The Pool of Enchantment, part two

The conclusion of the tale from the Ramayana.

Click on the image above to view the video on Vimeo.

Full script below the fold.

Sharpie: We left Queen Yudhisthira at the pool of enchantment, where her four siblings were lying dead.

Rolf: I need to know what happened next!

Edgar/Crane: Do not drink, O Queen, until you have answered my questions.

Sharpie/Queen: Who are you? What do you want?

Crane: I am not a bird, but a Yaksha!

Possum: And the Queen saw a vague outline of a huge being above crane, towering above the lofty trees, glowing like an evening cloud.

Queen: It seems I must obey, and answer your questions before I drink. Ask me what you will, and I will use what wisdom I have to answer you.

Possum: So the Yaksha, who was disguised as a crane, began asking questions that seemed impossible to answer.

Crane: What makes the sun move around the sky?

Queen: The Dharma, right behavior, duty and law, moves the Sun around the sky.

Crane: What is the true nature of the Sun?

Queen: Truth is the true nature of the Sun.

Possum: There were so many questions. Some of the questions concerned the duty of a religious person.

Crane: What is it, that when you cast it aside, makes you lovable?

Queen: When you cast aside pride, you become lovable.

Edgar: What is it, that when you cast it aside, makes you happy?

Queen: When you cast aside greed, you become happy.

Possum: Some of the questions were about philosophy and the meaning of life.

Crane: What is faster than the wind?

Queen: A person’s thoughts are faster than the wind.

Crane: What sort of person is most noble?

Queen: The person who desires the well-being of all creatures is most noble.

Possum: The Queen answered all the questions wisely and well. At last the Yaksha stopped asking questions, and revealed who he was. He was Yama-Dharma, the god of Death — and the Queen’s father.

Crane: It was I who took on the shape of a deer and stole the wood, so that you would have to chase after me. Now you may drink. And you may choose which of your siblings I bring back to life.

Queen: Bring Nakula back to life.

Crane: Why not the other three?

Queen: Nakula’s mother is Madri, and Kunthi is mother of the rest of us. Bring Nakula back so both Madri and Kunthi will still have a child.

Possum: Upon hearing this, Yama-Dharma began to fade away. He said, “You are truly just and wise. Because of your wisdom, love, and justice, I will return ALL of your siblings to life.”

Edgar: So the Crane was both the mysterious Voice, and also Yama-Dharma.

Sharpie: The Queen really was wise, wasn’t she?

Rolf: I’m glad the story has a happy ending.

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