Yaksha Prashna ~ Lord Dharma Questions & Yudhisthra Answers



Yaksha Prashna
Questions/Answers b/w
Lord Dharma and Yudhisthra

Yakhsa Prashna, Dharma Baka  Upakhyan: appears in the Mahabharata, in Book of Forest (Aranyaka Parva ~ Vana Parva)

Quick Prelude:

One day while living in exile in the forest, Yudhisthira finds that while attempting to drink water from a lake, his all brothers have been killed. When he went near the lake to fetch some water, he heard a sudden voice, (of Yaksha who is in disguise).

Yaksha said: This Lake belongs to me; I have asked your brothers to answer my questions before drinking the water. But they denied my pledge, and drank water and hence they are dead. You too will become victim if you do not answer my question before drinking this water.

Yudhisthra replied: I have no desire to take what belongs to you. Please ask me the questions; I will try my best to reply your queries.  These questions and answers are precise, beautiful, and embedded with sophisticated deep wisdom and philosophy.

The focus of this entire discussion is on Dharma.

Shri Krishna – Gopis’s Raasa-Leela



Shri Krishna – Gopis’s Raasa-Leela

Unison of Lord with Devotees

Raasa-Leela is considered as the final (absolute) milestone/landmark in the field of worshipping. Raasa-Leela is Pure, Unconditional, Unalloyed and Devoted Love / Bhakti / Prem from unadulterated (pure) devotees for their Beloved Shri Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Raasa-Leela is one of the Divine Activities (Leelas), which Shri Krishna played in the month of Phalgun, on the night of Sharad Purnima (Full Moon Night), with the Gopis (village women) on the banks of river Yamuna in Vrindavan. Shri Krishna was nearly around 7 to 10 years old when He performed this Divine Leela ~ Unison of Lord with His Devotees.

Raasa-Leela is considered to be one of “The Highest & The Most Incomprehensible Leela” of Shri Krishna's pastimes.

The textual reference of Raasa-Leela can be found in Shrimad Bhagavatam Purana; there are five chapters known as Raasa-PanchAdhyayi in (Canto 10 dedicated to Shri Krishna ~ The Summum Bonum). These five chapters describe the Raasa-Leela of Shri Krishna with the Gopis (village women) of Vrindavan.

Raasa-Leela has got NOTHING TO DO WITH male-female material enjoyment, which is Major Misconception. It is Divine Connection between Shri Krishna with His Devoted Devotees.

The Raasa-Leela is an external expression of divine Leela, which takes place in the heart of each and every individual, between the finite and the Universal Soul. Unless we have unflinching love and faith, Shri Krishna and His life would always confuse us.   ~ Swami Vivekananda

The word Raasa-Leela:

The word Raasa comes from Sanskrit word “Ras” having different meanings, such as taste (sweet taste), emotion, juice, nectar etc. The word Leela describes the divine activities of Shri Krishna (that we may not understand completely). The literal meaning of word Leela, such as act, play and here the act is of dance. So combining both words, we can translate Raasa-Leela as:

“Dance of Shri Krishna with Gopis, performed with Full of Emotions, Love & Bliss”

“The Sweet & Hearth Soothing/Pleasing act of Lord Hari”

Raasa meaning “Aesthetics” and Leela meaning “Dance”
thus Raasa-Leela is “Play of Aesthitcs ~ Dance of Divine Love. (Anonyms)

Raasa-Leela ~ The Zenith of Divine Love:

As per Shrimad Bhagavatam Purana, no words can describe the Immense True Love of Gopis for their beloved Shri Krishna in the proper way. The love Gopis felt for the Lord Hari was not bodily / physically / (or what we called Modern Day Shameless Love); it was Prerna, Divine Love. The Gopis were totally merged in the love of Shri Krishna through the practice of constant Smaran (Remembrance) of Him all the time. In fact these Gopis were not ordinary women, they were the Great Rishis, Sages who went thru severe Tapas (penance) in their previous births, and they reincarnated as Gopis and were waiting to unite with their beloved Shri Krishna in the Raasa-Leela. (Note: Some excerpt suggests that these Gopis where Rishi Munis, who were saddened that they did not meet Lord Rama during His exile of 14 years in Forest, born as Gopis to fulfill their desire, as they were promised by the Lord Himself).