Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c5.685

c5.685

The Yakṣa was highly pleased with the replies given by Dharmaputra. He then offered to revive one of his brothers and asked Dharmaputra to name whom he should do so. Then Yudhiṣṭhira named Nakula. Yakṣa then enquired why he had named Nakula leaving aside Arjuna and Bhīma. Dharmaputra replied that though Kuntī and Mādrī were two wives of Pāṇḍu they were both mothers to them and so he wanted to see one of the sons of Mādrī alive. He therefore pressed the name of Nakula again. The Yakṣa who was none other than Dharmadeva was immensely happy to hear that reply and gave life to all his brothers. He confessed to Yudhiṣṭhira that it was he who in the form of a deer came and ran away with the araṇi sticks. He returned the araṇi sticks also. Dharmadeva then advised them to go and spend their life incognito at the court of King Virāṭa blessing them with the assurance that they would never be found out during their life in disguise. Dharmadeva disappeared after this and the Pāṇḍavas returned to their āśrama. (Chapters 312 and 313 of Vana Parva, M.B.).