Yaksha Prashna: 4 - Staying at the Top

Om

Saluting to Maharishi Parasara, Maharishi Vyasa and my preceptors, I attempt to understand this Dharma Shastra called Mahabharata

Thanks to my Guru Shri Visti Larsen, Parama Guru Pandit Sanjay Rath and the Mahapurusha Sri Achyutananda parampara from whom I am learning Jyotish under the auspices of Sri Jagannath Center, my mind seems to have shown inclination to understand the principles of Dharma and other Ayanas. Due to the knowledge I have got from them, I am able to better understand the possible hidden truths in these shlokas.

Continuing with the Yaksha Prashna series, we move onto the 2^nd shloka or set of questions the Yaksha poses to Yudhishtira.

This set of Q&A seems pretty commonplace, but is actually quite intriguing and when I thought over it (rather discussed with my wife), it emerged to be indescribably vastly profound, in the sense that its not an exaggeration that this set of Q&A i.e. just 2 shlokas in anushtubh metre gives the story of Mahabharata in a nutshell, at least the story with regards to Yudhishtira’s character. But since Yudhishtira is one of the main protagonists of Mahabharata, this is a reflection of entire Mahabharata for sure.

I hope that made you quite interested in knowing more about these couple of shlokas.

 As usual, the Sanskrit text in Devanagari, followed by transliteration in IAST, followed by the simple literal translation and finally ending with the discussion.

यक्ष उवाच। 3-314-29x(2887)
केन स्विच्छ्रोत्रियो भवति केन स्विद्विन्दते महत्।
केन स्विद्द्वितीयवान्भवतिराजन्केन च बुद्दिमान् ॥ 3-314-49(27997)
yakṣa uvāca।
kena svicchrotriyo bhavati kena svidvindate mahat।
kena sviddvitīyavānbhavatirājankena ca buddimān ॥

युधिष्ठिर उवाच। 3-314-50x(2888)
श्रुतेन श्रोत्रियो भति रतपसा विन्दते महत्। धृ
त्या द्वितीयवान्भवति बुद्धिमान्वृद्धसेवया ॥ 3-314-50
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca।
śrutena śrotriyo bhati ratapasā vindate mahat।
dhṛtyā dvitīyavānbhavati buddhimānvṛddhasevayā ॥

Yaksha says
Through what does one become a shrotriya
Through what does one attain mahat
Through what   does one become possessor of second (dvitiyavAn)
Through what does one become intelligent or wise (buddhimAn)

Yudhishtira answers
Through shruti one becomes a shrotriya
Through tapas one attains mahat
By displaying patience/perseverance (dhairya), one become dvitiyavAn
By serving the elderly/experienced (vrddha), one becomes intelligent

I have deliberately not translated certain words like shrotriya, mahat. Its easy to say shrotriya means learned or knowledgeable about the scriptures but it’s a deeper word. And since it’s the answer to the very first question, its important to decode the word properly.

Shrotriya literally means, one who carries or bears the shruti, hence learned in shruti. What is shruti. Shrutis are the Vedas, which are considered apaurusheya i.e. not composed or created by men. Vedas are eternal knowledge. An example of Eternal knowledge is earth and other planets revolve around the sun i.e. it doesn’t require human intervention at all, its like earth has a core of molten iron-nickel alloy or forces such as gravity or electromagnetism, all of which are indisputable facts; its like we breathe what is called oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. I am giving such examples based on physics because a modern mind can grasp it. Similarly, Vedas talk about the Truth of Atman. Ultimately the reality is the Atman, all of the rest is perception or mental constructs. Shrutis also explain how this world came about, how to live and operate in this world. Shruti is the real thing, not delusions. When one gets the right intuition after studying under a guru. So its not as if you are living in this world by your ego, but you are allowing yourself to be guided by a Higher, more Intelligent Principle. When a man becomes truly learned, when he understands how everything works, how everything is related, at least with regards to his specialized field of knowledge, then he becomes a shrotriya. In today’s day and age, when one attains a post graduate degree or a PhD and has all the theoretical and basic experiential understanding, its akin to being a shrotriya of that specific field.

But all of this is just the starting point. One doesn’t succeed or achieve life’s purpose merely by becoming learned. What you have done is basically achieved your degrees or diplomas which qualify you to enter and interact with the world. You have got all the basic tools and training done and are ready. It’s a great achievement but not the end, in fact just the beginning. In cricket, its like a prodigy who has performed well in domestic circuit has got a call to join the national team. Definitely a great achievement but its just the beginning.

In ancient times, this can be considered as the end of brahmacharya period. Now one has to become a householder and experience life.

The next stage is achieving supreme skill based on the knowledge and training one has got. The cricketer has to enter the cauldron of international cricket, face tough battles and strengthen himself both physically and mentally. Those of us who started working in our career, we went through early experiences which shaped us, which helped us develop ourselves to better perform in our jobs. And so a man keeps perfecting himself and those who really dedicate themselves through rigorous discipline, focus and dedication, which is what how you understand the word “tapa” i.e. austerity. And through this tapa, one achieves the pinnacle of success – mahat, one shines like the mid-day Sun at the highest point in sky. Its like being in svarga, one is the Indra of one’s field.

So you would think that’s it, that’s the end of the journey. Steve Jobs Apple has become successful, Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher is the talk of the town. And there are parties thrown to celebrate. But as they say, its easier to reach to the top, but tough to stay there. What is that one thing that surely brings a person down – it’s ego. Because with achievements, one’s ahamkara definitely strengthens. And with the sense of possession, comes the possibility of becoming angry or deluded. In our Puranas, there are examples of Nahusha, of Kalmasapada, of even Vishwamitra who after achieving the high kingship, because of their ego lost everything. And even Yudhishtira, after getting a share of kingdom and with hard work and determination forging a strong kingdom, after conducting a Rajasuya yajna lost everything. So while tapa can take you to mahat, you cannot stay there just like that.

You will fall down for sure, so how can you get back again. How can you possess it for the second time – dvitiyavAn. Even if you don’t make a precipitous fall, you will face challenges, so how do you stay on top. And your responsibility is now not yourself alone, but a whole host of followers. What is the next level – the second level at which you have to operate now – dvitiyavAn. The first atma you are responsible is yourself, but once you reach a higher level, you are connecting with other souls, especially followers or students or children, who are dependent on you – you are with the second i.e. other people – dvitiyavAn.  Leave aside a king, after a man has finished his studies, got a job, got married – he has reached a certain level in life – now he has children – he has become “dvitiyavAn” – hence he has to stay at that level for himself as well as others.

So what will help one stay at the top and Yudhistira answers “dhairya” – patience, perseverance, ability to bear. Bear – what? Bear experiences – good and bad. Its very easy for Indra to lash out if someone challenges him or questions him, but can one have the humility, the patience, calmness to be open-minded, to listen to what the environment is telling you, to be able to bear the good and the bad. Because after you become the king, you will still face challenges, enemies will try to defeat you, there will be conspirators amongst your own who will try to pull you down, or you may face situations beyond your control. For example, a country may face an economic crisis or some natural calamity or an epidemic. Being a king is not a bed of roses. So one should have the patience, calmness, ability to bear pain without lashing out.

And herein, comes the last answer, you can gain intelligence or wisdom by “vrddha-seva” i.e. serving the elders. However “elder” is a very simplistic translation. The word “vrddha” is cognate word of “vrddhi” – vrddhi meaning growth. After one is born as a human and is blessed with intellect i.e. buddhi, one goes for achievements through tapa and achieves “siddhi”. With every such experiences a person achieves growth as his experience, wisdom as well as resources grow i.e. “vriddhi”. So “vrddhah” are not just elders, but those who have faced life’s challenges like you are facing now and have learnt from that experience. When you serve them i.e. you go to them humbly, take care of their needs and seek for their advice, you get it and this opens up your mind. There are paths, you may have not thought about. Or you may not know the pitfalls of certain decisions. By learning from the experience of the elders, mentors, you are able to better navigate the challenges you face once you are at the very top.

Why did I say that this one shloka i.e. answer of Yudhishtira encapsulates the entire Mahabharata, at least as far as his character is concerned. This is how it is: From his guru and by diligent application he learnt all that had to be learnt. This served him in his initial experiences, he and his brothers had to survive the Lakshagraha episode, then they got married to Panchali, thereby they got their share of the kingdom. Then through tapas i.e. hardwork they established a strong, prosperous kingdom – mahat was achieved. But then they lost it all. And now Yudhishtira had to show “dhairya” or patience, calmness, fortitude in going through the exile, during which he got lot of spiritual learning through association with accomplished rishis. After that, he had to bear the pain of a war to get back his kingdom. And then, what does he do. He realizes that he still needs to learn from the experience of the elderly so that he can avoid the pitfalls. So he goes to Bhishma and learns the art of governance. The Shanti Parva is one of the longest section of Mahabharata where Bhishma gives Yudhishtira lessons on every aspect of governance, statecraft, managing the economy, duties of a king, foreign policy and what not. 

In a sense, in Yaksha Prashna episode, which happens right towards the end of Vana Parva or the 12 year exile, Dharma devata is testing Yudhishtira to see if he has learnt the lessons or not, so that he can become a great king. 

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Yaksha Prashna: 3 - Sun and Atman

Om
Saluting to Maharishi Parasara, Maharishi Vyasa and my preceptors, I attempt to understand this Dharma Shastra called Mahabharata

Thanks to my Guru Shri Visti Larsen, Parama Guru Pandit Sanjay Rath and the Mahapurusha Sri Achyutananda parampara from whom I am learning Jyotish under the auspices of Sri Jagannath Center, my mind seems to have shown inclination to understand the principles of Dharma and other Ayanas. Due to the knowledge I have got from them, I am able to better understand the possible hidden truths in these shlokas.

I continue with the series on Yaksha Prashna episode, which is towards the very end of Vana Parva of Mahabharata. Following is the first set of question posed by the Yaksha to Yudhishtira, the great Bharata. Quick context: Yudhishtira's all four brothers are lying dead at the banks of a lake and a Yaksha is posing questions to him, if he were to allow the Bharata to drink water from the lake. A tired Yudhishtira tries to best to answer these questions.

I mentioned above - "a set of questions". When I say a set, I mean a shloka. Typically in a shloka composed in this beautiful meter of anushtubh, a set a related questions are asked by the Yaksha. You can understand how they are related by going through the first shloka below itself.

I give the Sanskrit text in Devanagari, its English transliteration as per IAST and the English translation. In the English translation, I put the Sanskrit words next to the English for some of the key words, so that one can recognize them in the text. I don't fully understand Sanskrit myself, however I am not completely unfamiliar as well. I can follow it pretty well, especially in Mahabharata as Vyasa is pretty straightforward. I can understand quite a few of the words of Sanskrit. I have also some basic understanding of the grammar, so that also helps. I use the Gita Press Hindi translation which closely translates the Sanskrit almost word for word. I have also referred to the English translation of Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

But this much I guarantee that I translate only after I have understood every word and expression in the Sanskrit thoroughly. Wherever I am in doubt, I use an online Sanskrit-English dictionary. Please find the link here - its really phenomenal and useful - http://spokensanskrit.org/

I have got the Sanskrit text in proper HTML format thanks to this link: https://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/mahabharata/mbhK/mahabharata-k-03-sa.html

Lets dive straight in!

यक्ष उवाच। 3-314-47x(2885)
किंस्विदादित्यमुन्नयति के च तस्याभितश्चराः।
कश्चैनमस्तं नयतिकस्मिंश्च प्रतितिष्ठति ॥ 3-314-47(27995)

yakṣa uvāca।
kiṃsvidādityamunnayati ke ca tasyābhitaścarāḥ।
kaścainamastaṃ nayatikasmiṃśca pratitiṣṭhati ॥

Yaksha says:
Who makes the sun (aditya) rise (unnayati)
Who walk (charAh) on all its sides or near it (abhitah)
Who sets (astaM nayati) it
Where is it established or stands still (pratitiSThati)

युधिष्ठिर उवाच। 3-314-48x(2886)
ब्रह्मादित्यमुन्नयति देवास्तस्याभितश्चराः।
धर्मश्चास्तं नयति च सत्ये च प्रतितिष्ठति ॥ 3-314-48

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca।
brahmādityamunnayati devāstasyābhitaścarāḥ।
dharmaścāstaṃ nayati ca satye ca pratitiṣṭhati ॥

Yudhishtira says
Brahma makes the sun rise
Devas walk on all its sides
Dharma sets the sun
And in Truth, the sun is established or stands

On a physical level, this may seem to be describing the 4 states of sun through the course of the day - its rising, its moving through the sky, its setting, and it's going back to its original place - like a car being parked in a garage in the night.

But obviously its a bit deeper than that.

There are four sandhyas or junction points in the day - the sun-rise, the mid-day, the sun-set and the mid-night. These are considered very important time for meditative purposes as these are critical transition points in the sun's motion.

But obviously its a bit deeper than that.

Bit of digreesion: Throughout this Yaksha Prashna question-answer the set of 4 coming up again and again - the 4 varnas in fact are discussed in great detail. Whenever the number 4 comes up, as a jyotishi, the association straightaway goes to the 4 kendras or quadrants.

Coming back, let us think what does the sun indicate here and then let's decode Yudhishtira's answer. In my belief, the sun indicates soul or atman and the above shloka shows its journey into and out of this world, it shows the birth, the journey through life, the death and going back (to either some loka or tala).

Brahma makes the sun rise. Brahma is the Creator, he is the progenitor of all. The body was created by Brahma and sun or atman manifests in this world (or rises, as the shloka says) through the vehicle of the body, created by Brahma. Hence Yudhishtira says that Brahma causes the sun to rise.

The Devatas accompany the sun. Who are the Devatas. Devata comes from the root "div" which means light or knowledge. Devatas provide with the knowledge to go through the life's journey. In one sense, devatas are also the indriyas and manas which form the sukshma sharira or subtle body that accompanies the atman in the life's journey and through the indriyas, the consciousness is able to experience this world.

Depending on the prarabdha karma (or the ripened, commenced karma) of the jiva, it adopts a particular body and mind with which it goes through this birth.

After the karmas assigned to this life is over, Yama who is also known as Dharma, comes to claim the atma back. Dharma, also indicates the order or rhythm, and as per the established order anything which is born eventually dies. So Dharma sets the sun. It doesnt mean that the sun is destroyed, it just means that its manifestation or visible period has ended.

And after death or the setting of the soul, what remains is Truth. For only the Atman is the Truth. And after all the karmas are exhausted, the individual atman merges with the Universal Paramatman, which alone is Satya or Truth. This also means that this apparent world, where the sun rises and journeys through i.e. this atman goes through this life in a particular body and mind is not the real truth. Satya is the atman only and nothing else.

Coming back to Jyotish, Lagna is the rising, the birth. And it is determined by the easternmost point at the time of birth. Lagna indicates the body. And through that the soul manifests on this earth.

The tenth house, also known as Svarga is when the Sun is at it's highest point in the sky. Tenth house is the house of achievement, when one is most visible to the world. One is like Indra in the heavens. Hence its mentioned that this is the phase when the devatas accompany the soul. But that is not the Truth, it's not Satya. One can fall from the heavens as one finds innumerable references of this in the Itihasas and Puranas. Just read about Nahusha's fall from the heaven - nothing can be more precipitous than that.

And then evening comes and the sun sets in the seventh house. Seventh house is also considered a maraka, or death inflictor.

And in the 4th house, the Sun is at its lowest point. Yet this is the time for deep meditation for sannyasis who have renounced the world and for whom only Truth is the soul, the Atman. In jyotish, the 4th house is the seat of moksha ayana, its the moksha kendra. Shaucham sukham - only one who is pure can get the true bliss of moksha. Compared to this the 10th house is the Artha Ayana, or the Ayana (direction, path) of achievements, siddhis. Only by renouncing all sense of achievement, all of one's siddhis can one go in the direction of moksha. Thats why in the Gita, its said that give up the fruits of your karma, don't expect them, don't hold onto them. Till the time there is karma to be experienced, one cannot achieve liberation from this cycle of birth and death.

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Yaksha Prashna: 2 - The summary of events

Continuing with the Yaksha Prashna series, here I am going to explain the entire event and then in future posts (if my wayward mind is interested in writing them), I will explain most of the key questions and answers between Yudhishtira and the Yaksha. To understand the episode of Yaksha Prashna, we have to rewind back a little earlier. Let me set the context.

Yaksha Prashna (YP for short) occurs towards the very end of Vana Parva. In the Vana Parva, Pandavas are going through their exile in forest. Remember, they had to suffer 12 years of exile and 1 year of incognito as per the terms of the dice game they had lost to the Kauravas. Now a little over eleven years have passed by – till then there have been a few incidents of danger and adventure in a largely peaceful, almost pilgrimage-like exile for the Pandavas. When I read the Vana Parva, in detail I will comment about it, but with my limited knowledge it seems that it was like a long vacation kind of experience, where they met many rishis, got lot of spiritual knowledge and were able to learn how to deal with the pain of losing everything – kingdom, power, riches and most importantly the humiliation in the Kaurava Sabha.

But as the exile period came towards a close, the Pandavas faced challenges and troubles. Jayadratha, the brother-in-law of the Pandavas, husband of Dushala (Dhritirashtra’s only daughter), who was the king of Sindhu (I guess modern Sindh in Pakistan), abducted Draupadi and the Pandavas had to defeat Jayadratha to rescue Draupadi. Yudhishtira forgives Jayadratha and apart from the humiliation of shaving his head, leaving 5 hideous tufts of hair on his scalp, he is allowed to leave. Jayadratha does have his revenge later in the Mahabharata War and becomes the cause of Abhimanyu’s death.

At this point, I just want to point out the parallels between Ramayana and Mahabharata between the stories of Rama and Yudhishtira, and Sita and Draupadi. Rama loses his kingdom, has to suffer exile, so does Yudhishtira. Both have to experience their wives suffering humiliation. In case of Draupadi there are three painful situations where her modesty is attempted to be outraged, yet she is protected. In case of Sita, it is one full year of pain and danger, yet apart from the abduction from forest, Ravana is not able to touch her again. By the way the three situations for Draupadi were – the disrobing in the Kaurava Sabha during dice game, then abduction by Jayadratha and then Kichaka’s attempt to molest her during the incognito period. Both Yudhishtira and Rama show great ability to bear pain, yet be forgiving, and calm in the face of outrages against them.

Anyway coming back to the story, so apart from the misadventure by Jayadratha, Yudhishtira also was troubled by the thought of how to get through their incognito exile part. This was the toughest period of exile. They had to remain undetected for one year. And the Pandavas are extraordinary individuals, its difficult for them to merge in the tapestry, so to speak. Yudhishtira being the king was responsible for all of their well being and this was weighing heavily over his mind.

Then one day, further challenges came their way. It so happened that one of their neighbours a Brahmana came across an unexpectedly problematic situation and got the Pandavas entangled in this. The Pandavas, obviously lived in the vicinity of Rishis and hermits. One such person a Brahmana was one day going about his rituals, when a deer prancing around got the fire-kindling sticks and churning rod of the Brahmana entangled in its antlers. Before the Brahmana could reach it, it startled and ran away carrying both the important implements of the poor hermit along with it.

The Brahmana went to Yudhishtira for help. And when the king got to know this, he immediately alongwith all his brother went into the forest to seek out the deer. They located it after a while and shot arrows to shoot it down. Yet surprisingly those arrows had no impact whatsoever on the deer. The deer ran away again and the Pandavas chased behind it. After running behind it for a long while, they were tired, hungry and thirsty. They stopped awhile and Nakula bemoaned that what calamity has befallen them that all of them put together couldn’t fell a deer. Yudhishtira consoled him saying that when the times are bad, then everything works against and one has to but keep his cool. 

Then he asked Nakula to climb up a tree and see if he could spot any water source nearby. Nakula obeyed and after climbing the tree, he could see at not an inconsiderable distance dense foliage with cranes and other birds flying by and he said, that the place must surely have some lake or pond. Yudhishtira asked him to take all of their quivers and bring water in it for all of them.

Nakula reached near the lake. It was a serene lake in beautiful surroundings, abounding in many birds, dense flora and fauna. Admiring this, he bent down to slake his thirst, when he was stopped by a voice which asked him not to drink any water without answering it’s questions. Nakula disregarded this and drank the water. Immediately he fell down dead as if he had poison.

The remaining brothers waited for quite a while, when Yudhishtira, getting concerned for Nakula over the delay asked Sahadeva to go and investigate. What happened to Sahadeva was similar to Nakula, he went there, tried to drink the water. He was accosted by the voice, but disregarded it and drank the water and he too dropped dead immediately. Then Yudhishtira getting concerned for Sahadeva and Nakula, sent Arjuna to investigate. I will not belabor further because what happened with the remaining brothers was pretty similar (accommodating for slight differences in their personality), with finally Bhima suffering the same fate.

So now imagine Yudhishtira’s situation. Since morning he has been chasing an elusive deer and all of his mighty brothers along with him couldn’t get back the kindling sticks and churning rod of a poor brahmana, these great Pandavas who had conquered so many kingdoms, conducted a Rajasuya Yajna, against whom even devatas and gandharvas had trepidation fighting, were absolutely helpless. Now hungry and thirsty, for the past few hours he has seen each of his beloved brothers disappear one after another. Assuming he would have waited for around half an hour for each brother, he must have waited two to three hours by now in that state of hunger and thirst. And then Yudhishtira himself proceeds towards the lake. He finds a beautiful place. But just near the banks lay all his four brothers dead. Looking at them, he falls into grief and bemoans their death. He cries and wonders what power must have taken their life.

Now I will just compare his reaction to that of Bhima. When Bhima came to the lake some time earlier, he had seen three of his brothers dead. Immediately the alert warrior in him took over, he looked hither and thither, then decided that today he must have to fight. So thinking, he said to himself that first let him quench his thirst and then get ready to fight. That’s when the voice at the pond told him to desist and answer his questions. Bhima, obviously disregarded this and fell down dead. Yudhishtira, on the other hand, had the heart of a sadhu, a compassionate person. As soon as he saw his dead brothers, he forgot all about his thirst and hunger, he even disregarded that he must himself be in danger in that place. Instead he held each of his brothers in his arms and bemoaned their end. After a while, he wondered how they must have been killed. He looked at the water, it didn’t seem poisonous. Neither did his brothers look as if they have been killed by poison. Its quite interesting that despite being in a physically exhausted condition, mentally in shock due to the sudden death of his brothers, his viveka or intellectual discrimination is still active and he logically tries to deduce what has happened to his brothers. I think this level of control over oneself is absolutely amazing.

At that time, when Yudhishtira was contemplating, the mysterious voice called out to Yudhishtira and said that he ought to answer his questions and then he can drink his fill. However if he didn’t answer the questions, he must not attempt to drink the water, else he will meet the same fate that befell his brothers.

Yudhishtira, humbly folded his hands, and asked the voice who it is. The voice revealed itself to be a crane. The voice said that his other brothers didn’t pay heed to the fact that the pond belonged to it and he hoped that Yudhishtira will not try to forcefully avail it’s usage. Yudhishtira assured the crane that he respected it’s right of possession and will not violate Dharma by trying to have water without the crane’s permission. Yet, he said that it is not possible that such phenomenal warriors such as his brothers could be killed by a crane and hence asked the voice to truly reveal who it is. The crane replied that it is a Yaksha, and that this pond was under his protection. The Yaksha again asked Yudhistira to answer its questions. Yudhishtira said, that he will try his best to answer the questions posed and modestly said, that it didn’t behove a person to praise themselves.

Then the Yaksha posed several questions. The number and range of questions asked are astonishing. The questions and answers run into around 85 shlokas, with over 40 shlokas of questions from the Yaksha. And these are not questions like – whats your name, where do you come from, whats your favorite colour. Each question is of deep philosophy or about Dharma, the right behavior and attitude towards life. We don’t know for sure, if Yudhishtira answered immediately or he thought before answering. And please keep in mind, the physical condition of Yudhishtira, his psychological condition facing the death of his brothers, and yet he is able to compose himself in order to answer these questions. I think, this is like the culmination of a commando training program of sorts.

The first question itself is this – “What makes the Sun rise up, what accompanying it on all sides, walk along with it, what sets the Sun, and where is it established thereafter?”

No favorite dish type of question this.

Yudhishtira answers – “Brahma makes the Sun rise up, Devatas walk along with it, surrounding it on all sides, Dharma sets the Sun and it is established in Truth thereafter”

This may seem like random answer, but its deep philosophy and I believe, it gives the theoretical understanding of Atman or soul – for the Sun referred to here, is nothing but the Atman. I will explain this in depth in my next post. But the reason of mentioning this here is to show the level of questions and answers exchanged.

And so on the Yaksha and the Yudhistira had their question and answer session, at least for two to three hours, for to ask 40 questions and get as many answers would require that much time. At the end of it, the Yaksha was satisfied and happy that all his questions were answered. So happy he was that he not only was ready to allow Yudhishtira to drink the water, but also gave him a boon to choose one of his brothers to come back to life.

Now lets think for a moment – you have come out with flying colours through a tough exam, a person could relax at this moment and heave a sigh of relief. But this is deceptive, for actually Yudhishtira toughest test was now. And man! How well he performed even now. Don’t forget, he must have not had a morsel of food, a drop of water since morning and need not repeat the rest of the situation, which I have mentioned before. Without hesitating Yudhishtira chooses Nakula. The Yaksha is surprised and asks him the reason for such a decision. He is a king and would have done much better choosing Bhima and Arjuna, who were more powerful warriors, besides being his co-uterine brothers, unlike Nakula and Sahadeva who were the sons of his step-mother Madri. Yudhishtira replied that it was proper that at least one son each of both his mothers – Kunti and Madri were alive. You see it’s a question of Dharma, of fairness. You know, Dharma is also fairness, by the way, amongst other things.

The Yaksha is pleased with this answer and then asks him – what if he said that one more of his brothers could leave. If so, which one would Yudhishtira choose. The king, the great descendant of Bharata replied that in such case he would have chosen Sahadeva. Again the Yaksha asks, why it was so. And Yudhishtira replied that Sahadeva was the youngest and so has higher right to live longer. Its about Dharma, being the youngest Sahadeva had lived lesser time than his elder brothers. So he must get that chance. The Yaksha is so pleased that he grants life to all his brothers.

Then Yudhishtira tells the being, that surely you must not be a Yaksha, for it is not possible for a Yaksha to grant lives. You must be the highest among the high Gods. The Yaksha then reveals himself to Dharma himself, the devata of Dharma (I will not even attempt to translate this untranslatable word) – but Dharma is equated with Yama, because He is the Ultimate last word on law, on righteousness, on morality, on good sense, on the rhythm that keeps the samsara, or material world going. Yudhishtira, himself was the son of Dharma. So it was none else but his father, who was in front of him now.

Dharma applauds Yudhishtira’s great qualities of patience, calmness, good sense of fairness, the right way, the right manner, the right everything. It was Dharma himself who disguised as a deer created the trouble in the morning and lured the Pandavas towards this pond. Dharma asks Yudhistira to avail a boon. 

Yudhistira could have probably asked anything, but he asks only for the fire-kindling sticks and churning rod of the brahmana. This Dharma readily grants, but asks him to ask for a boon more. Yudhisthira then asks that his family should be protected during the incognito period, they should remain undetected. This again Dharma grants, saying that whatever form they choose to disguise themselves in, they will remain undetected. 

Yet Dharma is not satisfied and asks Yudhistira for one boon more. Then only does Yudhishtira deems to asks something for himself, but that too is not what one would expects. He says “O Lord, grant me that I am able to overcome krodha (anger), lobha (avarice) and moha (delusion) and my heart always be in the satya (truth), dana (giving to others) and tapa (penance).” The devata lauds Yudhishtira, saying that he is the embodiment of Dharma himself and that by birth this was his nature, and so it will be in future as well. Thus pronouncing, the God disappears and all the Pandavas come back to life. And the story ends on a happy note.

Please note how even at the end, when Yudhishtira is given a boon, first he asks for his praja, the brahmana who had come seeking his help. Then again when he was told to avail a boon, he asks for a boon for his family, thus discharging his responsibility as the head of his family. And only at the last instance asks for himself. Even then, he doesn’t ask for any material benefit like kingdom or riches or power or wishing anything bad to the Kauravas. He could have asked for justice from Dharma devata himself. Yet he asks for victory over anger and other weaknesses.

While the questions in Yaksha Prashna themselves give lot of learning about how to live life in a righteous manner, the way Yudhishtira behaves throughout this episode is an experiential example of a Dharmic conduct. How difficult it is just to control anger. Despite lots of japa and tapa, one loses his cool in a moment. Yet here was Yudhishtira, who in the most trying of circumstances didn’t even lose a breathe in anger. It was not just maintenance of an external composure, but he was calm from within. That’s why he was able to answer questions of deep spiritual import with clarity and lucidity.

I pray to the Lord to enable me to understand and write about these questions and answers in future.

Saluting Rishi Parasara, Rishi Vyasa and all my preceptors, I close this account.

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Yaksha Prashna (YP) 1 - Brahmana and Vritti

In an earlier post, I had mentioned that Yudhishtira, the eldest of Pandava brothers is one of my most admired characters in Mahabharata. And (while I have to yet study Mahabharata fully), two episodes where his character really shines forth are Yaksha Prashna (Questions by Yaksha) and Svargarohana (going to Svarga). Svargarohana happens right at the end of Mahabharata and that shows that the ultimate hero of this epic, the greatest of them all (and others may debate this) is Yudhishtira. Let me tell you, that I don’t say the above sentence with all surety, for a part of me acknowledges that its Sri Krishna who is the greatest. But let’s leave this debate for a later time. Let’s see what truly immortalizes (literally) the great Yudhishtira.

I will write a separate article summarizing the entire Yaksha Prashna episode, but for now, I will just discuss one set of questions asked by the Yaksha on the subject of who is a brAhmaNa. This is start of a series, I will hopefully write on the Yaksha Prashna as it is one of the most fascinating chapters for me in this great epic.

To just give a background, Yaksha Prashna occurs in the Vana Parva of Mahabharata, when the Pandavas are suffering the 12+1 years of exile, and just before the 1 year of incognito period was about to start. And during this question-answer session, please visualize the mental condition of Yudhishtira. Not only is he hungry and thirsty, but also grieving because beside him lie dead all his four mighty brothers, and in front of him is an extraordinary Yaksha, in the form of a crane, who claims to have killed them and is asking all sorts of grueling questions on the deepest philosophical truths. And in the larger context – he has gone through 12 years of exile after losing his kingdom and all his possessions, his wife Draupadi had recently been abducted and with great difficulty rescued, and his mind is occupied thinking how will they get through the 1 year incognito period, which is the toughest period of their exile.

यक्ष उवाच। 3-314-109x(2944)

राजन्कुलेन वृत्तेन स्वाध्यायेन श्रुतेन वा। ब्राह्मण्यं केन भवति प्रब्रूह्येतत्सुनिश्चितम् ॥ 3-314-109

yakṣa uvāca।

rājankulena vṛttena svādhyāyena śrutena vā। brāhmaṇyaṃ kena bhavati prabrūhyetatsuniścitam ॥

By what is a Brahaman-hood determined, please decide upon this. Is it by kula (birth in a clan), vrtti (behavior) svAdhyAya (meditating, contemplation, self-study) or shruti (i.e. learning Vedas, eternal truths through a guru)

युधिष्ठिर उवाच। 3-314-110x(2945)

शृणु यक्ष कुलं तात न स्वाध्यायो न च श्रुतम्। कारणं हि द्विजत्वेच वृत्तमेव न संशयः ॥

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca।
śṛṇu yakṣa kulaṃ tāta na svādhyāyo na ca śrutam। kāraṇaṃ hi dvijatveca vṛttameva na saṃśayaḥ ॥

O Yaksha, listen – neither kula, nor svAdhyAya, nor even shruti, the reason for being a dvija (twice born) is only vritti, no doubt about this.

What is meant by “vritti”? Many of you may have heard about this word in the famous sutra “yogas chitta vritti nirodhah” which is the second sutra of Yoga Sutras by rSi Patanjali. It is one of the foremost definitions of Yoga – "Yoga is the restraint of vrittis (mental fluctuations) in chitta (the layer of consciousness)". Vritti, therein is defined as mental fluctuations, which are deep-seated in our sub-conscious and they determine how we behave.

Now latest researches in psychology and neuroscience, show that much of our behavior is pre-determined due to the neural pathways, and this is prominently manifested in our habits. Why do we have habits? The sub-conscious, in order to make our life efficient, tries to make repeated actions as a habit, so that you do them without thinking, thus not expending too much of neural energy. Brain consumes 25% of the body's energy and mostly these are for tasks require decision making, learning new things, navigating difficult situations etc, where we use our pre-frontal cortex i.e. the conscious part of the brain. So the brain does a smart thing and tries to delegate all routine, repetitive tasks to the sub-conscious, which is faster and uses lesser energy.

This is why after learning to drive a car or a vehicle, you can do it pretty mindlessly or unconsciously afterwards, and yet drive in a safe manner. Your mind may be elsewhere, yet your hands and legs and your hand-eye coordination all work pretty effectively almost like a robot ensuring that the task is done. This is why many days you are not conscious of routine things such as brushing your teeth or having a bath or eating etc.

How this happens is that the neural connections which define a specific action or behavior become stronger and thicker by repeated occurrences. It becomes akin to a well-trodden path or like a river canal. That way the flow of information requires minimal energy just as its easier to walk on a well-trodden path, rather than through a bush or a wild outgrowth.

Such neural pathways then cover a large part of the brain. Imagine you are gazing from the sky from an airplane and you see below a expanse of landscape and there are highways and roads criss-crossing, which seem to be covering a large part of the earth. Interesting the word “vritti” comes from the root “vr” which means “to cover” or “to envelop”. It is the same root for “varNa” and “varNa” literally means “colour”. We know that colour covers any object, basis the light which gets reflected. varNa colours our view of life, our decisions, while vritti defines our actions. So our ancients had a pretty good idea of how our mind works.

Habits govern so much of our lives without us realizing it and this was realized by our ancient seers, as evidenced by these lines in the Mahabharata as well as Yoga Sutras. And these habits govern our behavior. Our instinctual reactions are beyond our control (though we may think otherwise). We get angry, sad, dejected, relieved, happy or enthusiastic without us having much control over these emotions. If one’s behavior is not under control, then one may have read the most profound philosophies, pored over lot of knowledge, yet may not have wisdom.

In the words spoken by Yudhishtira, vritti is more in the sense of behavior, how one lives. There is another word for this – AcharaNa, i.e. how one goes by (in one’s life) i.e. one’s behavior, mannerisms as well as attitude. The word “AchArya” for teacher also comes from this. Sanskrit has several words for teacher. But “AchArya” is a universally recognized and acclaimed word and it shows how the philosophy of teaching was viewed in ancient India.

In ancient times, pupils lived with their teacher and learnt to lead their lives by observing how their preceptor lived. Thus the teacher would not just give theoretical knowledge, but also show how to apply it in practice. This is because Indians believed in a 360-degree view of life, and thus so for training, teaching as well. Just meeting a teacher in a schoolroom doesn’t give you a sense of how to live in a particular manner. But the teacher by kindly giving the student a glimpse of his personal and professional life both, gave a path for the student to explore.

This article has turned out to be longer than I intended. Yudhishtira’s answer doesn’t end here, in fact there are three more shlokas, as mentioned below. And he makes much more impactful statements, that should make some of the modern critics of varNa system, sit up and notice. I will cover them in the next post.

वृत्तं यत्नेन संरक्ष्यं ब्राह्मणेन विशेषतः। अक्षीणवृत्तो न क्षीणो वृत्ततस्तु हतो हतः ॥

पठकाः पाठकाश्चैव ये चान्ये शास्त्रचिन्तकाः। सर्वे व्यसनिनो मूर्खा यः क्रियावान्स पण्डितः ॥

चतुर्वेदोऽपि दुर्वृत्तः स शूद्रादतिरिच्यते। योऽग्निहोत्रपोर दान्तः स ब्राह्मण इति स्मृतः ॥

vṛttaṃ yatnena saṃrakṣyaṃ brāhmaṇena viśeṣataḥ। akṣīṇavṛtto na kṣīṇo vṛttatastu hato hataḥ ॥
paṭhakāḥ pāṭhakāścaiva ye cānye śāstracintakāḥ। sarve vyasanino mūrkhā yaḥ kriyāvānsa paṇḍitaḥ ॥
caturvedo'pi durvṛttaḥ sa śūdrādatiricyate। yo'gnihotrapora dāntaḥ sa brāhmaṇa iti smṛtaḥ ॥

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The solitude in the path of Dharma

Bhishma and Karna on Dharma

I love BR Chopra's Mahabharata rendition. None of the retellings of Mahabharata on television thereafter has compared to this. The way the characters have been explored in detail, the manner in which the essence of the story is retained is amazing.

Now I dont know if the scene depicted in attached youtube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7lK6zooDk , actually happened in the same manner in the actual text of Vyasa's Mahabharata - need to check this out and it may take sometime. But the discussion and dialogues are simply too good to not comment upon it. And in particular one idea which struck me from my own experience and that is about the reality that each one of us, at the end of the day, having to find his or her own dharma. That while we have family and loved ones and friends and social circle and whatnot, the truth is that our soul is alone on this path of dharma (which probably in the end leads to moksha).

So the discussion in this particular clip is between Karna and Bhishma as the grandsire lays upon the bed of arrows. It almost seems like two souls speaking to each other, not two individuals with bodies. Look at the setting, its late in night - no one is around. Bhishma lies lonely, yet perhaps content, on the bed of arrows. While Karna, who could very happily be seated in his camp, comes seeking this lonely tete-e-tete with Bhishma. So a soul which even though alone is content and another soul which even in midst of everyone is discontent.

What more..Karna should have been happy. It was because of the grandsire's insistence that Karna was not allowed to fight while Bhishma was the supreme general of the Kauravas. Now with Bhishma out of the picture, Karna should have been happy. Yet he isn't.

You know, this gave me one clarity just as I penned the above words (this usually happens!). One of my earliest favorite characters of Mahabharata is Karna. And if you ask around, this would be so for many people. Many, especially in today's world, have an affinity towards Karna, that they dont have for even the Pandavas or Sri Krishna or any other character. One must applaud Sri Vyasa for such a fleshed out characterization of Karna. Why do we like Karna - because most of the souls are like him - neither too good, nor too bad, roiled by insecurities and challenges, feeling wronged by the world around, having justification for one's irresponsible (if not unrighteous) behaviour. We like Karna, because he seems most like us.

But that's due to the level of evolution of one's soul. When spirituality is awakened, then one appreciates dharma better. My current favorite is Yudhishtira. Wait for some more articles, I am gonna gaga on him! But perhaps if I truly evolve spiritually, then one day my favorite will be Sri Krishna Vasudeva. Thats the ultimate goal. I must have improved to some extent, because at least I dont find him villianous now. I remember once debating with my dad of how unfair, unrighteous Krishna was! But that was long time back.

Coming back from the detour to Karna and Bhishma, Karna asks Bhishma's permission to fight. Bhishma says (and this is such a well written line) - that while he cannot give him that permission, he will only exhort Karna to do as per his Dharma. Karna had asked Bhishma earlier that just like him, he was also bound by his loyalty and vows to Duryodhana and hence he cannot but fight for Duryodhana. And that Bhishma of all people, should understand how sacrosanct vows are!

Bhishma's answer is classic Mahabharata, about the subtlety of Dharma (as Gurcharan Das title goes). Bhjshma says that we walk this path of dharma alone, there are no easy answers. Each one has to find the right one for oneself. Its not like examination answer - copy-paste. You have to think about this for yourself.

At work, where a man spends lot of his time in life, there are times, when one is alone. One has to find his own answers of how to best go about doing one's job, whether to do something or not, how to deal with the people around, how to deal with one's boss or manage subordinates etc. I take the example of career and work, because this most people can relate to. But truly this is a question, not just for career but for our entire life.

Indeed come to think of it, this is the most important question in our lives to answer. What is my dharma. What am I supposed to do - "do" in the context of my life's work, "do" in the context of relationships and responsibilities, "do" in the context of right or wrong, moral or immoral. How many of us, even think about such questions deeply.

What am I supposed to do in this birth of mine, to ensure that whatever this birth was supposed to do, is done. Whatever I have come to this earth for, is accomplished. There are some karmas, some experiences that we have to go through. What are those things, what are the lessons we are supposed to learn - have we learnt them? The Puranas depict this frequently with the extreme examples of various beings who are cursed and hence have to go through some experience. When they have experienced that, then they become free of the curse or limitation. Dharma, thus truly is knowing the purpose of one's birth and ensure that it is done. Some of us may have been born to have experiences with regards to relationships, some regarding work or career, some regarding spiritual learning, some regarding contribution to society, some even related to their health and body. It could be different for each person.

In my current situation, Destiny has forced to me to think deeply - and I thank Her for forcibly giving me a hiatus in life to pause and think. For I was just foolishly working and not thinking. I was doing somethings for sure. But Destiny wanted a more forceful full stop, rather than just a mere comma, so that I truly begin a new sentence. I only hope that I know soon how to begin this new sentence :-)

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Indra and Mada

This article will largely be about the story of Chyavana Maharishi as mentioned in the Mahabharata. If its about Rishi Chyavana, then why the title - "Indra and Mada" - well, we will come to that later.

We all know Rishi Chyavana for the eponymous Chyavanaprash, the Ayurvedic prepraration for health and immunity which many households have in their kitchens or wherever. But who was he, what did he achieve, how did his life go.

Rishi Chyavana achieved renown right from his birth or I should also say, right by or through his birth. How did that come about? He was the son of the illustrious muni Bhrigu, most well known today for Bhrigu Sutras. Bhrigu was the son of Brahma himself. Bhrigu's wife was Pauloma. One day, when Pauloma was pregnant (with the soon to be born Chyavana), the Rishi went out as usual for his ablutions to the river. At that time, a Rakshasa or a demon entered their hermitage. Pauloma being a conscientious host, welcomed the Rakshasa and offered him food. But the Rakshasa attracted by Pauloma, forcibly carried her away. Now there's a bit of back-story to this (as there always is). The father of Pauloma had first betrothed her to this Rakshasa, but then later on he changed his mind and duly wedded her to the Rishi Bhrigu.

So the Rakshasa carrying Pauloma away to a distant place, then asks Agni - the Devata of fire, who is witness to any important ritual and who carries the offerings to all the other devatas. The Rakshasa asks Agni, whom Pauloma rightfully belongs. Agni was in a dilemma of how to answer this, yet he decided to speak the truth. He said that while Pauloma had been betrothed to the Rakshasa in the past, but since she was duly wedded with all proper rites and rituals to Bhrigu, she was truly Bhrigu's wife. The Rakshasa nevertheless carried Pauloma away yet again. Its a bit strange that after committing the crime, the Rakshasa was concerned about justifying it. And when it was not justifiable, he still did as he pleased. This show hypocrisy as well as putting selfish interest above general good.

Pauloma was terrified and in that force, from her womb, the baby Chyavana expelled forth and his tejas or brilliance was such that the Rakshasa gave up Pauloma and fell down and burnt to ashes. While Pauloma fell down, shaken but unhurt. She was soon reunited with her husband and there was a follow-up quarrel between Bhrigu and Agni. We will not delve into that in this article.

Since he was expelled, it's called "chyuta" in Sanskrit - hence he was named Chyavana. Thus Chyavana, at birth itself protected his mother and was caused of death of a Rakshasa.

He grew on to be a great rishi, ever engaged in austerities in his ashram deep in the forest. Once he went into such deep meditation, for such a long period that creepers grew over him, and then he was covered by ants and an anthill. When he was in such condition, at that time, the king Sharyati along with his family and entourage came into that forest for hunting and pleasure. The king's daughter, a beautiful young girl called Sukanya frolicked with her mates quite near the ashram of Chyavana.

The rishi bestirred from his meditation and through the ant-hill could see the beautiful form of Sukanya. And he called out of to her. The lady, not realizing where the sound came from, unconsciously came near the ant-hill covering the rishi. As the rishi was gazing, his eyes looked bright with light emanating from him. Through the ant-hill it seemed like two blobs of light. The young girl mistaking them for fire-flies, pricked them with the twigs from trees which she had. This pierced the eyes of the Rishi and he cried out in agony. Because of his distress, the entire entourage of Sharyati faced distress - and this was that they couldnt attend to the calls of nature. It was a peculiar situation resulting from the pain of the Rishi. The king, enquiring why this happened, realized the discomfort caused to the Rishi. With folded hands, he begged forgiveness of Chyavana. Chyavana said that he will forgive, only if he was given Sukanya's hand in marriage. Without hesitating Sharyati complied and with due rituals married her off to Chyavana. Thereafter leaving her with the Rishi, the king went back to his capital.

The young girl, very sincerely served the Rishi. Considering that the Rishi was old and infirm, she had lot of responsibilities, but she managed them very well. In thus manner, time passed. One day, while she was bathing, the devatas known as Ashwini Kumaras beheld her and were attracted to her. The Ashwinis were physicians of the devatas, they were intelligent, knowledgeable, brilliant and both very handsome. They are the sons of Surya, through Sanjna when both Surya and Sanjna were in the form of horses. So the Ashwinis approached Sukanya and then inquiring of her, they came to know she was wife of Rishi Chyavana. Despite that they proposed to her to marry one of them and promised her all riches, pleasure etc. Sukanya very clearly refused them. Then they tried to lure her through a boon - saying that if she agreed to come with them, then they would restore the Rishi to youth and beauty. Now Sukanya was in a dilemma, she wished for good things for her husband. Should she let her fidelity come in way of good health to her husband. So she decided to go and refer this matter to the Rishi and let him decide. When the Rishi heard this, he intelligently told her to go to the Ashwinis and take up the challenge. So thereafter the Ashwinis led the Rishi to the river and then they all dipped fully inside the water. When they came out all three were brilliantly shining, robed in rich garments and ornaments and looking youthful and handsome. Dilemma was that all of them looked entirely alike, even to their attire and garments. The challenge now in front of Sukanya was to recognize her actual husband. Yet the honorable lady, overcame this challenge, after some deliberation and correctly guessed her husband amongst the three.

How she guessed is not mentioned in the Mahabharata. Yet I have heard of versions such as that while the celestials didnt leave footprints, the Rishi being a human did have footprints and from that Sukanya guessed rightly. Yet another version states that when the Rishi Chyavana beheld Sukanya after getting back his eyesight, he blinked his eyes looking at her, surprised at her beauty, while the devatas were nonchalantly looking at her.

Anyhow, the Rishi was very pleased with the devatas and promised them that he will conduct a yajna and the offerings of it i.e. the soma drink will be offerred to them. Now this was a very big promise to give. Because the Ashwinis were not considered by the devatas to be of equal footing as themselves as they were servants in the form of physicians. And because of this the Ashwinis didnt get any share of sacrificial offerrings.

The Rishi, then through his father-in-law's good offices conducted a large-scale ritual. And in the end offered the soma juice to the Ashwinis. At that time Lord Indra came there and asked the Rishi to desist from this, saying that the Ashwinis didnt deserve anything. But the Rishi didnt budge. Then Indra threatened to hurl his weapon vajra, the thunderbolt. Yet the Rishi was undettered and smilingly continued with his resolve. Then as Indra was about to hurl the vajra, the Rishi chanted mantras which paralysed Indra - he was unable to move or hurl the weapon. Then the Rishi went further and invoked a rakshasa called Mada. Mada was a fearsome Rakshasa who immediately rushed towards Indra with the intention to devour him. Indra was petrified and he immediately sought forgiveness of the rishi and even promised that the Ashwinis will henceforth be eligible for their share of all sacrificial offerings. So that was the happy ending.

I thought over what Mada is and what it meant in this context. We know that "mada" means intoxication. Mada is also one of the shad-ripus or 6 weaknesses that afflict us - kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya.

Why was Indra threatened by mada. Because Indra was arrogant about being the king of devatas, he was then very angry with the sage for offering soma to the Ashwinis. He felt that the soma belonged to only him and other devatas only, and not to the Ashwinis. So there was a sense of entitlement. What this teaches us, I believe, is that ego or ahamkara is the root of weaknesses or ripus. Because of ego comes the sense of posession, like Indra felt it was he who possessed the soma, because he possessed the title of Indra, king of devatas. And because of this entitlement comes anger, when that entitlement is challenged. Hence does one also have insecurities. And then when anger begins, then one loses control. As the verses (2.62 and 2.63) in Bhagavad Gita say -

dhyāyato viṣhayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣhūpajāyate

saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. 

Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger.

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ

smṛiti-bhranśhād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati

Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.

Translations from: https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/2/verse/63

So the flow is Ego-->Attachment--->Desire---->Anger---->Clouding of Judgment---->Memory distortion---->Destruction of intellect---->Ruin of self

Thus one sees that ego and attachment brings forth the weakness called shadripu. It is the root cause of addiction, Mada is the ripu related to addictions, specifically to liquor. 

Notes:

The story of Bhrigu and Chyavana's birth in in Pauloma parva of Adi Parva

The story of Sukanya, Ashwinis, Indra and Mada is in the Tirtha Yatra Parva of Vana Parva

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Atha Sri Mahabharata Katha - II

In Adivamsavatarana Parva of Adi Parva - 62nd section, it is written "The sage Krishna-Dwaipayana completed his work in three years. Rising daily and purifying himself and performing his ascetic devotions, he composed this Mahabharata. Therefore, this should be heard by Brahmanas with the formality of a vow."*

* - please note that I am referring to the English translation by Shri Kisari Mohan Ganguli. Wherever I am quoting directly from the Mahabharata, it is from Shri Ganguli's English translation.

Yet earlier in the 2nd section itself of this epic, is the episode of Ganesa agreeing to become scribe of this epic is mentioned and the mutual conditions between Sri Ganesa and Veda Vyasa. The condition were that Veda Vyasa will never stop reciting the epic, once started and Ganesa will not write what he couldnt comprehend. There is no editing or review or anything like that, once said is said, once written is written. I dont think I have managed to do that for a single piece, large or small, I have written in my life, including this one.

How immensely challenging it must have been for Sri Ganesa, to not only listen the verse properly but also write it down, just as Vyasa would be reciting the next shloka. Ganesa must have been doing both at the same time, listening as well as writing. What Vyasa did in order to give himself some time to compose is that he would compose in difficult words, so it would take a moment or two more for Ganesa to understand. A couple of decades back there would be typists who would be secretaries to people in high positions, who would note down their boss' dictation in shorthand (an abbreviated notational way of writing) and then it type it. But even they were using shorthand, I dont think Ganesa was using any shorthand.

Sri Vyasa also had an equally challenging task, of not only visualizing and thinking about an episode but to compose it in poetic manner in an uniform metrical structure called Chandas - I think Mahabharata is composed in Anustubh Chandas? (not sure though). All the Puranas are composed in Anustubh Chandas which is typically 32 syllable long, structured in 4 groups of 8 each. Arrangement in a Chandas has many benefits - foremost amongst these is easy memorization. Even though Ganesa wrote the tome, in those days mostly Itihasas, Puranas and Vedas were remembered. Secondly it protects against corruption of the text.

Having said this, one wonders if the conditions were that Vyasa would never stop composing and Ganesa would never stop writing, then how come its also mentioned that Vyasa purified himself daily and performed his ascetic devotions. I guess, they would not have composed and written all day and night. To give an analogy, it is said that the Mahabharata War was fought for 18 days, one would assume that it was fought 18 days without any break. But we know that the rules were set, that fighting would happen from sunrise to sunset, neither before, nor after. And there were other rules as well like who would fight whom etc. But moot point is that it was not entire day. There was time given for everything. And it is impossible that such devout, disciplined personages such as Vyasa or Ganesa would not perform their daily ablutions. So they would have some other conditions such as sunrise to sunset for the task of writing Mahabharata, probably 12 hours or even 10 hours. And the rest of time was to do the other necessary daily activities.

Its also mentioned that it took 3 years to compose the Mahabharata. This in itself is quite a significant piece of information. Vyasa was a great scholar, with immense ability to compose with suitable words, he compiled the entire Vedas, dividing it into 4 parts. Indeed that is the derivation of the title Vyasa - Vyasa means a compiler. He has composed all of the Puranas. Yet it took him 3 years to compose Mahabharata, such a stupendous exercise was Mahabharata.

It kindles one's curiosity as to the speed at which Vyasa would have composed Mahabharata. Assuming that they worked without break of a single day, we are talking about 365 x 3 = 1095 days. And its said that there are 1 Lakh shlokas in Mahabharata, so it would mean that they composed 91-92 shlokas per day. While this is high number, it is not very high. Assuming they worked for 8-10 hours a day, it seems a slow rate for a great muni such as Vyasa (its  still very fast for ordinary men like us). But its also written that the 1 Lakh Shlokas is the text that is available to Manushyas i.e humans, its not the entirety of what was composed by Vyasa.

In this connection, in the very first section of Adi Parva is mentioned:

"Vyasa executed the compilation of the Bharata, exclusive of the episodes originally in twenty-four
thousand verses; and so much only is called by the learned as the Bharata. Afterwards, he composed an epitome in one hundred and fifty verses, consisting of the introduction with the chapter of contents. This he first taught to his son Suka; and afterwards he gave it to others of his disciples who were possessed of the same qualifications. After that he executed another compilation, consisting of six(ty) hundred thousand verses. Of those, thirty hundred thousand are known in the world of the Devas; fifteen hundred thousand in the world of the Pitris: fourteen hundred thousand among the Gandharvas, and one hundred thousand in the regions of mankind. Narada recited them to the Devas, Devala to the Pitris, and Suka published them to the Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Rakshasas: and in this world they were recited by Vaisampayana, one of the disciples of Vyasa, a man of just principles and the first among all those acquainted with the Vedas. Know that I, Sauti, have also repeated one hundred thousand verses."

So there were 60 Lakhs shlokas of which humans have 1 Lakh available. So the scripture composed by Vyasa must have been this 60 thousand shloka one. If we consider this, then the shlokas composed per day goes upto a whopping 5480 per day, which means 548 per hour, assuming they worked for 10 hours a day, so 9-10 shlokas per minute. So each shloka would be composed in 6-7 seconds. Thats actually the time it takes to just recite the shloka of 32 syllables properly. If they worked for 12 hours a day, instead of 10, then they would have got less than couple of seconds more to compose/write a shloka i.e. around 8 seconds.

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Atha Sri Mahabharata Katha

om nArAyaNaM namaskrtyaM naraM chaiva narottamaM
devIM sarasvatIM vyasaM tato jayam udirayet

Sri Mahabharata was composed by Sri Veda Vyasa in three years, it was written down by Sri Ganesha. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.