Shloka 57
यक्ष उवाच इन्द्रियार्थाननु भवन् बुद्धिमाँलल्लोकपूजित: । सम्मत: सर्वभूतानामुच्छवसन् को न जीवति,यक्षने पूछा--ऐसा कौन पुरुष है, जो बुद्धिमान, लोकमें सम्मानित और सब प्राणियोंका माननीय होकर एवं इन्द्रियोंक विषयोंको अनुभव करते तथा श्वास लेते हुए भी वास्तवमें जीवित नहीं है?
yakṣa uvāca indriyārthān anubhuvan buddhimān lokapūjitaḥ | sammataḥ sarvabhūtānām ucchvasan ko na jīvati ||
The Yaksha said: “Who is that person who, though intelligent, honored by the world, esteemed by all beings, and even while experiencing the objects of the senses and drawing breath, is in truth not living?”
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mere biological life—breathing and enjoying sense-objects—does not amount to ‘true living.’ The riddle points toward an ethical and spiritual criterion: one who lacks dharma, self-control, or higher purpose may be socially praised yet inwardly ‘dead’ in the deeper sense.
In the Yaksha–Yudhishthira dialogue at the forest lake, the Yaksha tests the hero with probing questions. This verse is one such riddle, challenging the listener to distinguish outward signs of life and social honor from genuine inner vitality grounded in dharma.