The Yakṣas and the Great Battle of Alakāpurī
Śrīla Prabhupāda presents a comprehensive study of the yakṣas, outlining their specific position in the material universe, their behavioral characteristics, and their historical interactions with great devotees. By examining his purports, we discover how the cosmic conflicts of the past serve as profound lessons on the nature of anger, the inevitability of time, and the supreme power of devotional service to elevate even the most conditioned entities.
The Origin, Nature, and Habits of the Yakṣas
The living entities within the universe are carefully arranged into different species according to their alignment with the material modes of nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the yakṣas are born from the creation of night, which is heavily saturated with the mode of ignorance, causing them to become fiercely protective of material wealth and prone to creating severe physical and mental disturbances.
- Demons were born from the creation of night, and the demigods were born from the creation of day. In other words, demons like the Yaksas and Raksasas are born of the quality of ignorance, and demigods are born of the quality of goodness.
- A yaksa, a protector of riches, will not allow anyone to take away riches for enjoyment. Such a demon will simply create disturbances.
- The demon Yaksas are by nature very heinous, and by their demoniac power of illusion they can create many strange phenomena to frighten one who is less intelligent.
- Evil spirits like Bhutas, Pretas, Pisacas, Yaksas, Raksasas and Vinayakas are always ready to give trouble to the body, the life air and the senses, causing loss of memory, madness and bad dreams - SB 10.6.27-29.
The Royal Duty and the Assault on Alakāpurī
When a lawless act disrupts the peace of the universe, it is the bounden duty of a righteous king to enforce justice. Śrīla Prabhupāda recounts the history of Dhruva Mahārāja, who entered into a fierce war against the yakṣas at Alakāpurī after learning that his innocent younger brother, Uttama, had been killed by one of their citizens in the Himalayan mountains.
- Dhruva Maharaja attacked Alakapuri, the city of the Yaksas, because his brother was killed by one of them.
- His brother, Uttama, was without fault, yet he was killed by one of the Yaksas. It was the duty of Dhruva Maharaja to kill the offender (life for life) because Dhruva was the king.
- Dhruva Maharaja, who was a great charioteer and certainly a great bowman also, immediately began to kill them (the greatly powerful heroes of the Yaksas from Alakapuri) by simultaneously discharging arrows three at a time.
- Dhruva Maharaja was their enemy, but still, upon witnessing the wonderful, heroic acts of Maharaja Dhruva, they were very pleased with him. This straightforward appreciation of an enemy's prowess is a characteristic of real ksatriya spirit.
Transcending the Illusions of Battle
On the battlefield, the yakṣas utilized their formidable, demoniac powers of sorcery and magical illusions to overwhelm their opponent. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that while these mystical feats temporarily perplexed the mind of Dhruva Mahārāja, his foundational training as a pure devotee allowed him to easily pierce through the illusions by relying on the supreme names and weapons of the Lord.
- The great rsis approached Dhruva Maharaja at a time when his mind was very perplexed due to the magical feats exhibited by the Yaksas.
- The Yaksas, being temporarily victorious, exclaimed that they had conquered Dhruva Maharaja. But in the meantime Dhruva's chariot suddenly appeared, just as the sun suddenly appears from within foggy mist.
- Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, one can surpass the ocean of death, so Dhruva Maharaja was certainly able to surpass the illusory magical feats of the Yaksas, which for the time being disturbed his mind.
Svāyambhuva Manu Checks the Fires of Anger
Anger is an encroaching fire that, if left unchecked, expands unlimitedly and destroys all sense of religious duty. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes the timely intervention of Svāyambhuva Manu, who arrived with great sages to reprimand Dhruva Mahārāja for executing thousands of innocent yakṣas for the mistake of a single offender, reminding him of their family's religious principles.
- When Svayambhuva Manu saw that his grandson Dhruva Maharaja was killing so many of the Yaksas who were not actually offenders, out of his great compassion he approached Dhruva with great sages to give him good instruction.
- Lord Manu said: My dear son, please stop. It is not good to become unnecessarily angry - it is the path to hellish life. Now you are going beyond the limit by killing Yaksas who are actually not offenders.
- My dear son, the killing of the sinless Yaksas which you have undertaken is not at all approved by authorities, and it does not befit our family, which is supposed to know the laws of religion and irreligion.
- My dear son, it has been proved that you are very much affectionate towards your brother and are greatly aggrieved at his being killed by the Yaksas, but just consider - for one Yaksa's offense, you have killed many others, who are innocent.
Understanding Time as the Ultimate Cause
To completely extinguish material resentment, one must develop a higher, spiritual vision of the universe. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how Manu shifted Dhruva Mahārāja's perspective from mundane relationships to transcendental absolute truth, explaining that the material body's creation and annihilation are driven exclusively by the eternal feature of time.
- Lord Manu wanted to change the vision of Dhruva Maharaja, who was looking upon the Yaksas as different from him or as his enemies.
- Actually, you have not killed the Yaksas, nor have they killed your brother, for the ultimate cause of generation and annihilation is the eternal time feature of the Supreme Lord.
- My dear son, those Yaksas, who are descendants of Kuvera, are not actually the killers of your brother; the birth and death of every living entity are caused by the Supreme, who is certainly the cause of all causes.
- Svayambhuva Manu wanted to impress on Dhruva Maharaja that the death of the material body of his brother was not actually the Yaksas' fault; it was an act of the material nature.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda provides a profound explanation of the true spiritual nature and history of the yakṣas, demonstrating that they are integral parts of the cosmic machine governed by the Supreme Lord. Although heavily colored by the mode of ignorance and frequently exhibiting a dark, aggressive disposition, their actions on the universal stage provide invaluable historical examples. The ferocious battle of Alakāpurī shows that while a righteous kṣatriya king must execute justice, he must never allow personal anger to cloud the eternal principles of religion. By subduing his wrath under the instructions of Svāyambhuva Manu, Dhruva Mahārāja pleased Kuvera and earned blessings of unwavering faith. Ultimately, Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that the path of pure devotion is completely absolute; it bestows an elevated status to the yakṣas who fell by a devotee's hand, and it offers the grand promise of spiritual rejuvenation to any conditioned soul in the universe who takes up the chanting of the holy names.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Yaksas. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.