Gita Gyan Part 3

Yaksh and Yudhisther Conversation

Yaksha asks and Yudhishthir answers

Q.1. What makes a Brahmana and kshatriya Divine, what makes them human, what is good conduct for them and what is bad conduct

A. A Brahmana becomes Divine with his knowledge of vedas and A kshatriya with the use of his knowledge of weapons, a brahmana is human if he is mortal and a kshatriya if he has fear. Good conduct for a brahman is living an austere life and bad conduct is abusing others while good conduct for a kshatriya is sacrifice and bad conduct is desertion

Q.2. What is worthy of appreciation, what is best wealth, what is the best gain and what is the ultimate happiness

A. Skill is worthy of appreciation, knowledge is the best wealth, health is the best to gain and satisfaction is ultimate happiness

Q.3. If abandoned, what makes one pleasant, if abandoned what prevents regret, if abandoned what brings prosperity, if abandoned what brings happiness

A. Abandoning Pride makes one pleasant, abandoning anger prevents regret, abandoning desire brings prosperity, abandoning greed makes one happy

Eventually yudhishthir correctly answers all questions and yaksha/yama asks whom should he revive to which yudhishthir says revive Nakul if it has to be one then it is only fair that one of Madri's sons should live, if Kunti has a son alive

Then a pleased yama devices all four.

Heaven And hell

Yama is not the Lord of death. He is the Lord of Pitraloka and also the Lord of Justice (Dharma)

Yama happens to be the first mortal who dies. And therefore gets to rule the transit place Pitraloka, where souls spend time before getting reincarnated again.

After death the souls cross vaitarani river and arrive at Pitraloka. Here they wait for a while till their turn comes and they are presented to Yama who judges them based on their deeds to spend time at either of the two waiting rooms (Swarg/heaven and Naraka/hell or both one after the other) depending upon their deeds. Till they get a body assigned to them to be reincarnated again.

Yama would decide the transient fate of those who come after him. His fairness ensured that it remained so forever.

He is also called the god of justice due to his fairness in judging everyone based only on their deeds.

Feelings in Heaven

Yudhistir never went to Hell. Indra and Dharma showed him an illusion of hell as final test or lesson for him.

They showed him an illusion where his brothers and wife were in hell while Kouravas were in heaven. Yudhistir becomes angry at this. And refuses to go in heaven and decides to stay with his brothers and wife.

At this point Indra and Dharma reveal that it was an illusion and explain it to him that you should not hold any kind of feelings neither love nor hatred for those who have died. Their soul is now free from all relationships that they had wen they were alive. Why do you hate kouravas even now, specially when you already punished them at Kurukshetra and enjoyed their Kingdom for 36 years. Let go of your hatred now

Yudhistir realises his mistake then casts off his body in Vaitarni river and proceeds to heaven where he sees everyone merged into their original forms. Karna with Surya, Draupadi as Sree. Bhima with Vayu. Duryodhan as Kali etc

Yudhistir paid for all his sins on earth itself. He accepted his mistake and apologised and also spent a 12 year hard life in forest then 1 yr as a servant of the King, then lost his son in war and had to give the kingdom to his brother's grandson.

(Aforesaid has been compiled from write up by Preeti from Tamil Nadu)