Dharamraj of Kaliyuga

          

Yudhishthir was searching for his brothers in the dense woods. All of them had gone in search of water but never returned. Finally, he saw a lake at some distance. As he went near, he saw his 4 brothers lying down dead. He thought to himself to quench his thirst first. As he stooped down to drink, he suddenly saw a crane in the middle of the lake. The crane said, “Do not drink water from this lake before you satisfy me by answering my questions. If you do not heed to my warning, you will perish to the same fate as your brothers did.” Yudhishthir realized that this was no ordinary crane but some powerful magical creature. He decided not to drink the water from the lake and faced the crane.

The crane suddenly transformed itself into a Yaksha and said, “I will ask you a few questions. Let’s see whether your intellect serves you well or not.” The Yaksha then proceeded to ask many questions on philosophy, spirituality, metaphysics and the true essence of life. Yudhishthir responded to every question with great aplomb. The delighted Yaksha promptly granted him a boon that he can choose any one of his brothers to be alive again.

Yudhishthir thought for a moment, gave a crooked smile and replied,” O Yaksha, what can be a greater opportunity than this. Let all my brothers remain dead forever. I have to live the next year in hiding as per the conditions. Roaming about with 4 brothers makes me feel insecure that we all will be found out. In this way, I can spend the last year in exile with Draupadi without sharing her with my brothers in happiness and peace. On the completion of our exile, I am certain that I will be the king. I will enjoy all the riches of the kingdom and will not have to share those riches and Draupadi with my brothers. I will be the supreme king and will be known as the Chakravarti Samrat Yudhishthir for generations to come. Grant me this wish and I will be happy”.

The Yaksha replied, “By this decision, you have shown how to live and prosper in the Kaliyuga which is about to dawn soon. To think only about yourself and one’s own happiness will be the Dharma of Kaliyuga and you are the Dharamraj of Kaliyuga”.