Storytelling Week 7: Yudhishthira the Wise

Read the updated version of this tale on my Portfolio here.

Surya gifts Yudhishthira the Akshayapatra on Wikimedia

Upon entering their period of exile in the mystical woods, the Pandavas and Draupadi quickly began to hunger, for it was difficult to find food. When too faint, Bhima would carry the five others on his back until they reached a water source. Weeks went by in this same manner, until one day Yudhishthira happened upon a brahmin and told him of his sorrows.

The brahmin, sensing the desperation in Yudhisthira’s voice and wanting to help, suggested that the Pandava pray to the Sun God, Surya. Yudhisthira, who had always been true to his faith, agreed. He began wholeheartedly praying to Surya: Powerful Sun, You who sees everything in the universe, You are our Creator. You are Vishnu, Brahma, and Prajapati at once. You are the Brahman! Please, help my brothers and our wife in our trials.

Surya, pleased by Yudhisthira’s devoutness and pitying his hunger, bestowed upon him a pot which would never go empty. Yudhisthira immediately thanked Surya for this gracious gift and went to feed his brothers and their wife.

The pot served the group well for several years. Yudhishthira kept his godly mannerisms and frequently encouraged the rest to pray as well.

Once, upon Yudhishthira’s request to pray to the Sun God, Draupadi grew angry with her husband and declared that she would not pray. She exclaimed to him, “How difficult must our lives in this wood be? How many years must we suffer in this exile? Why should I pray to a god who watches me sleep on the earthen floor and tramp through brush, yet does nothing to aid me?”

When Draupadi went to obtain her dinner from the pot, she was surprised to find no food. She showed the empty pot to the group, and Yudhishthira was quick to give his wise assessment. “Draupadi, you will not find any food in the pot until you mend your relationship with the Sun God. You have spoken quite blasphemously against him, yet this pot which he has provided us with has been our primary source of food for many years. No matter how difficult our lives may become, we must never take our blessings for granted.”

On empty stomachs, the group sat together for several hours that night in quiet contemplation.

Author’s Note: I found Yudhishthira to be the wisest character in the Mahabharata. In the sections entitled Forest Life and Krishna’s Visit, Draupadi grows tired of her hardships in the woods and speaks blasphemies against the gods. Yudhishthira makes her see reason and gets the whole group to think quietly about religion at the end of the night. I thought the power of his wise words was fascinating, and this was the reason I decided to write on him this week. I also made Draupadi experience an immediate punishment for not appreciating what she had been given and speaking against Surya.

You can access the Mahabharata here:  link.

Mahabharata. Public Domain Edition.