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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