THE YAKSHA ASKED AGAIN

(A mythological fiction inspired by the “Yaksha Prashna” dialogue found in the Vana Parva of the Hindu epic Mahabharata)

--------------------------

The region of Dwaitavana around the Yaksha Sarovar had been quiet for ages. The trees stood still, and the lake’s surface did not move unless it wanted to. Ordinary people never reached this place, as an old illusion kept them out.

The Yaksha who guarded the Sarovar was not just any spirit.

In Hindu mythology, Yaksha are guardian beings tied to a place and a duty.

This Yaksha’s tale came from the same lineage as the famous “Yaksha Prashna” of the Vana Parva in the Mahabharata. In Dwapar Yuga, when the Pandavas came to drink from a lake during their exile, he had tested them all. Four brothers fell, and only Dharmaraj Yudhisthira answered every question correctly and earned their lives back. It was the Yaksha’s duty to judge who was fit to approach the sacred water.

That duty had continued ever since.

But today, after ages of stillness, he again saw someone walking slowly toward the Sarovar.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Look at this.

A man of Kaliyuga.

Restless age, restless people.

How he crossed my illusion, I did not know. Ages had passed since the last man found this lake. That man was Dharmaraj Yudhisthira, a man of clear mind and firm dharma. And now this stranger approached the water with the calmness of someone who understood the path he was on.

This is not the age, and not the man, who interests me. Still, I needed to see for myself how far human nature had fallen.

The breeze stilled as he reached the edge of the clearing.

“Stop, right there,” my voice echoed.

He turned, scanning the empty air. “Who is speaking?”

“I am the Yaksha who guards this lake,” I said. “Even Yudhisthira had to answer my questions.”

“So I must answer as well?” he asked. His voice was steady.

“Yes. Though you are hardly worthy of that privilege.”

He nodded once. “Ask. But if I answer correctly, you must answer my questions too.”

Bold. Unexpected.

“So be it,” I said. “But if you fail even one question, you will die.”

“Ask,” he said.

I began.

The Yaksha’s Questions

I stepped closer invisibly. The ground beneath me hummed faintly.

“How much should a merchant earn?” I asked.

“A fair price,” he said. “Enough to reinvest in trade, live without shame, save for his children, medicines and old age, and give to those in need. Anything beyond that is excess. And the price should allow anyone who needs the product to afford it.”

Very well. I moved to the next.

“What is justice? When should a man forgive, and when punish?”

“Justice repairs and protects,” he said. “Forgive when the one who harmed regrets and is willing to change. Punish when he harms without regret and will repeat it. Punishment must defend the weak, not excuse the powerful.”

A single dry leaf drifted between us, landing silently on the water.

This conversation was more interesting than I had expected.

When Yudhisthira answered my questions, I was satisfied because I knew his worth. But for a human of this dark era, where dharma has taken a back seat, these answers amazed me.

“Third question. What is true strength?”

“Choosing right when wrong is easier,” he said. “A clerk refusing a bribe. A woman staying with her chosen path against pressure. A man admitting fault when hiding it would protect him. Kindness in a cruel environment. Self-control when impulses pull you away from dharma.”

I am not fond of explanations, yet I found myself eager to hear more.

“What is silence?” I asked.

“There are three kinds,” he said. “Silence from fear, where people stay quiet to stay comfortable; that silence allows harm. Silence from despair, where people believe nothing will change; that silence is heavy. And inner silence, when someone faces their truth honestly; that silence heals.”

The forest seemed to listen with me. Something stirred within me.

He was the one answering, but it felt as if I was the one being tested.

“Last question,” I said. “What is success for a person in Kaliyuga?”

“A life with no hidden pages,” he replied. “If your child saw your whole life, you would not be ashamed. Success is sleeping without guilt, leaving some good behind, and the people close to you feeling safe with you.”

His answers landed without noise or hesitation. His firmness was not ordinary, and I understood that by then. I was certain his visit had a greater purpose.

“You have answered very well,” I said.

He simply waited.

----------------------------

The Man’s Questions

He stood right in front of me. He seemed like a normal human at first, but his demeanour demanded humility. As my questions ended, it became my turn to answer.

“I keep my promise,” I said. “Ask.”

He shifted his weight slightly and stared straight at me. That gaze pierced through the invisibility illusion and made me shudder for the first time. I had seen beings before, but he was different.

“Yaksha,” he said, “you test humans by threatening death. But in Kaliyuga, people already live under pressure, burdened by debt, illness, loneliness and fear of losing what little they have. When someone is already struggling, do your questions reveal truth or desperation?”

A small gust passed across the lake and faded.

I answered as honestly as I could.

“Earlier, when right and wrong were clearly demarcated, it was easier to distinguish. Fear was enough to reveal truth,” I said. “But in this age, where dharma and adharma reside inside the same person, harsh questioning may no longer show a person’s true nature.”

He nodded slightly, then asked the next question.

“You guard this one lake and keep it pure. But outside, rivers are polluted, air is poisoned and people’s minds are restless. If you are a protector, is your duty only to this hidden place, or to where protection is truly required now?”

It was the first time I felt the weight of it. I knew of the things he mentioned, but this was the first time they felt directed at me.

“I stayed here because this was my dharma, my duty,” I said. “My form is tied to this lake. I never left it.”

“That is exactly the point,” he said. “Even protectors can become attached to their position and forget the purpose behind it.”

The lake rippled once, quietly, making me tremble. He was not wrong.

Then he asked the final question.

“You judge Kaliyuga from a distance. You see only the noise and greed. But have you noticed the people who still try to remain good despite everything? Or have you stopped seeing them?”

There was no accusation in his voice.

Only truth, harsh and clear.

“I saw the darkness and despised it,” I said. “I continued living in the past. And perhaps that is why I overlooked those still trying.”

Now I was certain.

He was not an ordinary man of Kaliyuga.

I removed the illusion hiding my form and bowed. The man remained still.

“You are not an ordinary human. Who are you?”

“I am a man of Kaliyuga,” he said, “and also the one Kaliyuga is waiting for.”

The realization struck like a quiet bell.

“Kalki, the Lord’s final avatar, who will end Kaliyuga and restore dharma,” I whispered.

He did not deny it.

I fell into Shastang Pranam.

“Forgive me, Prabhu. I was blinded by ego and could not see your true form, yet you blessed me with your presence.”

A wave of ecstasy passed through me.

He lifted me gently.

“When the time comes, I will do what must be done,” he said. “But until then, dharma must be kept alive in the hearts of those who still choose it.”

“Prabhu, I want to contribute. Kindly guide me. What is my duty now?” I asked.

He looked at the lake.

“Continue questioning,” he said. “But without anger. Guide, do not frighten. And do not hate this age. Its weakness is loud, but its strength exists quietly.”

His outline began to fade. I stood witnessing the divine leela.

“Prabhu, why did you choose me?” I asked.

“To remind you that questioning should cure, not curse.”

I bowed again, filled with gratitude.

------------------------------------

For ages, I had watched only the lake, believing my task ended at its edge.

That day, when I returned to my seat by the Sarovar, my duty remained the same, but its meaning widened. I watched the world beyond the trees with new attention, not to judge it but to understand it.

Sometimes, when someone in Kaliyuga felt lost, they dreamed of a quiet lake.

In that dream, I asked them one simple question, and they woke with a small clarity they lacked before.

-----------------------------

The Yaksha stayed at his post, but his purpose reached farther than before.

And far away, Kalki walked through Kaliyuga, knowing the Yaksha was ready for the age ahead.