SCENE THREE

 

Yaksha recounts the incident……….

(After N and S did not return with water, the three warrior princes had got very worried and they decided to approach the stream together )

Yudh :    Strange ! where have these two gone

(to himself)        Something eerie I sense,  am glad I am

                      not alone !”

Bheema (to himself) : “ I’ll kill who ever is here, that’s for sure

But first let me drink this heavenly water, its so pure !”

Arjuna (to himself)  “ where is the enemy ? Where is the foe

                        A sip first and then I shall raise my bow !”

Yak (appearing) : “ Aha ! I am honoured what August threesome!

  Now I shall be served, you are surely welcome !”

Bheema : “ Mind your foul tongue o demon pygmy

                Now Bheema has arrived, want to try me ?”

Yak : “ Hey buddy, pl shut up your idle boast

          If you speak this way, in hell shall you roast !”

Arjun : “ Halt ! Watch out ! I am going to raise my bow

              You wicked scoundrel, come match this arrow !”

Yudh (scared) : “ Peace Bheem, Peace dear Arjun !

                      And the truth is…., let us run !!!

Yak : “ Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! So you are the wisest ?

        Come answer my queries, don’t run , face the test !”

Bh : “ What strange thing, dear yudh, are you afraid ?

        I can kill him in a jiffy, want him slayed ?”

Yudh (Scared) “ No Bheem, no! you are no match for this giant

              Lets not make an error, just be compliant !”

Ar : “ Oh Yudh, the great warrior… one who knows all !!!

        Answer him, then I shall kill him , its almost nightfall”

Yak : “ You two braggarts , pray don’t let me lose my cool

        Listen to your brother, he is nobody’s fool !

        Just listen to Yudh , pl pay some heed

          He knows of me , he knows indeed !”

( Yudh takes his two agitated brothers aside and whispers :)

“He is strong and very cunning too, 

in your empty bravado ,I don’t want to lose you two !”

Yak : “ Sensible thing, o wise king, you and these brothers

          Can listen to my queries and jointly  give answers

        If you don’t do this and drink before,

          Then I shall kill you all , it is for sure !

      But if you answer and answer badly

      Then you are to blame if I still kill all three !”

Yudh : “ what choice we have , no choice at all

            Shoot dear Yaksha, we are six ears in all !”

Yaksha smiles and clears his throat…

: “ Good, pretty good I like your spirit

      and you two hotheads, don’t fume, pl sit !”

Yudh : “ We are ready but please make one concession

Can we have a trial, a practice session ?”

Yak : “ Ha! Ha! dear king you are chickening out ?

        If you know then you know, why this doubt ?”

( Having said this Yaksha takes out a folded piece of paper from his cloak pocket and again clears his throat )

“ Ok . ready. Here we go

  what is truth , do you know ?”

( Three brothers confer and then Yudh replies )

Yudh : “ Truth , as we know , has many faces

          What suits is the truth, is it true your graces ?”

Yak : “ No clues from me till we are through

          Why there is so much in the hands of so few ?”

(Arjuna, pre empts the conference and replies) :

“ Ah ! this one is easy , I can tell you that

  the cat is his,  one who bells the cat !”

Yak: “‘ now pray tell me what is love

        And why is it seen as god up above ?”

Yudh (promptly) : “ Love is a myth and so is god

                            If it is a good answer, please applaud !”

Yak (ignoring the last comment) : “ Is honesty the best      policy , when honest deeds you rarely see ?”

(Yudh takes his brothers aside and expresses his inability to answer this question. But Arjuna is confident )

Arjuna: “ We don’t call it a trait but call it a policy,

              It is a planned deception, cant you see ?”

( Yudh pats Arjuna’s back for this)

Yak : “ To kill is evil but in war it is honoured

          And you too get killed if this is not answered !”

Bheema ( not able to control himself) : “ who kills who, lets wait for one hour !

But everything is fair in love and war !”

Yak : “who is greater, giver or who takes ?

          You should know, you played for high stakes !”

Yudh : “ Giver gives, as he wants to be great

            And taker takes, it is his smiling fate “

Yak : “ so far so good, you three have not erred

          But next is for Arjun, no one else to be heard:

          Ok dear bowman, you cant be so dumb

            That your only one rival had an unlucky thumb !”

Ar : “ We are fighters, warriors and enterprise men

          WIN AT ALL COSTS, this is our slogan

            We cut and we chop and we maul and we mop

          But can never afford,  to be called a flop !”

Yak: “ and now for Bheema, the eager war hero

          Which is bigger, a nought or a zero ?”

Bheema ( furious but confused): “ If you ask me, your question is a trap, what matters is lucre, rest all is crap !”

Yak: “ and now for a solo our dear old yudhishtir

          What really are you, a sage or a better ?”

Yudh : “ I am sorry dear Yaksha,  this I cant answer

          It is too personal, I am embarrassed, ask another !”

Yak: “Granted. I agree ,no personal questions,

          Tell me .. should words always match our actions ?”

Yudh : “ In life, with rules, one should always be lenient

            Dogmas are bad, one should be expedient !”

(Yaksha was pleased with the quizzing so far. The three warrior princes had been quite capable. But Yaksha had a never-ending list… an insatiable need for answers… let me ask a few tough ones he thought.)

Yak: “ Your answers so far are apt, very good !

            But now it gets tougher, let it be understood !

        As princes, you have got a very good education

          But how you react in life, is the moot question!”

Ar: “ My volley of arrows has even better replies

      It is for my elder that I am patient, lets see who dies !”

Bh: “ Well said o brother, you’ve voiced my opinion

          Am itching to puncture the foul head of this one !”

Yudh : “ Here we go again! You two ! what insolence !

            He shall kill us all and many more, have sense !”

Yak : “ Yudh, you have a sane head but arrogant brothers

          Keep them in check or they’ll cry for their mothers !”

Yudh : “ they are naïve and young and downright foolish

        Dear Yaksha, pardon !  they are nothing but childish !”

Yak : “ OK ,OK ! I am not unreasonable !

            I shall kill only if you are unable

        to answer, so brace up  you three

        why two is company and a crowd when three ?”

( conference between three brothers)

Yudh : “ one to one, a man can be truthful sure

          But in a group there is risk of damn exposure !”

Yak : “ Tell me O princes, tell me of education

            Where are the books and where is the nation ?”

Arjuna (not waiting for others) : “ education is passé, we aim for mere literacy,

as educated masses are a threat , cant you see ?”

Yak : “ well said Arjun, well said my boy

        Your subtle assessment gives me great joy

      But now tell me who makes the syllabus ?

        Literacy is fine , but why this damn circus !?”

Yudh : “ I am fully competent to answer this query;

        Just follow the system, make no enquiry !”

Yak : “ What is the real reason for schools to exist ?

            Tell me in a nutshell, tell me the gist !”

Yudh : “ schools are supposed to convert very quick        Young elves into grownups who have a skin that is thick !”

Ar: (Adding to this..) “ As children who show a rare sensitivity,

are a real big threat to the large mediocrity !”

Yak : “ You should know this ! you hate competition

          One’s thumb was maimed, ridiculed the other one !”

Bheem (losing his cool at this below the belt remark) :

“ You are warned once again, you foul mouthed ape !

  don’t make any digs, or your face shall lose its shape !”

Yak : “ Ha! ha! You fatso, you have a fatter head

        Don’t itch, relax and answer this instead

          Why is the pen mightier than the sword

      When a pen- man is poor, he just cant afford ?”

(Bheem hurries to Yudh for help. They confer..)

Bh : “ A pen- man is poor if he writes against big guns

        But can earn a hefty pile by writing ad slogans !”

Yak : “ Next one is addressed to dear wise yudhishtir

          Tell me the qualities of a king and a minister “

Yudh : “ A king should be deaf, dumb and feign blindness

          A ministers job is to spread rumours about kings kindness”

Yak ( now tiring a bit) : “ You’ve done well but this one is tough,

when someone is bold and calls out your bluff,

Then should you kill him or hang him from a tree

For a king, is there ever, an honest victory ?”

(All three brothers are visibly annoyed. They have a heated discussion). They  sing in a chorus :

“ we refuse to answer, you are surely too tricky

    we are kings, won’t play, on a wicket that is sticky”

Yak : “ Then die, you cowards, you disgrace your ancestry

            Come on answer, last chance last try !

        And if you don’t then I have a  grand new idea

            You wont live, but I wont either kill YA! (Ha! Ha!”)

…Yaksha then explains to Nakul and Sahdev that since the three princes failed the test, he had sent them to a death like sleep – not alive yet not dead – he had not  killed them as was the original plan, since the three had answered all the questions apart from the last one….

Sahdev ( overwhelmed) : “ have mercy, o Yaksha please pardon the three,

and if you want, instead kill me !”

N : “ Sh.. dear brother, sh.. what do you say

    Why die, as there might be some other blessed way !”

Yak : “ You are damn right, Nakul who says you are slow

Yes, there is a way and this you have to know

Bring me a person or persons or more

And if these questions are answered, I assure

Your brothers shall live , that is a promise !

But these are the terms, do you agree to this ?”

N : “ I shall do anything that is in my control

    But who can answer, who is fit for the role ?”

S (Whispers): “ we shall find out, we shall find out don’t worry

    Before yaksha changes his mind, come on ! lets hurry !”

Yak ( Laughing out loud ) : “ so go and god be with you, go find, some one who can bring peace to my agitated mind !”

(Nakul and sahdev leave the limp bodies of their brothers on the road side and hurry along in the night)