtained from this meditation is very ordinary and does not grant us
liberation. It is very difficult to meditate upon our soul and the
result obtained by performing this difficult exercise is also very poor
and will not give us liberation. The Lord’s soul is difficult to
meditate upon but the result obtained is supreme and can liberate us
from this material world. The Lord’s divine form is very easy to
meditate upon and the result of this meditation will grant us
liberation. In the following table a point is awarded for ease of
Swetha Sundaram
36
meditation and if the result obtained is supreme. From the table we
can see that the best option is to meditate upon the Lord’s divine
form which is very easy to do and yields the highest result of
Moksham.
Our Body Our Soul Lord’s
Soul
Lord’s
divine
form
Easy to
meditate
1 0 0 1
Provides
Moksham
0 0 1 1
In the above table 1 = Yes and 0 = No.
The Purusha Suktham describes the Lord as having Adithya varnam
i.e. He appears beautiful like the rising Sun. The Purusha Suktham
begins by presenting the Universal Form of our Lord and gradually
builds up to present His beautiful Thirumeni (form).
Through the above verse we pray to Him to reveal His beautiful
form to us so that we can meditate upon His divine form. Through
the Gayathri manthram we medidate upon the effulgent attractive
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
37
form of Lord Narayana. This poem attracts the form of Lord in our
minds.
Gayathri manthram should not be heard at the same time by more
than 3 pairs of ears. This is why Yudhishtira did not provide further
explanation.
The Gayathri Manthram begins with the word “Tat”. Ths word
“tat” used here does not mean “that”; “Tat” is a name of Lord
Narayana. The name “Tat” menas multiplier or magnifier. If we
chant the Gayathri Manthram once, then He multiplies our good
efforts by hundred folds. This is true for all devotional activities. If
we take one step towards Him, He takes ten steps towards us to
reduce the gap between Him and Us.
In the Vishnu Sahasranama Stothram in the following slokam
Bagawan says, “
”
Swetha Sundaram
38
“Yomam namasahasrena sthothumichathi Pandava
Sohamevena shlokena sthuva yeva na samchayaha
Sthuva yeva na samchaya om nama ithi”
The meaning of the above slokam is that there is no need to chant
all one thousand names; it is enough to chant just one name with
devotion. If we chant one name with devotion, He will multiply our
efforts and give us the fruit of chanting all one thousand names.
A person who chants Gayathri Manthram properly and medidates
upon His Divya Mangala Vigraham will always make intelligent
decision.
The above applies to people who are given the privilege to chant the
Gayathri Manthram. Women do not have this privilege as they are
not allowed to chant Gayathri Manthram. How are women
benefitted if they cannot chant Gayathri Manthram? The Vedas
have given the women the task of making sure their men folk follow
the prescribed duties for their Varna (caste). It is the duty of a
Brahmin lady to make sure her men folk (husband, son et al) chant
the Gayathri Manthram properly without fail every day. For just
nagging her husband to chant the Manthram, she reaps fifty percent
of the benefit of chanting the Manthram; i.e, if her husband chanted
the Gayathri Manthram 108 times then the wife automatically gets
the benefit of chanting the Manthram for 54 times and the husband
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
39
is left with only the benefit of chanting the Manthram for the
remaining 54 times. The wife automatically gets 50% of the good
fruits earned by her husband.
The family in which the men chant Gayathri Manthram regularly,
the Manthram attracts Lord Vishnu to reside in the mind of
everyone.
The Yakshan’s next question in this series is “name that that which
cannot be crossed by the Yagnam.” Yudhishtira answered that
“Yagnam will not cross that person who chants the Gayathri
manthram regularly with devotion.”
Yudhishtira’s answer means that Lord Vishnu who is also called as
“Yagnam” will not abandon anyone who chants the Gayathri
Manthram regularly with devotion.
After seeing that Yudhishtira is able to answer all the questions
satisfactorily, the Yakshan decided to ask a riddle to test
Yudhishtira’s intelligence. To see if Yudhishtira is able to apply his
knowledge to solve problems.
Swetha Sundaram
40
“When will everyone be happy to see someone or something fall
down? Which item is best when burried? What property must a
person definitely possess to grow and become successful?Which
when it takes birth makes human beings very happy?”
Yudhishtira answered that everyone is happy to see rain waters fall
down. Rain makes the land on which it falls prosperous. Saint
Nammazhwar used to be very happy to see rain as it reminded him
of Perumal’s compassion. Lord Vishnu is compared to a cloud
which rains “karuna kataksham” compassionate blessings upon His
devotees.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
41
Swetha Sundaram
42
In the above Thirupavai Pasuram, Andal Nachiar prays for rain to
make Thiruayarpadi prosperous. The above pasuram also compares
and Acharyan to a rain bearing cloud. Like the rain waters which
come from the clouds, an Acharyan causes rain of wisdom and truth
about Perumal to fall on us. This rain gives us the wealth of attaing
the Lord’s divine feet.
To the second question in this series Yudhishtira answered that a
seed is the best among things which are burried. If we take the
example of a mango fruit, there is one seed in a mango but when
that seed is burried we get infinity mango fruits. This answer also
means that we must not bury other things which do not yield us
benefit when burried. To illustrate this point the following story is
narrated.
A master had three servants. The master planned to leave on a long
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
43
vacation. Before leaving he gave money to each of his three
servants. The first servant spent the amount wining and dining. The
second servant invested the money and lived off of the interest. The
third servant burried the money in his back yard. After the master
returned home he enquired his servants on how they had spent the
money. He was happy that the first servant had atleast enjoyed the
money and that the second servant had invested it wisely. He was
very unhappy to learn that the third servant had burried it; as, the
burried money was of no use to anyone. He asked the servant to dig
up the money but unfortunately the servant had forgotten the
location where the money was burried. Thus the money was lost
forever.
The answer also warns us about keeping secrets especially if the
secret would benefit the general public. Only spiritual secrets should
be gaurded and passed on to the right person.
The esoteric meaning of Yudhishtira’s answer also refers to the
Lord as “seed”.
Swetha Sundaram
44
In the above Thirupavai pasuram, Andal Nachiar refers to Perumal
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
45
as “ Vithu” i.e “seed”. She says that bury “vithu” in your hearts. The
pasuram tells us to bury the thoughts about the Lord in our mind
and to medidate upon Him.
The third question asked by the Yakshan was, ‘ What property must
a person definitely possess to grow and become successful?’ To this
Yudhishtira answered that anyone who has a cow will always remain
wealthy. Nammazhwar sang , ‘marapinnai nam vendum maadu’.
Yudhishtira said that by establishing ‘gavaha’ a person remains
wealthy. The word ‘gavaha’ is derived from ‘go’ in Sanskrit. ‘Go’ is a
homonymn for cow as well as good words. If we take the answer to
mean ‘cow’ we can easily see that anyone who owns a cow will be
prosperous. A cow gives milk from which other dairy products like
butter can be obtained. The excess of dairy products could be sold
to obtain other things. The cow dung is also a good source of fuel .
Thus a cow is a very valuable commodity.
If we examine Yudhishtira’s answer to mean ‘good words’ then
Yudhishtira instructs us to always speak the truth. Refrain from
gossiping and passing slanderous remarks.
The esoteric meaning of this answer is as shown below.
To reach Moksham one must follow the words of an Acharyan.
Even if an Acharyan made a light passing remarks it must be
accepted by the disciple. The following anecdote from the Sri
Vaishnava Guru Paramparai illustrates this.
Swetha Sundaram
46
Sri Nathamuni used to say the following words to his disciples.
‘Kulapadiyil mazhai peithal kuruvi kudithu pom
Veeranathil mazhai peithal nadellam vilayum’.
The meaning of the above verse is, ‘ If it rains in the impression
made on the ground by horse shoe only a sparrow can quench its
thirst but if it rains in Lake Veeranam, the entire country will
flourish.”
The disciples did not understand the purport of the above verse but
they gaurded the saying carefully and passed it on to their disciples.
Nathamuni’s disciple Uyyakondar memorized the verse and passed
it to his disciple Manakal Nambi who in turn passed it to Alavandar.
Peria Nambi learnt the verse from Alavandar and he taught it to
Swami Ramanujar. Swami Ramanujar felt that the verse must have a
deeper meaning. He decided to visit Lake Veeranam. He found that
there were 74 canals which fed the surrounding fields with water
from the lake. Hence, if it rained in the Veeranam catchment area all
the surrounding area are fed by the rain waters making the region
prosperous. Swami Ramanujar immediately understood that he must
spread the Sri Vaishnava Sampradayam in such a way that maximum
number of people are benefitted. He established 74
Simhasanathipadis to spread the teachings of his Acharyans.
The meaning can also be interepreted as follows. By protecting
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
47
cows we can obtain the wealth of Lord Vishnu’s grace. The Lord
always goes after cows. Nammazhwar in his pasuram sings,
“komalavan kannai pulgi Govindan meitha na ennu Pomila nagathin
pin poi avan kiddaka idu enum”.
The azhwar in the above pasuram says that he hugs calves because
they remind him of the calves reared by the Lord during
Krishnavataram. If the Azhwar spots a snake, he hugs even the
snake because it reminds him of AdiSesha the snake bed of Lord
Vishnu.
We must be absorbed in thought about the Lord like Nammazhwar.
We must protect cows as a quick way to please the Lord and obtain
His Supreme Grace.
The last question asked by the Yakshan in this series was , ‘Which
when it takes birth makes human beings very happy?’Yudhishtira
answered that, human beings are happy when a child is born to
them. He used the word “puthram” to answer the Yakshan’s
question. “Puthram “ means “child” and does not refer to male
children alone.
Once, a man’s father passed away. His mother asked him to
perform the last Vedic rites. The son refused stating that he had to
go back to work. He declared that his father had done nothing for
Swetha Sundaram
48
him. His father had not even started a trust account for him. The
son did not feel obligated to do the last rites for his father. That day
at work one of his colleagues offered him sweets. The colleague
looked extremely happy as he had just become a father. The son
immediately left work and went home to perform the last rites for
his father. He thought that even if his father had not saved any
funds for him, he must have felt as happy as his colleague when he
(son) had been born.
The Yakshan asked Yudhishtira to name that person who in spite of
living well, enjoying life to the full extent, having a beautiful wife by
his side and being respected by everyone is considered to be a
lifeless corpse.
Yudhishtira asked the Yakshan to provide more information about
this person. The Yakshan added that this person does not offer
anything to Gods, servants, pitris, or to Lord Narayana.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
49
Yudhishtira answered that a person who does not do Salagrama
Aradhanai and worship Lord Narayana, a person who does not
honour his guests, who does not treat his servants well or enquire
about their welfare, who does not perform shradham but pays
money to a Brahmin to perform shradham on his behalf is a living
and breathing corpse.
Guests are very sensitive to the words of the host. They must be
welcomed with a happy attitude. One should never make them feel
unwelcome. Similarly a person must treat his/her servants properly.
We should not give servants spoilt food or useless items. Hired help
should be encouraged by giving them bonus and other incentives as
a token of appreciation. One should not haggle with vendors who
provide door to door service but we must appreciate their efforts in
providing door to door service for our convenience.
After performing shradham a person should obtain the permission
of the priest to eat the food items. Food preparred for a shradham
must not be shared before offering it in the shradham. Pithris are
very sensitive and shy. They expect cleanliness and will not accept
items which have been consumed by others prior to offering in the
shradham. Everyone must medidate upon Lord Narayana as the
Swetha Sundaram
50
Antaratma; they must atleast chant 1slokam everyday.
Mahabharatam is often called as the fifth Veda. The Mahabharata
mentions 4 types of debts every person has to pay off. The first
debt is to the great Rishis who blessed us with great works like
Divya Prabhandham and epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. To
show our gratitude we must learn these epics or atleast chant 1
slokam or pasuram from their work regularly.
We are indebted to the Devas who work for our benefit. The Sun
gives us light and warmth , they cause rain to fall on Earth and
perform many such tasks for our benefit. To thank them we must
perform Yagams. A Brahmin must perform agniohothram regularly.
If it is not possible to perform agnihothram then he must perform
aupasanam or atleast chant the aupasanam manthram regularly.
Lord Agni is also considered to be a guest. He has to be welcomed
properly in our homes. Every Brahmin who is married must
perform agnihothram or aupasanam along with his wife to worship
Lord Agni as their guest.
All of us are indebted to our ancestors. The fact that we are here is a
proof of their existence. In order to thank them Shradhams are
performed. By performing shradhams we fulfill the debt we owe to
the pitris.
The fourt debt is our debt to society. We must help people. We
must not encourage social problems; for example by donating to
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
51
pan handlers we increase the nuisance value. We make them lazy as
they can earn money without working for it.
Any person who does not pay off the above debts is considered to
be dead.
The Yakshan asked Yudhishtira to name that which is heavier than
Earth? Which is higher than sky? Which is faster than wind? Which
is lower in value (status) than grass or that which grows
uncontrollably like grass?
Yudhishtira answered that a person’s mother is heavier than
Swetha Sundaram
52
Earth. The word guruthara is used in Sanskrit for heaviness. This
word also refers to respect. Hence, Yudhishtira answers that a
person’s mother is greater than Earth. She has to be worshiped in
the same manner in which a person worships the Devas. Sage
Apasthamba mentioned that mothers are greater then fathers. The
Vedas give permission to people to abandon their father if their
father is immoral, gambles, is an alcoholic and is a nuisance to the
family. The same Vedas however mention that even if a person’s
mother does not have good character, she must be protected and
worshipped. During the Gaya Shradham, 1 pindam is offered to a
father whereas 16 Pindams are offered to a mother praising every
sacrifice she made to raise her children. A mother readily forgives
her children. Like the Earth, she is very patient and tolerates the
mistakes of her children. Hence a mother is greater than Earth.
Yudhishtira answered that a father is higher than sky. A father looks
to be an ordinary human being but he is a child’s first Acharyan. A
father performs Brahmopadesam to his son and teaches him about
everything the child needs to know to live in this world.
Yudhishtira said that our mind travels faster than wind. The
following story depicts the swiftness of mind.
There was a rich land lord who managed the local temple. He
provided a bowl of rice to everyone who worked in the temple.
There was an old man who did nothing. He sat inside the temple
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
53
gate all day. The landlord out of compassion also provided a bowl
of rice to this old man. One day the land lord’s son took over the
management. He had graduated from the top business school. He
wanted to minimise waste and carry out “lean execution”. He did an
audit and found out that the old man was receiving a bowl of rice
without performing any task. The new landlord stopped everyone
from providing rice to the old man unless he helped out with the
temple work. After a week the new landlord enquired if the old man
had started working. He was shocked to learn that the old man
didn’t do any work and continued to sit in his usual spot. The new
landlord visited the old man and was amazed to see that the old
man looked happy. The old man did not feel bad for losing his bowl
of rice. The new landlord felt sorry for the old man and asked him
to do atleast a small task. The old man replied that he did not need
rice. The landlord asked why the old man sat doing nothing all day.
The old man mentioned that it is not easy to remain static all day.
The landlord challenged the old man that he can sit like the old man
without doing anything. The old man accepted the challenge and
asked the landlord to remain static for just five minutes. After five
minutes the landlord replied that it was very easy to remain static.
To this the old mentioned that the landlord had only remained static
physically while his mind had been wandering musing about his
upcoming court case and then mentally visiting his sister. The
landlord was astonished by the old man’s reply. The landlord
accepted defeat and continued to provide a bowl of rice to the old
Swetha Sundaram
54
man.
To the Yakshan’s last question in this series, Yudhishtira answered
that our worries grow uncontrollably like grass. Worries don’t have
any value like grass and they also grow like grass. To control worries
a person must remember that, only that which can happen will
happen anything else is impossible.
The esoteric meaning contained in Yudhishtira’s answers is as
follows.
Goddess Sridevi is our mother. She is greater than Earth because
she is ready to liberate us from Samsara. Lord Vishnu as our father
and is higher than sky since He resides at Paramapadam which is
higher than the entire Universe. We must try to attain Lord Vishnu
in our mind. We shouldn’t worry if it would be possible for us to
attain His divine feet. If we worry, we will never be able to attain
His divine feet.
The Yakshan asked Yudhishtira to name that which sleeps without
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
55
closing its eyes. Which even when it is ‘still born’ makes its parents
very happy. Which is heartless and which grows big because of its
own speed?
Yudhishtira replied that fish sleeps without closing its eyes. He used
the word “matsya” while he could have also used “Meenaha” to
refer to fish. This is because the word “matsya” is also used for a
“brown nose”. Once, Lord Agni when he was a child hid
underwater because he had heard that the earlier Agnis passed away
by following their occupation of transferring offerings made in the
Yagam to the Devas. The Devas went searching for child Agni. A
fish (matsya) noticed child Agni hiding under water and immediately
reported to the Devas. Agni in turn cursed the fish that from that
moment people will start to catch fish by casting their net.
The meaning of Yudhishtira’s answer is that, like a fish we ignore
our mistakes and pretend to sleep. We are wide awake when other’s
make mistake. We look forward to an opportunity to complain
about other people’s mistakes. We must overcome this bad habit.
Yudhishtira said that an egg is still born but it makes its parents
Swetha Sundaram
56
happy. The birds have to wait patiently for the egg to hatch. He
said that a stone is heartless. He used the word “ashmana” for stone
to indicate that it is present everywhere. There is a Vedic manthram
“ashma bhavathu nasthambhuhu” which when chanted properly
renders the body of the person who chants the manthram hard like
stone yet keeping the person’s heart soft (full of compassion) like
cotton. A river grows because of its own speed; i.e, our Lord’s grace
will sweep us off our feet.
The Yakshan asked Yudhishtira to name a traveller’s best friend, the
best friend of a house holder, best friend of a person suffering from
disease and the best friend of a person who is dying.
Knowledge and education is the best friend of a traveller. A person
is respected because of the knowledge he/she possesses. True
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
57
knowledge called Brahma Vidhya will guide us in our travels to
reach Sri Vaikuntham. A wife is the best friend of a householder. A
husband is expected to respect his wife. A Brahmin who performs
agnihotram regularly has to perform a yagam called Ishti on full
moon as well as on new moon days. Agnihotram should always be
performed when accompanied by one’s wife. It is very crucial to
complete the Ishti yagam on the specified date. If a Brahmin’s wife
is unable to participate due to health reasons, the Brahmin must
seek her permission to complete the Ishti yagam without her
presence. If he completes the Ishti yagam without obtaining
permission from his wife, then he must seek her pardon and try to
please her. She may impose any fine upon him including the most
expensive jwellery for not obtaining her permission. The husband is
bound by the Vedic rule to pay the fine imposed her. If he is not
able to fulfill this, he has to re-do the Ishti yagam when she is able
to participate.
The Vedic wedding manthram declares a husband and wife to be
best friends; hence, a householder’s best friend is his wife.
This answer can also be taken as a disciple is the best friend of an .
A disciple is an Acharyan’s welwisher as well as customer.
The best friend of a patient is his/her doctor. Best friend of a
person who is dying is charity. A person must donate thinking that
they may die at any moment but while learning they must think that
they will live forever and hence continue to learn even when they
Swetha Sundaram
58
are very old. Donation must be given only to the deserving people.
Once a saint went to a pilgrim house in varnasi to have his meal. He
requested the pilgrim house’s manager to show him the kitchen as
the saint did not want to eat if the kitchen was untidy. The manager
took him to the kitchen which was in pristine condition. The
counters and floors were well scrubbed and food was cooked
hygeinically. Upon looking at the kitchen the saint screamed stating
that there was a corpse hanging above the stove. The manager
thought the saint was a lunatic and turned him away. The following
year the saint again came to the same pilgrim house and requested
to see the kitchen. The manager took him inside just to humour
him. This time the saint refused to eat at the pilgrim house because
there was a skeleton hanging above the stove. The next year the
saint returned and as per his routine was shown the kitchen. This
year the saint exclaimed that the kitchen was very clean. The saint
then asked to speak with the owner of the pilgrim house. He asked
the owner how he had obtained the pilgrim house. The owner
admitted that he had murdered the previous owner to steal the
pilgrim house but as his consiounce was bothering him, he had
given away free food to all the pilgrims who travelled to Varanasi.
The said told the owner that the pilgrims had slowly eaten away the
owner’s sins and it had taken three long years of feeding thousands
of pilgrims each day to destroy the sins. Thus by donating we are
freed of our sins. Earning wealth incurrs sins. We can destroy these
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
59
sins by donating money.
Who is the guest of everyone? What is Sanathana Dharmam? Which
is amrutham (elixir)? What is this earth (jagat) made off?
Lord Agni is also considered to be a guest. He has to be welcomed
properly in our homes. Every Brahmin who is married must
perform agnihothram (shroutham according to shruthi Vedas) or
aupasanam (smartham according to smruthi) along with his wife to
worship Lord Agni as their guest. If he is unable to perform neither
agnihotram nor aupasanam he must atleast chant the manthram for
aupasanam as a minimum requirement. When a couple get married
they request Lord Agni to come as their guest and release the lady’s
children from the grasp of death.
Agni is also the name of a person who leads us forward. An
Swetha Sundaram
60
Acharyan is called as Agni since our Acharyan leads us along the
spiritual path. Performing Acharya kaimkaryam is very essential.
Yudhishtira answered the third question in this series before
answering the question about Sanatana Dharmam. This is because
Amrutham should take the place immediately after fire. Cow’s milk
is called as amrutham as it is offered in fire sacrifice. A cow gives us
milk without expecting anything in return.
To the last question Yudhishtira answered that Amrutham is
Sanatana Dharmama. Lord Vishnu is called as Amrutham. He is
known as Aparyapthamrutham or insatiable elixir. By consuming
Aparyapthamrtham we will never get tired of consuming this nectar.
He is Sanathana Dharmam because He is eternal and He is also
Dharmam. The Vedas tell us that the good deeds performed to
obtain good fruit are called as dharmam. The best fruit is obtaining
the divine feet of Lord Narayana. The means to attain this fruit is
through bakthi yoga and saranagathi. According to the laws of
Saranagathi He is the means as well as the end. Even if we surrender
to Him, He has to accept our surrender making Him the means as
well as the end. Hence He is Sanathana Dharmam. Amrutham is
tonic. He is the tasty tonic which will deliver us from Samsara.
This world is made up of Vayu. Jagat means that which changes in
Sanskrit. The world as we see is constantly undergoing changes.
Vayu means that which is in motion. Hence the answer implies that
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
61
this world is always moving.
What is that which that travels alone? What is that which is reborn
after its birth? What is the remedy for frost (fog)? And what is the
Earth’s limit?
The Yakshan copied the above set off questions from the Vedas as
the Yakshan wanted Yudhishtira to have a short break in order to
refresh himself.
The Yakshan’s questions are part of a debate held during the
Ashwamedha Yagam. Any yagam is conducted by a team of 16
members. The names of the position held by these 16 members are
Brahma, Udgatha, Hota, Advaryu, Brahmanachamsi, Proshthota,
Mitra-Varuna, Prathiprashtatha, Protha, Prathihartha, Akshavahan,
Neshta, Agnidriyum, Subramanyan, Unnetha and Grhavasthu.
Swetha Sundaram
62
The post of Brahma is very important as he make sure that the
Yagam is performed properly. If mistakes are made then it is the
duty of Brahma to rectify the mistakes. For example if ghee and
sakaraipongal are to be offered in the fire, sakaraipongal must be
offered completely before procedding to offer ghee. They cannot be
offered alternatively with 1 spoon of sakaraipongal followed by 1
spoon of ghee followed again by 1 spoon of sakaraipongal. This is
because Lord Agni consumes sakaraipongal in the seated position
and ghee in a reclined position. Alternating between spoons of
sakaraipongal and ghee is very inconvenient for Lord Agni. It is the
duty of the Brahma to make sure that mistakes like this are not
made. The Brahma has to be the most learned person in the team
but does not have much to do except to watch out for mistakes.
The procedure for Ashwamedha Yagam is complicated. The king
becomes tired while performing this Yagam. To rejunavate the king
a short break is incorporated in to the Yagam in the form of a
debate between the Hota and Brahma. The same set of questions
are also chanted as manthram by Brahmins during the Shradham
ritual. The Yakshan only copied four questions from this set; but we
will see the answers to all questions.
Question 1: Kigiswid dasit poorvachitihi? What is essential for
everyone?
Answer 1: The sky is essential for everyone as it carries the rain
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
63
bearing clouds to shower rain to make the Earth prosperous.
Any one who listens to this question will not affected by famine in
the region they live.
Question 2: Kigiswid dasit brhatdwayaha? Who is very old?
Answer 2: Ashwa vai brhatdwayaha. Ashwa is very old. The word
Ashwa is normally used to refer to a horse in Sanskrit but it is also a
name for Lord Narayana. The word Ashwa means that which
spreads everywhere. As the horse travels with great speed it looks to
spread everywhere. Hence a horse was called as Ashwa but it is the
name of Lord Narayana to indicate His omnipresence. As He is
eternal with neither beginning nor end He is the most aged person
in this Universe.
Anyone who listens to this question will develop the thirst to attain
the Lord’s divine feet.
Question 3: Kigiswid dasit pishangila? Who is pishangila?
Answer 3: Ratri is pishangila. Pishangila means that which hides
defective form. Ratri is the name of night. At night defects are
hidden and not visible to our eye. Ratri means that which gives us
pleasure.
Anyone wholistens to this question will always be happy.
Question 4: Kigiswid dasit pilipila? Who is pilipila? Pilipila means
Swetha Sundaram
64
that which makes things shine.
Answer 4: Money is pilipila. Money helps us to afford good food
and other products to rejunavate our body thus making it shine with
good health.
Anyone who listens to this question will be able to enjoy food
without their health being affected.
The next four questions are the questions asked by the Yakshan.
Question 5: What is that which that travels alone?
Answer 5: The Sun travels alone. Earlier the The Yakshna had asked
, “who travels with Adityan (Sun)?” to which Yudhistar answered
that the Devas accompany the Adityan in his travel. If we take
Adityan to be the Sun then the Devas are as follows.
There are in total 12 Suns known as the 12 Adithyas; one Adithya
for every month.
The Sun is accompanied by 1 rishi every month . The rishi keeps the
Sun commpany by chanting Vedas. There is also a gandharva who
palys music to entertain the Sun. The Sun’s chariot is drawn by 7
horses. A Yakshan travels with the Sun to control the horses. To
protect the Sun, a rakshasha travels with the Sun. The Sun is also
accompanied by a Naga. Apsaras entertain the Sun by dancing. Lord
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
65
Vishnu has twelve forms. The Lord accompanies the Sun
everymonth in one of His twelve months.
Yudhishtira now answered that Surya (Sun) travels alone. It seems
that he contradicted his earlier answer; but here by Surya,
Yudhishtira refers to Lord Vishnu. Even when amongst the
company of others, Lord Vishnu shines brilliantly appearing to be
alone. When Lord Vishnu is present, even the Sun disappears in His
brilliance.
Anyone who listens to this question will become brilliant and shine
amongst other people.
Question 6: What is that which is reborn after its birth?
Answer 6: The moon is reborn after its birth. This answer refers to
the different phases of the moon. The moon takes birth as the
Fullmoon and slowly decays till it appears to disappear on
Newmoon day only to appear the following day as a crescent which
grows slowly till it is re-born as the Fullmoon. We find the lunar
phase interesting. We see the same Sun every single day but the
moon changes everyday. Change is interesting and prevents
boredom.
Anyone who listens to this question will make other people find
their company to be interesting.
Swetha Sundaram
66
Question 7: What is the remedy for frost (fog)?
Answer 7: Agni (fire) is the remedy for frost (fog). Frost as well as
fog hides everything from our view but the fog referred to in this
question is ignorance. As we are covered by the cold grasp of
ignorance we do not realise our true self. An Acharyan is called as
agni since he leads us along the spiritual path. Agni is used to refer
to people who lead others along a path. An Acharyan through his
teachings melts away the frosty ignorance clouding our knowledge.
Anyone who listens to this question will lead a good life in this
world and enjoy the bliss enjoyed in Sri Vaikuntham in this world
itself.
Question 8: What is the Earth’s limit or which is the largest field?
Answer 8: the place where Lord Vishnu is worshiped is the largest
field.
Anyone who listens to this question will become good orators.
People will raise them on pedestal and listen to their words.
Question 9: Which is the hub for Earth? Central point are hub is
that location from which all the different types of wealth is
obtained.
Answer 9: Yagnam is the hub of Earth.
Anyone who listens to this question will obtain the Yagnam, Lord
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
67
Narayana.
Question 10: Which is that horse which rains? What is its veeryam?
Answer 10: Yagam or Lord Narayan is the horse that rains blessings
on us. The veeryam is the soma juice used in Yagnam which is
nothing but the holy water with tulasi leaves offered to the Yagnam
called Lord Vishnu.
Question 11: What do all the words in this world refer to?
Answer 11: All the words refer ultimately to Lord Narayana who is
the Parabrahmam.
Anyone who listens to all these questions will obtain the fruit
received by perfoming the Ashwamedha Yagam as well as
Shradham.
It is very difficult to perform Shradham which is typically performed
only after the Earth has warmed up. This is usually around 11:25 am
in India. Traditionally the Brahmins chant the above question and
answer as soon as they enter their host’s home for perfoming
Shradham. It could also be chanted by them prior to eating the
offerings from the Shradham. If these questions are chanted by
them properly then the sportsmen born in that country will always
win the gold medal, the soldiers will be brave and victorious, cows
will give pleanty of milk, the oxen will be very strong and bear load
efficiently, vehicles will perform without accidents, horses will
Swetha Sundaram
68
always travel with great speed, all girls born in that country will be
very beautiful like a “dream girl”, the host performing the Shradham
will get a good son who will be intelligent, brave, youthful ,
courteous and this son will keep only good company, It will rain
only when the people of the country wish for rain thus preventing
crop damage from heavy as well as scanty rainfall. Overall world
peace and prosperity will be attained.
What is the highest refuge of dharmam, fame, heaven and
happiness?
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
69
Talent is the higest refuge of dharmam. It is not easy to follow the
prescribed dharmam as there are many grey areas. It requires special
talent to follow ones dharmam without hurting the feelings of other
people. Lord Rama faced this situation in Yudha Kandam of
Valmiki Ramayana.
Vibhishana approached Lord Rama to surrender but he did not
approach the Lord directly but pleaded with the Vanaras and asked
them to represent his intentions to the Lord. As Vibhishana had
approached the Lord through the Vanaras, the Lord wanted to grant
refuge through them as well; therefore, He asked the opinion of the
Vanara warriors. All of them refused to accept Vibhishana in their
fold. Maharaj Sugreevan further added that as Vibhishana had
abandoned his brother Ravana during times of need, he was a bad
brother and hence cannot be trusted to be a good friend. Lord
Rama wanted to convey that Sugreevan had raised to the position of
a king only after he had requested Lord Rama to kill his brother
Vali. But the Lord could not mention this bluntly as it would hurt
Sugreevan’s feelings. The Lord always grants refuge to anyone who
approaches Him and He never abandons the people who sought
His help. If He hurt Sugreevan’s feelings and Sugreevan left the
company of the Lord then the Lord would have failed in His duty to
never abandon the company of Sugreevan. If He followed the
advice of Sugreevan then He would be unable to accept Vibhishana
and thus fail in His solemn vow to grant protection to anyone who
approached Him. To overcome this situation the Lord told
Swetha Sundaram
70
Sugreevan that not all brothers will be a good brother like His
brother Bharathan, not all sons will be a good son like Himself as
He had followed His father’s words and went to the forest in exile.
He then added that not all friends will be a good friend like
Sugreevan thus indicating to Sugreevan that Sugreevan was a bad
brother but a good friend. Similarly Vibhishana might be a bad brother
but he could be a good friend. After hearing the Lord’s words
Sugreevan immediately changed his opinion and agreed to accept
Vibhishana in their fold.
Fame is attained by donating as the people who receive donation
will always praise the donors.
Heavenly pleassures can be experienced on this world itself by
speaking truth. Heaven is a place where people experience only
happiness. Hell is a place where people experience only sorrow.
Earth is a place where we experience both happiness as well as
sorrows and hence we are called “ubhyar”. By uttering truth we can
experience constant happiness. Consider the following example. An
employee spent time in the morning solving the crossword puzzle at
home. He arrived past his start time at work. His boss asked him the
reason for his delay and the employee lied that his car tire had been
punctured. The following day his car tire was actually punctured but
as he had used this excuse the previous day he spent hours in
needless worry trying to come up with a good excuse.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
71
Only truth which is beneficial to others and does not fuel our
selfiish motives should be spoken.
A man travelled to a distant city. He went to visit his friend and
found that his friend’s home was decorated. It was evident that the
friend was celebating a happy occasion like a wedding. The man had
learnt during his travel that the friend’s distant relative had passed
away but it became eveident that the friend was not aware of this
news. In this situation the man should not inform his friend about
the bad news and stop the celebration. Instead, he should just leave
the place thus avoiding having to say anything at all.
Good conduct makes us happy. This means that we should abandon
superiority complex and unwanted ego. When we feel superior we
have great expectations on how other people should treat us. When
other people fail to treat us according to our expectations we feel
sad.
Swetha Sundaram
72
What is the soul of a man? Who is that friend bestowed on man by
the gods? What do men seek to obtain to enhance their livelihood?
What is the route that takes humans to a good place?
A man’s son is his soul. The word atma means that which attains
everything it wishes for in Sanskrit. A man’s child is his soul as the
father expects his children to achieve the things which he never
achieved. The gestation period of human beings is considered to be
12 months by the Vedas. This is because the child resides in the
heart of its father for 2 months before residing in its mother’s
womb for ten months. A wife is called as “jaaya” in Sanskrit which
means that the husband takes birth through her as their son.
Immediately after a child is born the wife should be treated with
respect as a mother by the husband.
This answer also reveals that Lord Vishnu’s soul is His bagawathas.
Wife is the friend bestowed upon a man by the Gods. The word
“saka” is used to refer to a friend who shares in our happiness as
well as sorrow equally. Hence, a wife is called as a “saka” as she
stays by her husband during good as well as bad times. “saka” is
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
73
masculine gender; the feminine gender “saki” is not used to refer to
a wife. The word “saka” is used to represent a wife to show that she
is equal in everyway to her husband as only equals could be best
friends.
By chanting the vedic wedding manthram during saptha pathi the
husband requests his wife to be his best friend.
“saka saptha patha bava
Sakayam saptha patha babuva”
The husband says that by taking the seven steps around the sacred
fire they have become friends. He promises never to abandon their
friendship and requests his wife to abide by their friendship as well.
This is why it is a grave sin to cheat one’s wife or to insult her as the
sin obtined by back stabbing one’s friend is unforgivable.
Men seek rain as the rain waters bring prosperity. Even if a man
earns a high salary but due to a famine if the commodities prieces
sky rocket, he would be unable to save any money.
DhAnam takes humans to a good place. By donating we get rid of
the numerous sins which we have accumulated. We should give
donation with interest (shradha) and without any attachments to the
object donated (ashradha). A man went to attend a religious
discourse. He noticed that at the end of the lecture people donated
funds to the collection plate. He wanted to donate money to the
Swetha Sundaram
74
collection plate as well as a token of appreciation to the lecturer but
he did not have any cash with him. The following day he took a
dollar with him. At the lecture he kept feeling the dollar and he felt
that a dollar was too much to donate. He felt that fifty cents would
be sufficient. As he did not have any change he thought that he
could drop a dollar in the collection plate and take back fifty cents
from the plate. As the man with the collection plate approached
him, he felt that it will look very bad if he took back fifty cents in
change. He decided not to donate any money at all. As the man had
been attached to the dollar, his attachment had prevented him from
making the donation.
Human beings are by nature misers. They do not like to make
donation.
Once, Devendra, an asura and a man went to Lord Brahma to
learn. As the lectuure was very lengthy they asked Lord Brahma to
summarize. Lord Braham said the word “dha” to each of them.
Devendra understoon “dha” to mean “dhamayatha” which meant
“don’t be arrogant”. The devas tend to feel superior and hence
exhibit arrogance. As a result of this they indulge in sensual
pleassures and they are unable to control their senses. Devendra
thus took the word “dha” to mean exhibiting proper self control
and abandoning arrogance.
The asura took “dha” to mean “dayathvam”. The asuras are cruel by
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
75
nature and they do not show compassion. Thus the asura took
“dha” to mean avoid cruelty to other beings.
The man took “dha” to mean “ dhatta” or “give”. Men never
donate to the needy thus he took “dha” to mean donate to the
needy.
By donating we can rid ourself of the numerous sins which we have
accumulated.
What is the best method to earn money? Which is the best property
or investment? Which is the best profit? Which is the best item to
be enjoyed?
Swetha Sundaram
76
Skill is the best method to earn money. A skillful person will always
be able to provide for themselves and their families by applying
their skills. In the story of Nala Damayanthi, King Nala lost his
kingdom along with everything he owned to his brother . The king
wandered in the forest with his wife. Wishing for his wife to live
comfortably he abandoned her knowing that she will find her way
to her parent’s home where she will be comfortable. The king heard
a cry for help. Upon following the voice he noticed that the serpent
Karkotan was surrounded by forest fire. He stepped inside the ring
of fire and saved the serpent. Karkotan then asked the king to walk
ten steps along with him while counting the steps in Sanskrit.
Accordingly the king walked counting his steps. The moment the
king took the tenth step counting “dasha” the snake bit him.
Alarmed at the snake’s behaviour the king enquired why the snake
had bitten him. Karkotan replied he only did what the king had
asked him to do as in Sanskrit “dasha” menas “ten” as well as
“bite”. The snake added that he bit the king only to help him. In the
meantime the king’s apperance changed. The once handsome king
now became short and stout. The snake told him that now the king
could pass his exile incognito and the moment the king feels it is
safe to re-surface he would get back his original handsome figure.
The king went to the country of King Rituparna seeking
employment. As Nala looked very ugly the people were not
impressed. He went to Rituparna’s court seeking employment. As
Nala showed-off his skill as a charioteer, the king immediately hired
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
77
him eventhough his at first he didn’t have a very good opinion
about Nala .
Thus, a person possessing skills will always be able to find a
livelihood.
The best property is listening to Upanyasams (religious discourses).
The Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar stated in Thirukural that “selvathul
selvam sevi selvam” i.e the best wealth is the wealth of listening.
We cannot learn everything by just reading books. Most of us have
read the Valmiki Ramayana. We know that Lord Rama concealed
Himself from Vali while shooting Vali with His arrow. Sugreevan
approached Vali and challenged him to a wrestling match. Vali beat
up Sugreevan while Lord Rama watched them fight. Sugreevan
asked the Lord why he hadn’t interfered. Lord Rama lied that He
was unable to distinguish between Vali and Sugreevan as they
looked identical. The following day Lord Rama asked a flower
garland to be preparred and insisted that Lakshmana should garland
Sugreevan before the match. That day the Lord shot and killed Vali.
Books will tell us that the Lord had asked Sugreevan to wear the
garland inorder to be able to identify him from Vali. In reality the
Lord is the Supreme Being and can differentiate between the two
without the help of a garland. Then, did Lord Rama lie? The Lord
did not lie as He referred to the arrogant behaviour of both
Sugreevan as well as Vali. Both the brothers displayed arrogance.
Swetha Sundaram
78
They thought that “they were fighting”. They felt that victory would
be because of their effort. They did not acknowledge the Lord as
the inner controller. Hence Lord Rama found their attitudes to be
identical and witnessed the match without intefering.
Sugreevan never treated Lord Lakshmana with respect. He felt that
he respected only to Lord Rama as Lord Rama was a king like
himself. Lord Rama never protects anyone who did not pay their
respect to Lakshmana. Hence He insisted that Lakshmana should
garland Sugreevan. In order to wear the garland Sugreevan had to
bow his head before Lakshmana thus pleasing Lord Rama.
Above commentary is not available from any books on Ramayanam.
It can only be learned by listening to the discourses rendered by
Acharyas.
The best profit a person can earn is good health. Even if a person is
very rich but is suffering from illness, the person will not be able to
enjoy the pleasures money can provide.
Contentment is the best pleasure a person can have. If a person is
not contented no matter what he/she possesses they will never be
happy.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
79
Which is the best dharmam? Which dharmam gives good fruit at all
times? Who if controlled is happy? Which kind of alliance can
never be broken or digested?
Yudhishtira recollected the words of Sita Piratti from Valmiki
Ramayana and answered that compassion is the best dharmam.
In the Ramayana after Lord Rama defeated Ravana, Lord Hanuman
approached Sita Devi and requested her permission to kill all the
Rakshashis who had tortured Sita Devi. Sita Devi refused to give
her permission. She explained to Lord Hanuman that the best virtue
a person can have is to pardon the sins committed by others.
She then narrated the following story to Lord Hanuman. A man was
chased by a tiger. He climbed a tree to escape the tiger and found a
Swetha Sundaram
80
gorilla sitting on the top most tree branch. The gorilla promised to
protect the man since he had come seeking refuge by entering the
gorilla’s home. The gorilla protected the man while he slept. The
tiger tried to convince the gorilla to push the man down but the
gorilla refused. After the man awoke he asked the gorilla to sleep
while he kept watch. The tiger promised to allow the man to escape
if he pushed the gorilla from the tree. The man immediately agreed
and pushed the gorilla. The gorilla fell down the tree. The tiger told
the gorilla that he had asked the man to push the gorilla to reveal
the man’s nature. He was interested only to eat the man. The tiger
asked the gorilla to go up and push the man. The gorilla agreed and
climbed up the tree. As soon as it approached the trembling man, it
hugged him and promised to protect him from the tiger. The gorilla
said that even when people make mistake it is our duty to forgive
them.
Which dharmam gives good fruit at all times?
Treta dharmam gives fruit at all times. Treta dharmam could refer to
the three forms of agni worshipped by a householder while
performing either aupasanam or agnihothram regularly. It could also
refer to the dharmam which incarnated in the Treta yuga thus
referring to the Lord as the means as well as the end. The Lord is
enjoined with Thathvam, Hitham and Purushartham. He is the
supreme Thatthvam. He provides hitham (benefits) to us when He
accepts our saranagathi, He is the purushartham we seek.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
81
What is the one thing to be controlled to lead a life free from
remorse?
Our mind should be controlled. We must not try to controll other
people by bending them to our will. We must control our mind to
stop it from dwelling on the mistakes committed by other people.
When we exhibit self-control, we will not make fun of other’s faults
or yell at their errors; thus, we need not feel remorse for our bad
behaviour.
Which kind of alliance can never be broken or digested? The
alliance made with good people is called “Sat-Sangam”; this alliance
can never be broken. Sat is the name given to a person who has
realised God. Sat is not a person who just believes in God but the
name Sat is conferred upon those who realise God as the only
saviour who is full of compassion and is the means as well as the
end. The friendship developed with Sat people will extend even to
Sri Vaikuntham.
The five Pandavas along with Draupadi decided to go away on
Mahaprasthanam. They had to keep travelling in a northernly
direction without consuming food while waiting for death. They
were soon joined by a stray dog which followed them. After
sometime, Draupadi fell down and died. Yudhishtirar explained that
as she had always been slightly partial towards Arjuna she had fallen
first. She was followed by Sahadevan. Bheema asked Yudhishtirar
why Sahadevan had fallen. Yudhishtirar replied that Sahadevan had
Swetha Sundaram
82
been proud of his intelligence and hence had fallen next. Sahadevan
was followed by Nakulan . Bhima wanted to know the reason for
Nakulan’s fall, Yudhishtirar replied that Nakulan had been proud of
his apperance and as a result of this fault he had fallen. Soon Arjuna
fell down and died. Bhima wanted to know about Arjuna’s fault.
Yudhishtirar mentioned that Arjuna had been proud of his prowess
and he always thought that he was the saviour of the Pandavas.
Next Bhima himself fell down but just before he passed away he
wanted Yudhishtirar to explain the reason for his fall. Yudhishtirar
explained that Bhima had coveted food too much and as a result he
was falling. In the end Yudhishtirar just had the company of the
dog. Soon they were met by a heavenly chariot sent from heaven.
As Yudhishtirar was about to embark on the chariot, the driver
informed him that he cannot bring the dog inside the chariot.
Yudhishtirar told the driver that if the dog was not allowed he
wouldn’t step inside as well. He informed the driver that he would
rather walk with the dog than abandon it to travel by chariot. The
dog then revealed himself to be Dharma Devathai ( Yudhishtirar’s
father ) and praised Yudhishtirar’s integrity.
In the above story Yudhishtirar is sat and as he had walked more
than seven steps with the dog, he considered the dog to be his
friend and refused the abandon the dog. Hence friendships
cultivated with sat people like Yudhishtirar can never be broken.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
83
What should be abandoned by a person to become beloved by all?
After abandoning which we can lead a worry free life? How can a
person become rich? How can a person lead a happy and
comfortable life?
What should be abandoned by a person to become beloved by all?
Everyone adores a person who has abandoned ego. A person who
has abandoned self-ego will be humble; thus, he or she will be loved
by all. No one likes to keep the company of a know-it-all or a self-
trumpeter.
After abandoning which we can lead a worry free life?
By abandoning krodham we can lead a worry free life. In Sanskrit,
there are two words used for anger. One is “kopam” and the other
Swetha Sundaram
84
is “krodham”. There is a big difference between “kopam” and
“krodham”. Kopam is normal anger. We feel this when we see
injustice done. Our anger is directed toeards the perpetuator of the
injustice. This kind of anger is rightful anger.
Krodham is an emotion we feel when we desire something but feel
angry when we do not get the object of our desire. We direct our
anger towards innocent people who had nothing to do with us not
getting the object of our desire. For example, an employee desired
to be promoted but his colleague was selected for promotion as the
colleague was better suited. The employee started to feel angry as he
had not been selected. He went home and rang the door bell. His
wife was in the kitchen using the blender and as a result she did not
hear the door bell. It took a few extra minutes for her to realise that
there was someone at the door. As soon she opened the door, the
employee yelled at her stating that she had brought nothing but bad
luck because of which he had not been promoted. This kind of mis-
placed anger is called as krodham.
This should be controlled to lead a worry free life. We will only get
those things in life which we are destined to get. There is no use
worrying about attaining our desires and feeling angry when our
heart’s desire is not met.
How can a person become rich?
We can become rich by not spending money to procure unnecessary
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
85
items. By controlling greed and lust we can become wealthy.
Benjamin Franklin mentioned that, ‘if a person keeps on buying
unnecessary things then that person will end up selling necessary
things.’
How can a person lead a happy and comfortable life?
We can lead a happy comfortable life if we learn to be contented
with what we have.
The answers of Yudhishtirar could also be considered from the
following spiritual angle.
In order to attain the love of Lord Narayana we must abandon false
pride. It is said that the Lord reveals Himself to the people He loves
the most. The Lord loves those people who have abandoned ego.
During the Mahabharata war, Ashwatama used the Narayana
weapon against the Pandavas. Lord Krishna announced to the
Pandavas that the only way to remain unharmed by the weapon is to
cast away their weapons and their pride by surrendering to the
weapon. Everyone except Bhima followed Lord Krishna’s advice.
The weapon’s intensity increased as Bhima had not surrendered.
The weapon vanished only when Lord Krishna forced Bhima to
surrender. Our false pride and ego keeps us from attaining Lord
Krishna. As long as we lust after unnecessary material things and
give place to greed in our heart we will never achieve the Supreme
Wealth called Lord Narayana. We must realise that everything in this
Swetha Sundaram
86
Universe including ourselves belong to the Lord. He is the only
proprietor. We can lead a happy worry free life once we come to the
above realisation.
Why do people donate to Brahmins? Why are donations made to
artists, servants and royalty (modern day Government officials)?
Why do people donate to Brahmins?
People donate to learned Brahmins to attain higher worlds.
Donations made to people who are not Brahmins should be called a
“gift” and not a “donation”.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
87
Why are donations made to artists?
In order to attain fame people gift large sum of money to artists.
Organizers of events pride themselves when famous artists
participate in their event. The organisers shower expensive gifts
upon these artists as a free advertisement to show-off their event’s
success to everyone. The people who attend the event also praise
the organisers for making it possible for them to spend some time
with the artists. Thus the organisers obtain fame.
Why are donations made to servants?
We give small incentives to servants to make them happy so that
they stay loyal to us and do not leave our employment.
Why are donations made to royalty (modern day Government
officials)?
We give gifts to authority figures out of fear. We are afraid that
authority figures may misuse their powers to persecute us. To avoid
their persecution we give gifts to them.
Swetha Sundaram
88
What is this world surrounded by? Why isn’t light emitted by this
world? Why do people who reside in this world abandon their
friends? Why do the residents of this world go to hell instead of
heaven?
The world is engulfed by the darkness of ignorance called as
“agnanam”. It is impossible for anyone to know everything. If we
have expertise in one area it means that we do not have knowledge
in other areas. A learned Pundit was approached by a common man.
The man had been given a piece of paper by his master and
instructed to deliver items to the address on the paper.
Unfortunately the man was an illiterate. He requested the Pundit to
read the address for him.. The Pundit made fun of the man because
he couldn’t even read a simple address. A few minutes later the
Pundit was a witness to a car accident. The police asked the Pundit
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
89
if he had information about the car’s number plate. The Pundit
answered that the license plate was in a language he did not
understand and hence he was unable to provide this information.
The common man who had earlier asked the Pundit to read the
address was also present near by. He in turn pointed out the
Pundit’s inability to read the car license plate.
We can never obtain complete knowledge in this world. Swami
Vedanta desikan suggested that we should try to gain only essential
knowledge in this world, we should realise that the purpose of our
birth is to strive to attain the Lord’s feet, we must abandon negative
feelings of anger, lust and greed, we must do what we think and
preach. By following Swami Desikan’s advice we can attain Sri
vaikuntham. Only after reaching Sri Vaikuntham we will be freed
from the dark fog of ignorance.
Why isn’t light emitted by this world?
The world does not emit light due to laziness. The world’s light is
the self-illuminated knowledge of its residents. Our laziness
prevents us from attaining knowledge. The wrong type of food we
consume make as more lazy. Thus it is essential to eat only the
prescribed food. It is said that anyone who consumes food before
taking a shower in the morning is considered to be eating feaces. A
person who eats without meditating upon the Lord is eating blood
and the person who eats without offering the food to God is
consuming dung of animals like horses and elephants.
Swetha Sundaram
90
Why do people who reside in this world abandon their friends?
We abandon friends because we desire the things they posess. This
leads to anger and jealousy which in turn makes us abandon our
friendship.
Why do the residents of this world go to hell instead of heaven?
The people in this world go to hell instead of heaven because they
keep wrong company. There are five major sins as listed below.
1. Lieing
2. Coveting the other’s spouse
3. Using drugs and alcohol which numb our senses
4. Hating someone without reason
5. The fifth sin is remaining the friend of a person who does
all of the above sins.
Thus by abandoning Asat-Sangam we can attain heaven. By heaven
the Yakshan is reffering to Sri Vaikuntham which could only be
attained by developing Sat-Sangam.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
91
When is a person alive but dead? When is an entire nation dead, a
shradham dead and an yagnam dead?
When is a person alive but dead?
A person suffering from poverty is considered to be dead. No one
likes to go near a corpse similarly everyone avoids a homeless
person.
When is an entire nation dead?
A country without a proper leader is considered to be dead. Lack of
strong leadership destroys the morals of a nation and leads to
looting and pillaging.
When is a shradham dead?
Swetha Sundaram
92
A shradham is dead if it is not performed properly. If we pay money
to have it performed in a common hall because we don’t want our
home to be dirtied by the smoke from the fire the Shradham
becomes dead. . Pithris are very sensitive and shy. They expect
cleanliness and will not accept items which have been consumed by
others prior to offering in the shradham.
The procedure for Ashwamedha Yagam is complicated. The king
becomes tired while performing this Yagam. To rejunavate the king
a short break is incorporated in to the Yagam in the form of a
debate between the Hota and Brahma. The same set of questions
are also chanted as manthram by Brahmins during the Shradham
ritual. Typically the manthram should be chanted as soon as the
Brahmins enter the home but now a days it is chanted before they
consume the offerings from the Shradham. By chanting the
manthram the Brahmins confer blessings on the general public as
well as the host. The manthram is in the form of question and
answers. The answers are the blessings conferred upon the
public. If the offerings are consumed by the Brahmins
without chanting the manthram then the Shradham is dead. The
following are the questions & answers which are part of the
manthram.
Question 1: Kigiswid dasit poorvachitihi? What is essential for
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
93
everyone?
Answer 1: The sky is essential for everyone as it carries the rain
bearing clouds to shower rain to make the Earth prosperous.
Any one who listens to this question will not be affected by famine
in the region they live.
Question 2: Kigiswid dasit brhatdwayaha? Who is very old?
Answer 2: Ashwa vai brhatdwayaha. Ashwa is very old. The word
Ashwa is normally used to refer to a horse in Sanskrit but it is also a
name for Lord Narayana. The word Ashwa means that which
spreads everywhere. As the horse travels with great speed it looks to
spread everywhere. Hence a horse was called as Ashwa but it is the
name of Lord Narayana to indicate his omnipresence. As He is
eternal with neither beginning nor end He is the most aged person
in this Universe.
Anyone who listens to this question will develop the thirst to attain
the Lord’s divine feet.
Question 3: Kigiswid dasit pishangila? Who is pishangila?
Answer 3: Ratri is pishangila. Pishangila means that which hides
defective form. Ratri is the name of night. At night defects are
hidden and not visible to our eye. Ratri means that which gives us
pleasure.
Swetha Sundaram
94
Anyone who listens to this question will always be happy.
Question 4: Kigiswid dasit pilipila? Who is pilipila? Pilipila means
that which makes things shine.
Answer 4: Money is pilipila. Money helps us to afford good food
and other products to rejunavate our body thus making it shine with
good health.
Anyone who listens to this question will be able to enjoy food
without any negative impact on their health .
Question 5: What is that which that travels alone?
Answer 5: The Sun travels alone. Earlier the The Yakshna had
asked , “who travels with Adityan (Sun)?” to which Yudhistar
answered that the Devas accompany the Adityan in his travel. If we
take Adityan to be the Sun then the Devas are as follows.
There are in total 12 Suns known as the 12 Adithyas one Adithya
for every month.
The Sun is accompanied by 1 rishi every month . The rishi keeps the
Sun commpany by chanting Vedas. There is also a gandharva who
palys music to entertain the Sun. The Sun’s chariot is drawn by 7
horses. A Yakshan travels with the Sun to control the horses. To
protect the Sun, a rakshasha travels with the Sun. The Sun is also
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
95
accompanied by a Naga. Apsaras entertain the Sun by dancing. Lord
Vishnu has twelve forms. The Lord accompanies the Sun
everymonth in one of His twelve months.
It seems that Yudhistra’s answer contradicts this answer but here by
Surya, Lord Vishnu is referred. Even when amongst the company of
others, Lord Vishnu shines brilliantly appearing to be alone. When
Lord Vishnu is present, even the Sun disappears in His brilliance.
Anyone wholistens to this question will become brilliant and shine
amongst other people.
Question 6: What is that which is reborn after its birth?
Answer 6: The moon is reborn after its birth. This answer refers to
the different phases of the moon. The moon takes birth as the
Fullmoon and slowly decays till it appears to disappear on
Newmoon day only to appear the following day as a crescent which
grows slowly till it is re-born as the Fullmoon. We find the lunar
phase interesting. We see the same Sun every single day but the
moon changes everyday. Change is interesting and prevents
boredom.
Anyone who listens to this question will make other people find
their company to be interesting.
Question 7: What is the remedy for frost (fog)?
Swetha Sundaram
96
Answer 7: Agni (fire) is the remedy for frost (fog). Frost as well as
fog hides everything from our view but the fog referred to in this
question is ignorance. As we are covered by the cold grasp of
ignorance we do not realise our true self. An Acharyan is called as
agni since he leads us along the spiritual path. Agni is used to refer
to people who lead others along a path. An Acharyan through his
teachings melts away the frosty ignorance clouding our knowledge.
Anyone who listens to this question will lead a good life in this
world and enjoy the bliss enjoyed in Sri Vaikuntham in this world
itself.
Question 8: What is the Earth’s limit or which is the largest field?
Answer 8: the place where Lord Vishnu is worshiped is the largest
field.
Anyone who listens to this question will become good orators.
People will raise them on a pedestal and listen to their words.
Question 9: Which is the hub for Earth? Central point are hub is
that location from which all the different types of wealth is
obtained.
Answer 9: Yagnam is the hub of Earth.
Anyone who listens to this question will obtain the Yagnam, Lord
Narayana.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
97
Question 10: Which is that horse which rains? What is its veeryam?
Answer 10: Yagam or Lord Narayan is the horse that rains blessings
on us. The veeryam is the soma juice used in Yagnam which is
nothing but the holy water with tulasi leaves offered to the Yagnam
called Lord Vishnu.
Question 11: What do all the words in this world refer to?
Answer 11: All the words refer ultimately to Lord Narayana who is
the Parabrahmam.
Anyone who listens to all the above questions will obtain the fruit
received by perfoming the Ashwamedha Yagam as well as
Shradham.
It is very difficult to perform Shradham which is typically performed
only after the Earth has warmed up. This is usually around 11:25 am
in India. Traditionally the Brahmins chant the above question and
answer as soon as they enter their host’s home for perfoming
Shradham. It could also be chanted by them prior to eating the
offerings from the Shradham. If these questions are chanted by
them properly then the sportsmen born in that country will always
win the gold medal, the soldiers will be brave and victorious, cows
will give pleanty of milk, the oxen will be very strong and bear load
efficiently, vehicles will perform without accidents, horses will
always travel with great speed, all girls born in that country will be
very beautiful like a “dream girl”, the host performing the Shradham
Swetha Sundaram
98
will get a good son who will be intelligent, brave, youthful ,
courteous and this son will keep only good company, It will rain
only when the people of the country wish for rain thus preventing
crop damage from heavy as well as scanty rainfall. They finally
confer Yoga Shemam on the public. Yogam is the accumulation
of new items. Shemam is the proper functioning of the purchased
item. A couple used their bonus to buy a brand new refrigerator.
The following year they again spent their bonus on a brand new
refrigerator because the refrigerator purchased during the previous
year stopped working. If the couple had Yoga Shemam then the
refrigerator from the previous year would function properly
enabling them to spend their bonus on purchasing some other item.
Overall world peace and prosperity will be attained.
When is an yagnam dead?
A Yagam is considered to be dead if dakshina (donation) are not
offered according to the laws of the Yagnam. The sins affecting the
Yagam are disposed off safely by giving Dakshina to
Brahmins. There are certain hazards associated with every
occupation. Similar to a doctor running the risk of catching
infectious diseases from the patients they treat, a Brahmin runs the
risk of catching the sins of their hosts when they receive dakshina.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like gloves are used by
medical practitioner to protect themselves against infectious
diseases. The regular practice of Vedic Manthrams and the Vedic
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
99
Manthrams themselves are the PPE used by a Brahmin to protect
themselves from the sins contained in a dakshina.
The following story illustrates how the Vedic manthras protect a
Brahmin.
Once, the Devas decided to perform a sacrifice but the fire would
not burn properly as it was afflicted by sin. It is prohibited to
perform sacrifices if the fire smoulders. The devas went to get ghee
to make the fire burn properly but the ghee solidified as it was
affected by sin. As it is not allowed to pour solid ghee into the fire,
they were instructed by Lord Brahma to give dakshina (donations)
to people to transfer the sin to other people. No one wanted to
receive the dakshina as they did not want to get the sins. Lord
Brahma then asked the Brahmins to take the dakshina but they too
refused. Lord Brahma then asked them to get the dakshina by
weraing protective gloves so that the sin will not stick to them. This
protective gloves is the recitation of the Vedic mantras.
The Vedic mantras are never affected by sin as it is the nature of the
Vedic mantra to repel sin. When we eat greasy food with our hand,
the grease sticks to our hand. We scrub our hand to remove the
grease but it is not necessary to scrub our tongue. Even though our
tongue comes in contact with the greasy food, the grease does not
stick to the tongue as it is the nature of the tongue to repel grease.
Similarly by practicing at least one chapter from the Vedas, sins
from the dakshina do not affect the Brahmins. If it is not possible to
Swetha Sundaram
100
practice one chapter everyday, the Brahmins must atleast chant
Purusha Suktham or at least chant the Gayathri Manthram ten times
everyday. A Brahmin who does not do any of the above (chant 1
chapter from Vedas or Purusha Suktham or Gayathri
manthram for 10 times) which are known as Brahma Yagnam
for more than three days, is no longer considered to be a
Brahmin.
The host who requested the Brahmins to perform the yagnam
should not haggle over the dakshina. The host must offer as much
as possible to the Brahmins. The host should make sure that all the
Brahmins who participated in the performance of the Yagnam
receive dakshina. If the dakshina is given to only one Brahmin then
too the Yagam is considered to be dead.
What is considered to be direction? What is water? What is food,
poison? When is the best time to perform Shraddham?
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
101
What is considered to be direction?
The way indicated by Sat is known as direction. Whereever a Sat
person is found, that direction is considered to be good direction.
Sat is the name given to aperson who has realised God. Sat is not a
person who just believes in God but the name Sat is conferred upon
those who realise God as the only saviour, full of compassion and as
the means as well as the end. Usually Acharyans are considered to
be sat since they show us the way to reach God. While prostrating
before them to offer our obeisance we need not check to see if the
direction they are facing is good/bad. Any direction they face is
considered to be good. The prayer room in our homes can be
located facing any direction since Lord Vishnu will face all direction;
but, while bathing in a river a person must face the water flow but in
stagnat water bodies, a person must either face North or East
direction. A person can eat facing any of the four cardinal
directions.but a person must not eat while facing the intercardinal
directions (NE, NW, SE, SW).
A person who has the thirst to reach Lord Vishnu suffers like a
person who has been blindfolded and left alone in a forest. If a
Swetha Sundaram
102
person was blindfolded and their hands tied by some kidnappers
that person is incapable of effecting escape. If the kidnappers
abandon the person in the middle of a dense forest the person will
cry for help hoping that someone will come to his/her aid.
Eventually a passerby might notice the abandoned prisoner and
remove the blind fold and untie the bonds. The passerby will then
show the prisoner the path to exit the forest. The prisoner will not
be able to grasp the complete direction but will remember only the
initial path. The prisoner will then traverse this initial path and at
every village will verify by asking the villagers if he/she is on the
right path. Eventually the path will lead to a major city the prisoner
wanted to reach. Similarly we are lost in this forest of samsara. If we
cry for help, we might attract the attention of an acharya who will
shows us the right path to exit the forest. Once on the right path,
we must keep checking that we are on the right path by listening to
religious discourses to ensure that we do not stray away from it. If
we follow this procedure we will eventually reach Parama Padam.
Hence, the way shown by a sadacharyan is the correct direction.
What is water?
Yudhishtirar answered that the sky is water. The Yakshan asked
Yudhishtirar , ‘what is udagam?’ Udagam refers to the water offered
as oblation to Pitris. Yudhishtirar’s answer could be explained as,
‘Udagam is water’ or as ‘water is water’. Tarpanam is performed by
adding black sesame seeds to water offered as oblation. If black
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
103
sesame seeds are not available, tarpanam could be performed with
plain water. Keeping this in mind, Yudhishtirar answered that water
is water.
His original answer that sky is water indicates the sky as the best
source of water. A gardener looks forward for rainy weather. Plants
do well when it rains. Even if we pour the same amount of water
using a garden hose, plants spring to life only when it rains. Hence,
the sky is considered to be the best source of water as it carries the
rain bearing clouds.
The Vedic manthram recited by a groom during wedding declares
that if he the groom is the sky then the bride is the Earth. The
purport of this manthram is to show that the Earth is very happy
when rain waters fall on her. The sky is perceived to shower love
and affection in the form of rain on the Earth. Similarly the groom
promises to showere love and affection on his bride.
What is food?
Yudhishtirar answered that a cow is the best food. By cow he did
not mean beef. Only the food items which is the source of all
essential nutrients is considered to be good food. A cow gives us
milk which supplies us with all the essential nutrients and replaces
mother’s milk. Thus, a cow is the best food. The Yakshan asked ,
‘which is the best annam?’. Annam in Sanskrit means that which is
qualified to be eaten. Only food which is offered to Lord Vishnu is
Swetha Sundaram
104
qualified to be eaten. The sanskrit word “Gau” means cow as well
as good word. Only food which is offered with love without any
expectations in return from the eater is considered to be good food.
Food must be served with maternal affection; only food served with
affection after offering to Lord Vishnu is considered to be good
food.
Which is poison?
Taking items which belong to a Brahmin is poison. In the story of
Lord Garuda, as soon as Lord Garuda incarnated as Vinata’s son he
was feeling very hungry. He requested his mother to direct him
towards his natural food source. After consulting with his father
Sage kashyapa, Vinata directed Garudan to feed on a tribe of
hunters who resorted to immoral activities. She instructed him that
at anytime if he felt a burning sensation in his throat upon
swallowing anyone, he must recognise that person as a Brahmin and
must release the Brahmin. According to his mother’s instruction,
Garudan started to consume the tribe members. All of a sudden he
felt a strong burning sensation in his throat. Recalling his mother’s
words, he realised that he had swallowed a Brahmin. He called out
to the Brahmin and asked him to come out. The brahmin replied
that he would come out only if Garudan permitted the Brahmin’s
wife who belonged to the tribe of huntsmen was also granted
freedom as she had wedded the Brahmin. Garudan agreed to the
Brahmin’s request and freed the couple. Thus, taking the things that
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
105
belongs to a Brahmin is poison. During Yagams and Shraddhams
the dakshina set aside for a Brahmin must be given to them. A part
of the dakshina must not be skimmed by the host as it is a poison
which will destroy the host’s entire clan.
When is the best time to perform Shraddham?
Shraddham should be performed only after the land is warmed up
by the Sun. This is usally in the afternoon. This is the only time
when the pitris feel hungry and will accept food offered as oblation.
They also like hot food hence food should not have gone cold
because it was cooked very early. Hence, rites like tarpanam,
shradham etc which are done for the pitris should not be performed
in the morning. Afternoon is called as “kuthapa kalam” in Sanskrit
but Yudhishtira answered the Yakshan as Brahmana
kalaha. Brahmana kalam refers to a special shradham performed
when the host of the shradham meets a learned Brahmin. The host
on seeing a learned Brahmin should wish to perform shraddham
eventhough it is not the tithi to perform Shraddham for his
ancestors. To indicate this Special shraddham as the best
Shraddham Yudhishtira answered Brahma Kalaha.
Swetha Sundaram
106
What is tapas? What is dhamam, patience and shyness?
What is tapas? What is dhamam, patience and shyness?
Yudhishtira said that, ‘following ones duty properly is tapas.’ As
women are assigned the duty of caring for their families, they are
exempt from fasting during Ekadashi. Their duty is to take care of
their husband and to make sure he is able to fast on Ekadashis.
Similarly students are exempt from fasting as their primary duty is to
study. Abadoning the primary duty inorder to take part in religious
activities like Ekadashi fast is not acceptable.
What dhamam?
Dhamam refers to controlling the mind. Mind is the captain among
the senses. Proper sense control could be achieved only if the mind
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
107
is controlled.
There was a rich land lord who managed the local temple. He
provided a bowl of rice to everyone who worked in the temple.
There was an old man who did nothing. He sat inside the temple
gate all day. The landlord out of compassion also provided a bowl
of rice to this old man. One day, the land lord’s son took over the
management. He had graduated from the top business school. He
wanted to minimise waste and carry out “lean execution”. He did an
audit and found out that the old man was receiving a bowl of rice
without performing any task. The new landlord stopped everyone
from providing rice to the old man unless he helped out with the
temple work. After a week the new landlord enquired if the old man
had started working. He was shocked to learn that the old man
didn’t do any work and continued to sit in his usual spot. The new
landlord visited the old man and was amazed to see the old man
look happy. The old man did not feel bad that he no longer received
his bowl of rice. The new landlord felt sorry for the old man and
asked him to do atleast a small task. The old man replied that he
did not need rice. The landlord asked why the old man sat doing
nothing all day. The old man mentioned that it is not easy to remain
static all day. The landlord challenged the old man that he can sit
like the old man without doing anything. The old man accepted the
challenge and asked the landlord to remain static for just five
minutes. After five minutes the landlord replied that it was very easy
to remain static. To this the old mentioned that the landlord had
Swetha Sundaram
108
only remained static physically while his mind had been wandering
musing about his upcoming court case and then mentally visiting his
sister. The landlord was astonished by the old man’s reply. He
wanted to know how the old man had been able to read his mind.
The old man replied that he had complete control over his mind
because of which he could read the landlord’s mind.The landlord
accepted defeat and continued to provide a bowl of rice to the old
man.
What is patience?
True patience is exhibited when a person forgives even his/her
enemies.
What should one be shy off?
A person should feel shy off worldly acts and hence try to withdraw
from this materialistic world.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
109
The Yakshan asked Yudhishtira to ponder over the following
questions carefully before answering.Does one become Brahmin by
birth? Or by the study of Vedas? Or by contemplating on the
meanings of the Vedas? Or by leading a life as prescribed by the
Vedas by controlling their senses i.e a person with good character?
One does not become a Brahmin just by taking birth in the Brahmin
community; but, such a birth opens up the oppportunity to learn the
Vedas. By reciting the Vedas regularly everyday, the thirst to know
the meaning of the Vedic verses is born in the learner’s mind. The
Swetha Sundaram
110
learner then approaches a good Acharyan and studies the meaning
of the verses. To become a true Brahmin, the learner must apply the
knowledge obtained from the Vedas in real life situation. The
learner must lead a life as prescribed by the Vedas. Above all the
Brahmin must be of good character with complete control over his
senses.If the first three points are lost, the learner could go back to
the Vedic school and start the learning process all over again but if
character is lost, everything is lost.
We can see the example of a good Brahman in the story of Garuda
Bagawan.
In the story of Lord Garuda, as soon as Lord Garuda incarnated as
Vinata’s son he was feeling very hungry. He requested his mother to
direct him towards his natural food source. After consulting with his
father Sage Kashyapa, Vinata directed Garudan to feed on a tribe of
hunters who resorted to immoral activities. She instructed him that
at anytime if he felt a burning sensation in his throat upon
swallowing anyone, he must recognise that person as a Brahmin and
must release the Brahmin. According to his mother’s instruction,
Garudan started to consume the tribe members. All of a sudden he
felt a strong burning sensation in his throat. Recalling his mother’s
words, he realised that he had swallowed a Brahmin. He called out
to the Brahmin and asked him to come out. The brahmin replied
that he would come out only if Garudan permitted the Brahmin’s
wife who belonged to the tribe of huntsmen to come out as well.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
111
Garudan agreed to the Brahmin’s request and freed the couple.
After Garudan finished eating the entire tribe, he still felt hungry.
He approached his father Sage Kashyapa and asked him to point
out to more food choices. The sage asked Garudan to eat an
elephant and a tortoise who had been fighting with each other at a
nearby river bank. They were Brahmins in their previous birth
named as Suprathikan and Vibhavasu respectively. They fought with
each other trying to get complete control over their property. They
cursed each other to turn into an elephant and a tortoise
respectively. Even though they became an elephant and a tortoise
they followed all the duties prescribed by the Vedas. They would
start fighting with each other every day only after completing their
daily duties like sandhyavandhanam. Lord Garudan swooped down
on the fighting duo and ate them without any difficulty.
Why was Garudan not able to eat the Brahmin who had married a
tribeswoman but could eat the two brothers who practised the
Vedas everyday?
The first Brahmin had good character. Eventhough he married a
tribeswoman, he considered her to be his wife for life. He protected
her and never abandoned her. He requested Garudan to free her
along with him. He also continued practising the Vedas. He
followed all the duties prescribed by the Vedas and hence was a true
Brahmin.
Swetha Sundaram
112
The two Brahmin brothers lusted after property and hence their
character was tarnished.Eventhough they practiced the Vedas and
performed their Vedic duties regularly, they were not true Brahmins
because they lacked good character. Thus Lord Garudan could eat
them.
What does a person obtain by speaking only agreeable words? By
acting with good judgement after analysing the situation? What does
a friend with many friends get? What does a person who always
follows proper dharma get?
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
113
What does a person obtain by speaking only agreeable words?
A person who always speak agreeable words will be loved by all but
a person should speak for the benefit of the listener.If agreeable
words will not bring benefit to the listener, then the person must try
to sugar coat his/her words or speak unagreeable words even if it
means losing the favour of the listener.
Ravana gathered a meeting to discuss about the impending war. He
wanted ideas on saving his kingdom while retaining Sita Piratti. As
the criteria of the meeting had been set as “retaining Sita & yet win
the war”, his advisers tried to encourage him by commenting on his
prowess.Vibhishana was the only person who advised with the
intention to save Ravana. Vibhishana asked Ravana to return Sita as
this was the only alternative left in order to save the kingdom. As
Vibhishana’s words were not accepted by Ravana, Ravana cast
Vibhishana out of his kingdom.Inspite of knowing that he would
have to lose his position in the kingdom, Vibhishana spoke words
for the benefit of Ravana.
What does a person obtain by acting with good judgement after
Swetha Sundaram
114
analysing the situation?
A person who acts with good judgement after analysing the
situation will always be successful.There was once a poet called
Bharavi. He was very famous. The people appreciated his poems
but Bharavi’s fathaer always spoke harshly to him and mocked his
poetry. Bharavi’s anger against his father slowly built up till one day
when Bharavi decided to murder his father. The poet climbed onto
the roof and removed the tiles over his parents bedroom. After
making an opening the poet was about to drop a boulder on his
father when he heard is mother speak. His mother asked Bharavi’s
father why he always made fun of Bharavi. Bharavi immediately
stood still and waited to hear his father’s answer. Bharavi’s father
stated that he was very proud of Bharavi. He was afraid that if
everyone praised Bharavi it may cause Bharavi to suffer from the
influence of evil eye (dhrishti). He also wanted to make sure that
Bharavi did not become arrogant. Once Bharavi heard his father’s
words, he felt sorry that he had wanted to kill his father. The next
day he confessed to his father and asked for a suitable punishment.
His father asked him to go live with his in-laws till the day when his
mother in law served him salt using her left hand. According to his
father’s orders Bharavi went to live with his in-laws. The first day
Bharavi’s in-laws held a feast in his honour. The very next day his
brother-in-law wanted to know how long he intented to stay with
them. When they found out that he won’t be returning to his
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
115
parents home in the near future, they started making ordinary meals
for him. After a month his mother in law asked him to graze their
cattle so that they could save the salary paid to the cowherds.
Bharavi grazed the cattle everyday and he would write poems while
looking after the cattle. His in-laws’ neighbour was a lady whose
husband was a rich travelling business man. The lady collected
Bharavi’s poems and kept them inside an iron pipe in her home.
Bharavi’s mother-in-law would wait for him to return home before
having her meals but soon she started to have her meals before
Bharavi returned home. One day Bharavi returned early while his
mother in law was having her meal. As he sat down next to her to
have his meal, she gave him very sour curd. Bharavi asked for some
salt to neutralize the sour taste. As his mother in law was eating, she
grabbed some salt with her left hand and passed it to him. Happy
that he had full filled his father’s order, Bharavi left his in-laws
home immediately.
The lady who had collected Bharavi’s poem was living alone with
her son. Her husband had gone to a foreign country just before the
birth of their son and he hadn’t come home for a visit yet. After
twenty long years the husband returned home. He knocked on the
door but as there was no answer he let himself in. As he went into
the bedroom he found his wife sleeping next to a twenty year old
man. Jumping to conclusion that his wife was involved in
inappropriate behaviour with the stranger, the man grabbed a iron
pipe from the cupboard to smash his wife’s brains. As he swung the
Swetha Sundaram
116
pipe, a few scrolls fell down. Curious to see the content of the
scrolls, the man picked them up. The scrolls contained the poems
written by Bharavi. The first poem advised people to act only after
they have all the facts. Taking this to be a sign the man dropped the
pipe and awakened his wife. She was happy to see him and roused
their son who had never met his father. The man felt relieved that
he had not acted rashly.
Thus a person who acts after analysing all the facts will always be
happy and successful
What does a person with many friends get?
A person with many friends will always be happy. Yudhishtirar
answered this question based on his personal experience. Previously
when the five Pandavas escaped the attempt made by the
Duryodanas to assasinate them, they went to live in Ekachakra
Puram pretending to be Brahmins. They soon came to know about
Draupadi’s Swayamvaram. Durupadan the father of Draupadi had
performed a yagnam in order to obtain a daughter who would marry
Arjuna. As he had heard the news that the Pandavas had been killed
in a fire, he decided to hold a shooting contest so that he can give
his daughter’s hand in marriage to the best warrior. The Brahmins
from Ekachakra Puram decided to go to Panchala the country of
Durupadan to witness this contest as they felt that the king might
shower dakshina on all Brahmins once the wedding of princess
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
117
Draupadi takes place. The Pandavas in the guise of Brahmins
accompanied the Brahmins from Ekachakra Puram. They wanted
Arjuna to participate in the contest so that he can win the hand of
princess Draupadi. Enroute the other Brahmins kept quizzing them
on the rules & regulations to be followed by Brahmins. The
Pandavas were tired of answering the incessant questions. They
decided to slip away at night fall and cross the River Ganges when
the Brahmins were asleep. As per their plan at midnight, they started
to cross Ganges on a boat when they were waylaid by a Gandharvan
called Chitrarathan. He asked them to return back to the bank as
human beings were prohibited to cross the river after 9 PM. 9 PM
to midnight was the time alloted for Gandharvas and midnight to 4
AM the time alloted to Pichasas. Human beings could cross the
river only after 4 AM. When the Pandavas refused to return, he
challenged them by shooting arrows but to his utter amazement
Arjuna was able to resist his onslaught by shooting arrows to
destroy the arrows shot by Chitrarathan. (Arjuna’s arrows were
similar to Patriot missile used to sink skud missile in Gulf war)
Chitrarathan immediately realised that Arjuna was a great warrior.
He wanted to befriend Arjuna as well as all the Pandavas.
Yudhishtirar gracefully accepted Chitrarathan’s friendship. The
Panadavas were directed by Chitrarathan to seek Dhaumya
Maharishi to be their Acharyan. He also gave 360 high quality
horses as a gift to them which they asked him to keep in reserve till
the day when they needed these horses.
Swetha Sundaram
118
Many years later the Pandavas went to live in the forest after losing
their kingdom to Duryodana. The evil minded Duryodana wanted
to see the Pandavas suffer in person. He decided to set up a camp
near the Pandavas residence and wanted to mock their modest
living. He sent his men to set up a lavish camp near the very modest
residence of the Pandavas. As they were setting up camp,
Chitrarathan’s men arrived and ordered them to leave the area as it
had been reserved for the personal use of Chitrarathan. Duryodana
and his men refused to leave. Immediately Chitrarathan and his men
started to wage war. Duryodana and his men were unable to defend
themselves. Karna forgot the lessons on warfare due to the curse of
sage Parasurama; he therefore abandoned Duryodana and ran away
from the battle field. Chitraratha’s men captured Duryodana and his
brothers. The Gandharvas dragged the Duryodanas away.
Duryodana’s wife rushed to the residence of the Panadavas and
sought the help of Yudhishtirar. Yudhishtirar was in the middle of a
Yagnam. He convinced Arjuna and Bhima to get the release of the
Duryodanas from Chitraratha. As soon as the two Pandava brothers
requested the release of the Duryodanas, Chitrarathan immediately
obliged. Duryodana felt humiliated. He couldn’t digest the fact that
he had been rescued from the Gandharvas by the Panadavas.
Chitrarathan had planned this event as soon as he had come to
know about the plans of Duryodana. Chitrarathan wanted to protect
the Pandavas from Duryodana’s insults and had thus dragged
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
119
Duryodana away as his prisoner only to release Duryodana when his
release was requested by the Pandavas.
Thus a person with many good friends like Chitrarathan will always
be happy.
Friendship is an important relationship. The reason why the shastras
prescribe asoucham when someone we know dies or if there is a
birth in the family is to give us permission to excuse ourselves from
daily duties like visiting the temples so that we can concentrate all
our time on helping our friends and family members in their time of
need. The only vedic duties allowed to be performed on such days
are the Sandhyavandhanam and Grahana Tarpanam. All other Vedic
duties are put on hold in order to help family and friends.
What does a person who always follows proper dharma get?
Yudhishtirar answered that he best dharmam is the performance of
kaimkaryam to Perumaal.Once, there existed a devotee called
Narayanaswamy who did not have any progeny. Narayanaswamy
spent his entire life doing kaimkaryams to Lord Aramudhan of
Thirukudanthai Divya Desam. He spent his earnings on building the
temple’s Raja Gopuram. After Narayanaswamy passed away, the
people were worried about who will perform his last rites. When the
bhatachariar entered the sanctum of Lord Aramudhan he noticed
that Perumaal was wearing the yagnopavithram in the direction
worn while performing last rites. The bhatachariar thought that he
Swetha Sundaram
120
had made a mistake while decorating Perumaal on the previous day.
Therefore he corrected the direction of the yagnopavithram but to
his utter amazement he found that the yagnopavithram switched
direction again. The bhatachariar realized that it was Perumaal’s way
of saying that He was going to perform the last rite for
Narayanaswamy. Perumaal performed the last rite for Jatayu during
Rama Avataram and as Aramudhan performed the rites for
Narayanaswamy. To this day the rites are continued to be
performed for Narayanaswamy at Thirukudanthai.
The above incident illustrates that the best dharmam/duty is to
perform Bagawath/Bagawatha kaimkaryam.
Who is truly happy? What is most wonderful? What is the path?
And what is the news?
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
121
Who is truly happy?
Yudhishtira answered that a person who lived a simple life will
always be happy. A person who is satisfied with whatever he/she
has and doesn’t seek material things will be very happy. Any person
who owns a home even if it is a small hut and uses the vegetables
growing in the vegetable patch will be happy. The person does not
have to worry about making rent payments nor about purchasing
food. A person should be happy with whatever is availbale in the
vegetable patch. If only spinach is available, such a person will cook
the leaves as a vegetable side and use the spinach stem in soup. The
person will also take food only after praying to God and have only
Swetha Sundaram
122
one meal during the 5th or 6th period of the day. A day commences
at around 4:30 am. 90 min make one period. By this calculation, 5th
or 6th period is from noon to 1:30 PM. A person who hasn’t taken
any loans will be happy as he/she doesn’t have to worry about
repaying the loan. A person who lives in his native land is also very
happy as he/she does not have to adjust to the rules of a foreign
country.
What is most wonderful?
Yudhishtirar answered that the most amzing thing is the behaviour
of people. Even when people know that death cannot be avoided
and watch their family and friends make their way to the
netherworlds they think that they themselves will continue to live
forever.
What is the path?
To answer to the Yakshan’s question on which is the way,
Yudhishtirar used Purusha Suktham. Purusha Suktham is present in
all the four vedas. It mentions about the vedas twice.The word
“panthaha” is repeated twice in the Purusha suktham.Panthaha is
the way which leads away from samsaram to Moksham.
Yudhishtirar understood the Yakshan’s question as the right way to
reach Moksham. He answered that realising the concept (tatvam) of
dharmam is the right way. Dharmam refers to that activity which
leads to good destination. Our Lord is called Sanathana Dharmam
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
123
because He is eternal and He is also Dharmam.The Vedas tell us
that the good deeds performed to obtain good fruit are called as
dharmam. The best fruit is obtaining the divine feet of Lord
Narayana. The means to attain this fruit is through bakthi yoga and
saranagathi.According to the laws of Saranagathi He is the means as
well as the end.Even if we surrender to Him, He has to accept our
surrender making Him the means as well as the end. Hence He is
Sanathana Dharmam. A person who realises that our Lord is the
means as well as the end and performs Prapatti at His divive feet
will experience moksham in this world itself. The divine feet of
Perumal could only be attained by bringing our mind as well as
senses under control. The person should follow the rules prescribed
by the shastras inorder to develop a healthy body so as to be able to
perform Bakthi Yoga.Yudhishtirar answered that the way used by
“mahajanangal” is the correct way. Mahajanagal are our Sages,
Azhwaars and Acharyans.The way followed by these people is
Saranagathi.In our Sampradayam, Swami Nammazhwar is called as
Mahajanam. Nammazhwar is fondly called as “Periyan” i. e
“greatest”.Swami Nammazhwar told Perumal that he is greater than
Perumal Himself. This is because while Perumal contains the entire
Universe in Him, Swami Nammazhwar is greater because he bears
the Lord in his heart.
The great Swami nammazhwar is the only one who told us about
the way to reach Sri Vaikuntham. Therefore the proper way is to
follow the way indicated by Swami Nammazhwar by performing
Swetha Sundaram
124
Prapatti at the divine feet of Lord Narayana.
And what is the news?
Yudhishtirar then answered that the world we live in is a huge pan.
The sky acts as the lid and the Sun is the fire. Day and night are the
fire wood used as fuel. Time in the form of changing seasons acts as
the ladle used to stir food. We are the food being cooked. This is
the best news. We are under the control of this World and time.
Time slowly cooks us.Time changes our perspective and attitude. A
person who is very angry calms down after a period of time;
similarly, our hurts are healed by time. Anything can happen to
anyone at any time since we are all under the control of time. If we
know this piece of news we will never be dissappointed.
Ithihasas like Mahabharata are news. By listening to news we learn
to avoid the mistakes made by other people. Contradict to popular
belief, Mahabharata is not a book war. It teaches us to avoid
vendetta as vengence leads to ruin.
The shradha manthram during the pinda prathanam also states that
the earth is a vessel on which the offerings are placed and that the
vessel is covered by the sky itself. It is said that Shantanu came in
person to accept the offerings made in the shradham by
Bhishmacharya. He asked Bhishma to place the offerings on his
hand but Bhishmacharyar refused stating that for pitris (departed
ancestors) only the earth should be used as a vessel. He further
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
125
added that he need not obey Shantanu as Shantanu’s request is
against the shastras.
Yudhishtirar’s answer starts with the phrase “ Earth is a vessel”.
This is similar to the
Poigai Azhwar pasuram which also starts with the phrase “Vaiyam
Thagaliya” i.e the earth is a vessel. From next post we will introduce
additional questions found only in the Tamil Mahabharatham
written by Villiputhur Azhwar.
Yudhishtirar answered the question with the phrase “ Earth is a
vessel”. This is similar to the
Poigai alwar pasuram shown below which also starts with the phrase
“Vaiyam Thagaliya” i.e the earth is a vessel we will introduce
additional questions found only in the Tamil Mahabharatham
written by Villiputhur Azhwar.
"Vaiyam Thagaliya, Var kadale Neiyaga,
Vaiyakkathiron Vilakagachheya,
Sudaraazhiyaan Adikke soodinen sonn malai,
Edarazhi Neengugave endru!!"
The following question is from tamil Mahabharatam.
The Yakshan asked, ‘which is the greatest book?’
Swetha Sundaram
126
Yudhishtirar answered that theVedas are the greatest among all
books. The Vedas were not created by any human being. They were
discovered by Sages like Vishwamithra just like the way in which
America was discovered by Columbus. America existed prior to
Columbus’s discovery similarly the Vedas also existed prior to their
discovery by the sages.
The Vedas cannot be read. They are learned by listening as the
“swaram”, the musical scale/pitch is very important. For example
the word “ajanam” is Sanskrit for goats and refers to more than 2
goats. The word “janathi” means “he knows”. To say that “I came
to know” in sanskrit, the word used is “ajanam”. Therefore when a
person mentions just “ajanam”, is that person reffering to more
than two goats or is the person saying , ‘I came to know’? The
context in which the words are used cannot be determined easily
either in the Sanskrit Vedas. Therefore, the words said in high pitch
refer to noun and in low pitch to verbs. By listening to the
scale/pitch in which the words are utterred a person can determine
if the word is used as verb or as a noun.
Prathamam in Sanskrit means the first time, dwithiyam means the
secon time by extension then thrithiyam should mean the third time
but this word also means 1/3rd. Once again to identify if the word is
used to refer to the third time or to quantity as 1/3rd, pitch./scale is
used.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
127
It can be seen that the Vedas could not have been created by any
human being. The scale/pitch classification also varies from one
veda to the other. This classification based on the Veda is known as
“Pada Patham”.
Isavasopanishad is part of Shukla Yajur Veda and starts with
“Isavasyam mitham sarvam”. The Shaivites started to interpret
“Isavasyam” as “Isa + Avasyam” and misunderstood the meaning
as “lord Shiva is present in everything and therefore he is the
Supreme Being”. Shrutaprakasikachar used the commentary of Sri
Adi sankaracharyar to prove that the word “Isavasyam” should only
be split as “Isha + Vasyam” because the word is found in Shukla
Yajur Veda . According to the Pada Patham of Shukla Yajur Veda,
the word could only be split as “isha + vasyam”. The word “Isha”
refers to our inner controller known as “Iit” in sanskrit. Therefore
the statement refers only to our inner controller Lord Narayana as
Iit and not to lord Shiva popularly known as Isan.
The Vedas are too perfect to be manmade. Thus they are the best
knowledge or the best book.
What is required by a householder?
A householder requires the company of a mature and intelligent
wife. The wife should have mental maturity to be satisfied with what
is available for her and her family. She should not be jealous of
other women and feel that they have a better life. She should know
Swetha Sundaram
128
that every family faces their own problems. Both the husband as
well as the wife should not keep secrets from each other.
Which is the fragrant flower in a garland?
Jathi, star jasmine is the best flower to be used in a garland as Lord
Vishnu is fond of this variety of jasmine.
Which is the best penance (tapas)?
The best tapas is to learn Vedas and Upanishad and then ponder
over their meaning. For example ,the Udagashanti Manthram has
the word “Evishta” in it. Evishta means the youngest person. Who
is reffered by the word “Evishta”? The word refers to “Lord
Vishnu” and in particular to Lord Opilliappan of Thiruvinnagara
Divya Desam. This is because the Lord’s father in law Markandeya
Maharishi is always present alongside the Lord thus making
Lord Opilliappan the youngest person in comparison. Peyazhwar
also refers to Lord Opilliappan as “illankumaran Vinnagar”.
Therefore, upon hearing the word “Evishta” a person with good
tapas will meditate upon the form of Lord opilliappan.
Name another best tapas.
Following the rules and regulations prescribed by shastras for ones
clan is another best tapas.
Who is the deity worshipped by Munikulam? By “munikulam” the
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
129
Yakshan is referring to people with satvik tendencies. People with
satvik tendencies worship the deity with satvik qualities.
Once, a congretation of rishis gathered on the banks of river
Saraswati. They were planning to perform a yagnam. They had some
disagreement about to whom they should make the offerings. Brigu
Maharishi suggested that they must offer to the most satvik
devathai. He left to find out the most satvik devathai. He first went
to Lord Brahma’s Sathya Lokam. Brigu Maharishi was the mind
born son of Lord Brahma but he was very disappointed when Lord
Brahma did not even notice his arrival. From there Brighu
Maharishi left for Kailasham where he was told that Lord Shiva is
with Parvati Devi and hence he cannot obtain darshan. Brighu
Maharishi rushed past Lord Shiva’s guards but upon entering their
private chambers Lord Shiva started to chase him with his trident as
the rishi had disobeyed the rules and regulations of Kailasham.
From there the rishi went to Paarkadal. He recognized Sesha Sayee
Bhagawan as the Supreme Being. He wanted to show everyone the
satvik nature of Bhagawan. As a test the rishi kicked Perumaal’s
chest with his left feet. Perumaal’s chest is the abode of goddess
Mahalakshmi. In spite of the rishi’s behaviour, both Perumaal and
Thayar received the rishi with due honours. Perumaal massaged the
rishi’s feet afraid that the rishi’s foot might have been injured when
he kicked Perumaal.
The rishi returned to the bank of Saraswati River and proved to his
Swetha Sundaram
130
colleagues that Lord Vishnu is the most satvik as well as the
Supreme Being.
Lord Vishnu is also known as Mukunthan. The syllable “Mu” shows
that he can grant us Moksham and the syllable “ku” shows that He
can also bless us to lead a very comfortable life on this world itself.
What is the important characteristic to be possessed by a good
woman?
Shyness.
Which is the best music?
Words uttered by a child learning to talk.
Which is always permanent in this world?Fame. We still continue to
talk about famous personalities like Yudhishtirar even though they
are not present amongst us.
What is best education?
That education which makes you confident.Goddess Parvati wanted
to find out who was more well versed whether Bhavabudhi or
Mahakavi Kalidas. Lord Shiva agreed to help her by testing them.
Both Bhavabudhi & Kalidas were employed in the King’s court.
There was an old well on the way to the court. Lord Shiva
pretended to be an old man who had fallen into the well.
Bhavabudhi was the first person to pass the well. Goddess Parvati
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
131
in the guise of a young woman stopped him and requested him to
help her husband who had fallen into the well. She said that all he
had to do was to answer her husband’s question. If he gave the
correct answer, the husband would be able to rise out of the well.
Bhavabudhi agreed to this. The old man then said , ‘once, there was
a struggle between words and life on who should go out first. When
did this struggle take place?’ The old man asked the riddle in the
form of a poem with 16 characters. Bhavabudhi completed the
poem with 16 characters and answered that if a wealthy person lost
his/her wealth overnight and is forced to borrow money to buy
some food, the person will try to utter the words asking for a loan
while the person will also wish that he/she had been dead so that
they didn’t have to face the situation. Thus the person’s words as
well as life fight with each other on who should leave the body first.
Lord Shiva in the guise of the old man asked Bhavabudhi if this was
indeed the correct answer. Bhavabudhi replied that this was all he
could think off and cannot be sure if this was the correct answer.
After Bhavabudhi left Kalidas arrived near the well. He was asked to
help the old man by Parvati Devi and the old man asked Kalidas the
same question he had asked Bhavabudhi. Kalidas gave the exact
same answer given by Bhavabudhi but when asked by the old man if
this was the correct answer, Kalidas answered that he was 100%
confident that this answer was correct.
Swetha Sundaram
132
After Kalidas left lord Shiva told Goddess Parvati that Kalidas was
better educated as he was more confidant.
Which is the lowest life on earth?
A person who exploits other people by constantly borrowing money
or who manipulates others to do their chores is the lowest person
on Earth.For example while travelling with a friend this person will
make the friend to buy tickets as he/she has only a $100 bill and
doesn’t want to use it as it is difficult to get change. The person will
use the same excuse everywhere they go. The friend will pay for all
the expenses for which he/she will never be reimbursed. This
person will exploit others by making them do unpleasant chores
such as driving them around at ungodly hour instead of hiring taxis
etc.
After the above question we return to the Sanskrit Yaksha
Prashnam.
Who is truly called a Purusha (a man)? Who posesses all kinds of
wealth? Who is so famous not notorious that his/her person’s name
is recogonized by the denizens of all worlds?
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
133
Who is truly called a Purusha (a man)?
A person who gives equal importance to both failures and success
and relises that failures are also a part of life is a true purusha. This
person will never go to an astrologer asking them to predict his/her
future as theis person is aware that our future events are based on
past karmas. Hence, this person will always concentrate on doing
good deeds. Astrology should only be used to get the dates for
Ekadashi & festivals. Astrology should not be used to predict one’s
future.
Who posesses all kinds of wealth?
A person who treats everyone equally is the wealthiest
person.Prahaladan said that “samathvam aradhanam Achyutasya”
that is, only those people who treat everyone equally gets the grace
of Lord Vishnu. We should look at our mistakes with the same eye
used to look at the errors of others. We should offer the highest
quality goods in Temples. An example of prctising equality is, We
Swetha Sundaram
134
shouldn’t offer low quality rice in temple while consuming high
quality rice at home. We should offer the same quality of goods that
we ourselves use or superior quality in temples.
Who is so famous not notorious that his/her person’s name is
recogonized by the denizens of all worlds?
A person who doesn’t chase after material wealth and realises that
the Lord is the true wealth is the richest person.
Swami Desikan mentioned that he did not need money as he has the
wealth left by his grandfather.
He explained that Lord Brahma is the grandfather of everyone.
When Lord Brahma performed the Ashwamedha Yagam, the Lord
appeared from the fire and agreed to stay as Lord Varadarajan at
Kanchipuram. ‘Lord Varadarajan is the wealth left to me by my
grandfather Lord Brahma,’ said Swami Desikan.
A person who lives with swami Desikan’s attitude is the wealthiest
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
135
person.
Pleased that Yudhishtirar had answered all the questions correctly,
the Yakshan promised to revive one of the four Pandavas lying dead
on the bank. The Yakshan asked Yudhishtirar to choose one
brother.
Yudhishtirar chose Nakulan and asked the Yakshan to revive him.
Swetha Sundaram
136
The Yakshan was surprised that Yudhishtirar had chosen Nakulan.
He asked why Yudhishtirar didn’t choose his favourite brother
Bheema who had rescued them from many difficulties or choose
Arjuna who is known for his valour and could help Yudhishtirar
win back his kingdom? Why did you choose your half brother?
I have been taught that compassion and emapthy are qualities which
everyone should possess. My father had two wives Kunti & Madri. I
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
137
am Kunti’s older son. Madri needs her son so that he could perform
tarpanam for her as well. Therefore I choose her older son Nakulan.
I am really pleased that you give more importance to compassion
and treating both your mothers equally. Knowing very well that
Bheema or Arjuna could retrieve your lost kingdom singlehandedly,
you still decided to choose Nakulan in order to be fair. Therefore I
will revive all four Pandavas.
The Yakshan then promised to give a boon to Yudhishtirar.
Yudhishtirar asked yakshan to help them retrieve the arani stollen
from the Brahman by the deer. After the Yakshan gave them the
arani, the Yakshan asked Yudhishtirar to ask one more boon.
Yudhishtirar asked the Yakshan to bless them so that no one will be
able to recogonise them during their agnana vasam. The Yakshan
requested Yudhishtirar to ask one more boon. Yudhishtirar asked
the Yakshan to bless him so that he will always be able to win over
anger, greed and lust, he should always speak truth and be involved
in charitable acts.
To this the Yakshan replied that it was impossible to grant this boon
Swetha Sundaram
138
as Yudhishtirar already has all these qualities.
Yaksha Prashnam : The Secret Code of The Yakshan For A
Successful Life
139
Phalashruthi:
Anyone who reads or listens this episode and understands the
inner meaning of all the questions and answers will obtain the ability
to control their senses, will learn to manage people, will live happily
with their progeny for 100 years, will always be truthful, will not
cause problems between two friends, will be brave, will not steal
someone else’s property or wife.