Question

Give the summary of the story 'the enchanted pool'

Answer 1

Hint: In the classic Indian epic 'Mahabharata,' saint Vyasa describes the magical lake. The ‘Pandavas' related brother, Duryodhana, condemns them to a 13-year exile.

Complete answer:
The Pandavas in the Mahabharata lost everything in a dice game to the Kauravas and were forced to dwell in the wilderness for twelve years. They had to migrate from place to place for safety and to satisfy their daily necessities throughout this time.

The Pandava brothers went into the forest in search of a deer one day in the twelfth year. The sun was scorching. The five brothers were getting tired and thirsty. Yudhistira was thirsty and needed to satisfy it. He requested that his brother, Nakula, go in search of water.

Nakula ascended to the top of the tree and took a look around. He noticed a body of water from a distance. He went to get some water from that location. In that location, there was a pool. When he spotted water in the pool, he was overjoyed. He heard a voice as soon as he dipped his hand in the water. Before answering the voice's questions, he was advised not to drink any water. Nakula did not respond to the voice's warning. He knelt and sipped some water. He felt tired and dropped down as if he was dead as soon as he drank water. Yudhistira was concerned because Nakula had not returned for a long time. He dispatched Sahadeva to investigate the situation.

Sahadeva decided to go to the pool. He also ignored the voice's warning and drank some water. He suffered the same fate as Nakula. Yudhistira dispatched Arjuna and subsequently Bhima after Sahadeva failed to return. Arjuna and Bhima suffered the same fate as the other brothers. When the four brothers did not return, Yudhistira became very concerned, and he proceeded to find out what had happened to his brothers. He went in the same direction as his brothers. When he got close to a pool, he noticed his four brothers laying motionless on the ground, seemingly dead. He was taken aback. He went into the water to quench his thirst before learning what had happened to his brothers.

Immediately, an unidentified voice cautioned him not to drink water before answering its questions, or he would suffer the same fate as his brothers who did not answer the questions before drinking water. It instructed him to first answer its questions before drinking water.

Yudhistira immediately recognised these as Yaksha's words and deduced what had happened to his siblings. He recognised a plausible reading of the scenario. Then he instructed the bodiless voice to inquire. The questions were asked in fast succession by the voice. Yudhistira respectfully answered all of the queries.

Yaksha was delighted with his responses and told him that one of his deceased brothers, whom he desired to be resurrected, might be brought back to life. Yudhistira considered a movement and said that he wished for Nakula to be resurrected. The Yaksha was happy, but he was perplexed as to why he had selected Nakula above Bhima and Arjuna, two of the most powerful warriors in the world.

Yudhistira said that Kunthi and Madri were his father's two brides, that he was still alive because he was a Kunthi's son, and that's why he wanted Madri's only son to be revived. The Yaksha praised Yudhistira's fairness and promised that all of his brothers would be resurrected.

Yama, the Lord of Death, had assumed the forms of the deer and the Yaksha in order to observe and test his son Yudhistira. Finally, he praised Yudhistira by embracing him. Yama informed them that they only had a few days left to finish their banishment in the jungle. The thirteenth year would come to an end as well. None of their adversaries would be able to track them down. He wished them luck in completing their mission, and then he vanished.

Note: The theme of "The Enchanted Pool," which is part of the "Mahabharata," is that rules must be followed and that people must listen. The person who follows societal norms and rules will be successful. And such warnings must be taken seriously since life is a test.