Episode
The Yaksha's Questions | Who Did Yudhishthira Choose to Save?
- Published
- Mar 26, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 6627
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://youtu.be/0xodaqDk3m4
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sacred-hindu-stories-for-sleep-7682482/episodes/the-yaksha-s-questions-who-did-yudhishthira-choose-to-save/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/sacred-hindu-stories-for-sleep-7682482/the-yaksha-s-questions-who-did-yudhishthira-choose-to-save.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Fall asleep to the calm, in-depth story of the Yaksha's Questions from the Mahabharata. The Yaksha Prashna is one of the most famous episodes in all of Hindu mythology. Most people have heard that the Mahabharata contains a riddle contest. Almost nobody knows the full story—who died at the lake, what was really being tested, or why Yudhishthira's answer surprised even the divine. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 - The Thirteenth Year 11:02 - The Deer That Shouldn't Have Mattered 25:01 - The Lake That Waits 43:23 - Four Bodies, Still Water 56:44 - The Questions Begin 01:14:27 - The Final Question 01:27:32 - The Yaksha's True Face 01:39:22 - What the Rishis Wanted Us to Know 01:49:05 - Outro: The Lake Remains 📖 IN THIS EPISODE In this documentary-style exploration, we cover: • The Pandavas' desperate thirteenth year of exile, hiding in plain sight • A brahmana's stolen fire-sticks, a deer that leads them into danger, and a lake with no mercy • Four brothers felled by thirst—Nakula, Sahadeva, Arjuna, and Bhima—and the crane who waits • Yudhishthira's answers to the Yaksha's questions on dharma, karma, death, and the nature of wisdom • The impossible choice: one brother can return. Which one? And why? This is the episode the ancient storytellers preserved because it asks the question every human faces: what do you do when wisdom demands the hardest thing, and you're too thirsty to think straight? Perfect for falling asleep, relaxation, study, or anyone curious about Hindu sacred texts and ancient India. Based on the authoritative Kisari Mohan Ganguli translation of the Mahabharata. 🔔 Subscribe for more: @SacredHinduStoriesforSleep #HinduStories #YakshaQuestions #Yudhishthira #Mahabharata #HinduMythology #SacredHinduStoriesForSleep #SleepStories #HinduStoriesForSleep #FallAsleepFast #Slee…