Yaksha Prashna is a profound section from the Mahabharata, where Lord Yama asks a set of 123 questions, to Yudhishthira, on a variety of topics concerning ethics, code of conduct, knowledge of oneself, pursuit of the truth and the qualifications required for the pursuit, attitude to life in general, Universal order, appreciation of divinity in the world around us etc.

Basis of Yoga

Yoga is much more than just a physical exercise. It is a seamless integration of physical, mental & spiritual fitness. In short, Yoga is an attitude towards life as a whole. And restricting Yoga to the physical level makes Yoga very very incomplete. Even though physical component is a very important. An understanding of the bigger picture of Yoga and it's eternal relevance to humanity has to be established carefully through a systematic teaching of Vedanta. Vedanta is the final portion of the Vedas comprising of what are called the Upanishads. The Upanishads talk about the nature of oneself (Atma/Soul) and establish that the truth of the individual, outside universe & God as one  and the same. This understanding is purely cognitive.

Yoga, a Sanskrit word, also means union/oneness. Hence Yoga and Vedanta are not separate from one another but in fact are one and the same. The teaching of Vedanta also has been coming down for generations in the form of Guru (teacher)/ Sishya (student) tradition. And it has been carefully preserved completely to the present day. This teaching also has to be handled by a competent teacher who has been exposed to the teaching for a length of time.

Appreciation of Yoga is also incomplete without understanding the culture, value system of the society in which Yoga originated and thrived. In fact the first 2 steps (Yama and Niyama) of Ashtanga (8 limbs), of Patanjali Yoga Sutra, deal with values and attitudes.