The Vyadha Gita (meaning, songs of a butcher) is a part of the epic Mahabharata and consists of the teachings imparted by a vyadha (butcher) to a sannyasin (monk). It occurs in the Vana Parva section of Mahabharata and is told to Yudhishthira, a Pandava by sage Markandeya. In the story, an arrogant sannyasin is humbled by a vyadha (butcher or hunter), and learns about dharma (righteousness). The vyadha teaches that "no duty is ugly, no duty is impure" and it is only the way in which the work is done, determines its worth. The Bhagavata Purana mentions the vyadha as an example of someone who attained perfection through satsang (association with devotees of Lord Vishnu or Krishna). Scholar Satya P. Agarwal considers Vyadha Gita to be one of the popular narrations in the Mahabharata. Story The story has only three characters—a brahmin sannyasi, a housewife and a vyadha (butcher). The story begins with a young sannyasi going to a forest, where he meditates and practices spiritual austerities for a long time. After years of practice, one day while sitting under a tree, dry leaves fall on his head because of a fight between a crow and a crane. The angry sannyasi had developed yogic powers and burnt the birds with his mere look. This incident fills the sannyasin with arrogance. Shortly thereafter, he goes to a house, begging for food. Here the housewife who was nursing her sick husband requests the sannyasi to wait. To this, the sannyasi thinks, "You wretched woman, how dare you make me wait! You do not know my power yet", to which the housewife says that she is neither a crow nor a crane, to be burnt. The sannyasi is amazed and asks her how she came to know about the bird. The housewife says that she did not practice any austerities and by doing her duty with cheerfulness and wholeheartedness, she became illumined and thus could read his thoughts. She redirects him to a dharma-vyadha (meaning, the righteous butcher) in the town of Mithilā and says that the dharma-vyadha would answer all his questions on dharma. The sannyasi goes to see the vyadha and overcoming his initial hesitation, listens to his teachings, which is referred to as Vyadha Gita—and even puts them into practice. Teachings The surprised sannyasi asks the vyadha as to how he could become illumined by doing a "filthy, ugly