Shloka 114
यक्ष उवाच को मोदते किमाश्चर्य क: पन्था: का च वार्तिका । ममैतांश्वतुरः प्रश्नान् कथयित्वा जलं पिब,यक्षने पूछा--सुखी कौन है? आश्वर्य क्या है? मार्ग क्या है और वार्ता क्या है? मेरे इन चार प्रश्नोंका उत्तर देकर जल पीओ
yakṣa uvāca: ko modate? kim āścaryam? kaḥ panthāḥ? kā ca vārtikā? mama etān caturaḥ praśnān kathayitvā jalaṃ piba.
The Yakṣa said: “Who is truly content? What is the greatest wonder? What is the path? And what is proper discourse? Answer these four questions of mine, and then drink the water.”
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical inquiry as a prerequisite for rightful action: true satisfaction, the nature of wonder, the correct path, and proper speech are presented as foundational questions. It implies that access to life-sustaining resources (water) is tied to discernment, humility, and dharmic understanding.
At the lake episode in the Vana Parva, the Yakṣa confronts the seeker and sets a condition: before drinking the water, he must answer a set of probing questions. This verse introduces four of those questions, establishing the test of wisdom and dharma.