One day, a man approached the Pandavas while
they were in exile in the forest. “I need your help,
Yudhishthira!” he said, addressing the oldest
of the five brothers.
“I had hung some arani from a tree branch next to
my ashram,” he continued. “Suddenly, a deer came
and started scratching its back on the tree. In the
process, it shook the arani, which fell from the branch
and got stuck in its horns. Startled, the deer took off
at a high speed. I ran behind the deer but couldn’t
catch up with it. I can’t start my yagna without
the wood. Please, will you help me?”
The Pandavas knew that they could easily get
the arani wood back for the man. It was their duty
to care for their subjects, so they agreed to help him.
The five brothers began to look for the deer.
Soon, they saw the animal from a distance and
tried to surround it, but it sprinted away. They
tried again and again to capture the deer, but
it proved too fast for them. Tired, the brothers
finally sat down under a tree.
Yudhishthira said to his younger brother Nakula,
“Brother, will you fetch some water
for all of us?”
Nakula nodded and climbed up a tree so he could
locate the nearest water body. He saw one not too far
away from them so he got down and told his brother,
“There is a pond nearby. I will bring some water for all
of you.”
When Nakula reached the pond, he was mesmerised
at the fabulous sight in front of him – the crystal-clear
water was surrounded by beautiful trees, creepers
and flowers. Then he remembered his thirst and stepped
into the pond. He wanted to drink a little water before
taking it back to his brothers.
Just as he was about to take a sip, there was
a loud voice from the skies above. “Don’t drink this
water, Nakula.”
Nakula stopped, stood up straight and looked around.
There was nobody in sight.
“I am the owner of this pond,” said
the voice. “You have to answer my questions before
you proceed. You can take the water only if I am happy
with your replies.”
“Maybe I’m just too tired and that’s
why I am hearing voices,” thoughtThe Yaksha’s Quiz
EXCERPT
| INTERVIEW & EXCERPTLITERATURE62 68 February 2017February 2017