One day, a Brahmana running through the forest, came to seek help from the Pandavas. He had a pair of sticks that, rubbed together, produced fire. He had hung them on a tree. A stag had rubbed himself against the tree and the sticks were caught in its antlers and it ran away. The Pandavas set off looking for the stag. Exhausted, they sat down to rest and asked Nakula to find some water. Climbing up a tree, he spotted a lake. On reaching it, he saw it was beautiful. The water looked cool and clear. So he thought he would take a drink before returning with water for his brothers. As he scooped up some water, a loud voice stopped him, saying, “Answer my questions, then you can drink or take water from here!” But Nakula was too thirsty to pay heed. He drank the water and fell down dead immediately.
The Yaksha’s Pool
