Truth Remains Hidden

YAKSHA
Truth remains hidden
By Dr.Sudha Seshayyan
Courtesy The Hindu
The truth of the Supreme Brahman is not easy to realise though the entire creation is devised and controlled by the Absolute Power. The Kena Upanishad makes it clear that this truth cannot be grasped by the senses, mind or intellect — functions available to individuals to understand the universe, world, etc. — though ironically enough it is the truth of the Brahman that activates the mind, senses or intellect.
In the Upanishad that illustrates the way of the world when the experience of ownership over wealth, possessions, scholarship, attainments, etc., easily hides the Supreme Being from one’s consciousness. Even the celestials who are endowed with superior powers were once unable to recognise the Supreme Truth when they came face to face with It. They celebrated their victory over the evil forces and attributed it entirely to their own prowess without acknowledging the truth that all their greatness was derived from the Almighty.
To teach them the truth, the Lord appeared before them in the form of a Yaksha but they did not recognise the Absolute Being. Indra sent Agni (the wise one) to find out the identity of the Yaksha. Before Agni could question the Yaksha, he was asked to identify himself. Agni sang his own praises, and was asked to burn a blade of grass. Try as he could, he was unable to do this apparently simple task. Similarly, Vayu, who boasted of his powers to blow anything, was unable to blow this blade of grass. Both told Indra of the strange Yaksha and their failure to do his simple bidding.
When Indra went to find out, the Yaksha had disappeared. But Goddess Uma appeared before him. She instructed Indra on the Atma Tatva and made it clear that every individual should realise that whatever each one of us possesses (material, intellectual attainments) are God given and remain ever grateful to Him without any sense of ego. It is by the practice of Bhakti and worship that one can clear the veil of Maya that hides the truth from our perception. The Upanishad’s method of enquiry shows that to understand the Supreme Spirit one has to transcend the human faculties to reach for the divine experience.

Yaksha
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Hindu myth, Yakshas are chthonic semi-divine beings, half god and half demon. They live under the earth in the Himalayas where they guard the wealth of the earth (gems, gold, silver, etc.).
They are led by Kubera, the god of wealth. Like their leader, they have all fat bellies and plump legs. They have no special characteristics, are not violent, and are therefore called punyajana ("good beings"). Kubera's epithet is Punyajaneshvara.
Yakshas are considered semi-divine, being both half-god and half-demon. They live under the earth in the Himalayas where they guard the wealth of the earth, and are ruled by Kubera, the god of wealth. Yakshas are pot-bellied, squat creatures and are considered to be keepers of water holes. They are very fond of riddles, those who answer their riddles are richly rewarded, while those who don't risk death. In the Mahabharata, the Pandava brothers came upon a lake that was guarded by a Yaksha. He demanded that they answer his riddle before drinking the water. Only the eldest brother Yudhistira, paid heed to the Yaksha's demand. Enraged, the Yaksha killed all the Pandavas, except Yudhistira. He then asked Yudhistira, "What is the greatest wonder of life?" To which Yudhishtira replied, "That every man must one day die, yet every man lives as if they were immortal." Pleased with the reply, the Yaksha blessed Yudhishtira, revived his brothers and gave him rich gifts. Yakshas have been worshipped in India long before the Vedic tradition took root. Such was their popularity that even Buddhists and Jains were forced to include these mysterious spirits in their pantheon. The images of Buddha and the Jains are often shown flanked by images of Yaksha and his consort, the Yakshi. Hindu temple walls are adorned by images of Yakshas.

We shall post the Yaksha's Question Answers in our next posting.