यक्ष उवाच कः शत्रुर्दुर्जय: पुंसां कश्न व्याधिरनन्तक: । कीदृशश्च स्मृतः साधुरसाधु: कीदृश: स्मृत:
yakṣa uvāca | kaḥ śatrur durjayaḥ puṁsāṁ kaś ca vyādhir anantakaḥ | kīdṛśaś ca smṛtaḥ sādhuḥ asādhuḥ kīdṛśaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
ヤクシャは問うた。「人にとって征し難い敵とは何か。尽きることなく人を蝕む病とは何か。いかなる者が善人(サードゥ/sādhu)として記憶され、いかなる者が悪人として記憶されるのか。」
यक्ष उवाच
The verse frames ethical inquiry: true human struggle is against inner forces (the ‘unconquerable enemy’) and persistent moral-psychological afflictions (the ‘endless disease’). It also asks for clear criteria by which society and tradition judge virtue (sādhu) and vice (asādhu), preparing the listener to define dharma in practical terms.
In the Yaksha–Yudhishthira dialogue, the Yaksha tests the protagonist through probing questions. Here the Yaksha asks four linked questions about inner enemies, chronic afflictions, and the marks of a good or bad person—testing discernment and moral understanding rather than mere learning.