Life in the Forest:
The pandavas wandered into the forest
Yudhishthira lamented his fate to the brahmins as he wandered towards the forest.
A brahmin advised the deposed rajah to call upon the sun god.
Surya appeared before Yudhishthira and gave him a copper pot which was always filled with food
They wandered in sunshine and in shade, hey suffered also from tempests and heavy rains
The Himalayas:
Great sages visited the three brothers in Indra's Celestial City, and from one Yudhishthira obtained skill in dice.
the sages told them many tales of people who suffered and made self-sacrifices
they underwent long exiles and performed penances so as to attain to great wisdom and win favor from the gods.
after the exiles went northward towards the Himalayas, and at length they beheld afar off the dwelling of Kubera
Kubera walked forth and spake words of wisdom unto Yudhishthira, counselling him to be patient and long-suffering
The exiles wandered on, and one day, when they sighed for Arjuna, they beheld the bright car of Indra,
Arjuna appeared, and he was received with rejoicing, and all the Pandavas returned together to Kamyaka.
Riddles at the Lake:
When the twelfth year of exile was nigh to an end, the Pandava brethren bethought them to leave the forest.
They saw a stag that had the antlers to kindle a great fire
The brahmin appealed to Yudhishthira to pursue the animal, and the Pandavas endeavored in vain to kill it or recover the sacred twigs
upon following the stag, several of brothers came upon some water, and were thirsty. They drank it and fell dead.
At length wise Yudhishthira approached the pond. He beheld his brethren lying dead, and sorrowed over them.
The Voice said, "I am a yaksha. I warned thy brethren not to drink of this water until they had answered what I should ask of them
The Voice said, "Who maketh the sun to rise? Who keepeth him company? Who maketh the sun to go down? In whom is the sun established?"
Yudhishthira answered these riddles and many more
Many such questions did the Voice address to wise Yudhishthira, and he answered each one
the yaksha revealed himself in the form of Dharma, god of wisdom and justice
Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie
No comments:
Post a Comment