Nakula didn’t return, so Sahadeva went to look for him. He met the same fate. One by one all the brothers went and never came back. Finally, Yudhishthira went looking and found them all lying dead beside the pool. He wondered if it contained poisoned water. A Yaksha, a person with magical powers, emerged from the pool. “Do not drink the water till you answer my questions. Your brothers drank the water without answering them; that’s why they are dead,” said the Yaksha. Yudhishthira agreed and said he would drink the water of the pool only if the Yaksha was satisfied with his answers. Then as the Yaksha asked each question, Yudhishthira answered them thoughtfully and patiently. The questions were about life and were tricky. Only a person who was wise and thoughtful could answer them correctly.
Yudhishthira and the Yaksha
