, O king, drink
this water! O son of Pritha, act not rashly! This lake hath already been
in my possession. Do thou, O son of Kunti, first answer my questions, and
then take away as much as thou likest!' Yudhishthira said, 'I do not, O
Yaksha, covet, what is already in thy possession! O bull among male
beings, virtuous persons never approve that one should applaud his own
self (without boasting, I shall, therefore, answer thy questions,
according to my intelligence). Do thou ask me!' The Yaksha then said,
'What is it that maketh the Sun rise? Who keeps him company? Who causeth
him to set? And in whom is he established?' Yudhishthira answered,
'Brahma maketh the Sun rise: the gods keep him company: Dharma causeth
him to set: and he is established in truth.'[110] The Yaksha asked, 'By
what doth one become learned? By what doth he attain what is very great?
How can one have a second? And, O king, how can one acquire
intelligence?' Yudhishthira answered, 'It is by the (study of the) Srutis
that a person becometh learned; it is by ascetic austerities that one
acquireth what is very great: it is by intelligence that a person
acquireth a second and it is by serving the old that one becometh
wise.'[111] The Yaksha asked, 'What constituteth the divinity of the
Brahmanas? What even is their practice that is like that of the pious?
What also is the human attribute of the Brahmanas? And what practice of
theirs is like that of the impious?' Yudhishthira answered, 'The study of
the Vedas constitutes their divinity: their asceticism constitutes
behaviour that is like that of the pious; their liability to death is
their human attribute and slander is their impiety.' The Yaksha asked,
'What institutes the divinity of the Kshatriyas? What even is their
practice that is like that of the pious? What is their human attribute?
And what practice of theirs is like that of the impious?' Yudhishthira
answered, 'Arrows and weapons are their divinity: celebration of
sacrifices is that act which is like that of the pious: liability to fear
is their human attribute; and refusal of protection is that act of theirs
which is like that of the impious.' The Yaksha asked, 'What is that which
constitutes the Sama of the sacrifice? What the Yajus of the sacrifice?
What is that which is the refuge of a sacrifice? And what is that which
sacrifice cannot do without?' Yudhishthira answered, 'Life is the Sama of
the sacrifice; the mind is the Yajus of the sacrifice