The Bet Between Vinata and Kadru

Seven-Headed Uchchaihsravas

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: The Battle Between Danavas and Devas After Samudra Manthan

Note: In the previous post, we read about the battle between the devas and the asuras after the Churning of the Ocean, and how Nara and Narayana defeated the asuras.

In today’s post, we will return to the story of Vinata and Kadru, and learn about the bet they wagered that eventually led to Vinata becoming Kadru’s slave.

After narrating the story of Samudra Manthan, Sauti said to the ascetics in Naimisha Forest, “I have told you the whole story of how the amrit was obtained and when the celestial horse, Uchchaihsravas, emerged from the ocean.”

After that, Sauti returned to the earlier story of Vinata and Kadru. After speaking about the celestial horse, Kadru said to Vinata, “Tell me, sister, what do you think is the color of Uchchaihsravas?”

Vinata answered, “The celestial horse is most certainly white in color. What do you think, sister? Let’s place a bet on its color.”

Kadru replied, “In that case, I think its tail is black in colot. O beautiful sister, let us place a bet that the person who loses will have to serve the winner as a slave.”

After agreeing on the terms of the bet, Vinata and Kadru returned home and decided to visit Uchchaihsravas, the next day, to verify its color.

Determined to win the bet by deceit, Kadru commanded her thousand snake sons to transform themselves into black hair and quickly cover Uchchaihsravas’ tail so it would appear black. Her sons, however, refused to follow her order. Angered by their refusal, Kadru cursed her thousand sons with the following words, “A wise king called Janamejaya, of Pandava race, will perform a snake sacrifice one day, and, in that sacrifice, the fire god, Agni, will consume all of you!”

Lord Brahma heard these cruel words that Kadru had uttered to her sons, but he knew that these words were influenced by destiny. The population of snakes had increased a lot and had created an imbalance in the ecosystem. The snakes were strong and poisonous and they were always bent upon biting and persecuting other creatures.

Lord Brahma, driven by compassion for the suffering creatures, did not intervene in this issue. The snakes had inflicted immense harm to other creatures and something had to be done to stop their suffering.

When the other gods discussed this matter, they also agreed that fate always punished creatures who harmed others. Therefore, they supported Kadru’s curse because they considered it in line with fate.

Even though the destiny of the snakes was sealed, Lord Brahma felt sorry for their father, Sage Kasyapa. Therefore, Brahma called the noble sage to his abode and explained that his snake children had been cursed by their mother and that he should not grieve about it because it was preordained by destiny. After comforting Sage Kasyapa, Lord Brahma taught him the science of neutralizing snake poison.

Note: In the next post, we will read about Vinata and Kadru going to check the color of Uchchaihsravas’ tail.

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Next Post: Vinata and Kadru cross the great ocean to see Uchchaihsravas

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The Battle Between Danavas and Devas After Samudra Manthan

The battle between devas and asuras depicted in the temple at Angkor Wat

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: Rahu Tries to Drink the Amrit by Deceit

Note: In the previous post, we read about how Narayana prevented Rahu from drinking the amrit. In this post, we will learn about the battle that ensued between the devas and asuras after the Churning of the Ocean and how the devas won the battle.

Those of you who enjoy suspense stories might have noticed a literary quality of the Mahabharata — which is, we always know what’s going to happen, however, the anticipation is in finding out how it happened and how it aligns with the thread of subtle dharma.

Soon after that, Narayana left his enchanting female form and returned to his normal form and hurled weapons at the asuras, which made them tremble. Thus, a frightening battle between the devas and the asuras began on the shores of the salt-water ocean, filling every direction with various kinds of weapons like javelins and lances.

The asuras were wounded and mangled with swords, darts, maces, and the discus. Some had their head cut off with double-edged swords, while some lay there vomiting blood, while others lay prostrate on the ground. The battleground became filled with the heads of the asuras with their golden adornments making that place look as if it was scattered with red-dyed mountain peaks.

The next day, when the Sun rose in its splendor, the battle restarted and the devas fought the asuras with bare hands, maces, and iron missiles. Cries and alarming sounds of ‘cut’, ‘pierce’, ‘hurl down’, etc were heard from everywhere.

Nara and Narayana entered the battlefield when the battle was already raging fiercely. Nara had in his hands, the celestial bow. Seeing him, Narayana invoked his own weapon – the Sudarshan Chakra (discus) which came to him from from the skies as soon as Narayana had thought about it  Thousands of asuras were devoured by Narayana’s discus – that dreadful weapon capable of destroying hostile cities.

However, even though they were assaulted with such force, the asuras were brave and strong. They withstood the attack and used their powers to rise into the sky, and from there, they threw mountains upon the devas.

Nara took his celestial bow and released gold-tipped arrows onto those mountains splitting and reducing them to dust before they could fall on the earth.

The onslaught of Nara’s arrows, Narayana’s discus, and the devas’ weapons overwhelmed the asuras. Many of them dived deep into the earth while others plunged into the depths of the ocean.

Thus, after a fierce battle, the devas finally obtained victory over the asuras. They offered proper respect to Mount Mandara and placed him once again on his base. With the nectar in their hands, the devas returned to the heavens making it resound with their shouts of victory. The devas rejoiced upon entering heaven and Indra, as well as the other deities, gave the pot of nectar to Narayana for safe-keeping.

Note: In the last few posts, we have discussed the Churning of the Ocean (Samudra Manthan) and the events after it. I want to take this opportunity to remind you that we got into this discussion because, a few posts back, Sauti had started narrating the story of Sage Kasyapa’s wives: Kadru and Vinata, and their children (a thousand snakes of Kadru and two sons of Vinata). Sauti mentioned that Kadru and Vinata saw the celestial horse (Uchchaihsravas) soon after Garuda’s birth. When the ascetics of Naimisha forest heard about Uchchaihsravas, they wanted to know how that celestial horse came into being. That’s why Sauti took a diversion into the story of Samudra Manthan because Uchchaihsravas was one of the beings that emerged when the ocean was churned.

Now that we know how Uchchaihsravas came into being, we will go back to the story of Kadru and Vinata in the next post. You might remember that Vinata had been cursed by her first son because she broke open the egg before his body was fully formed. He cursed that she would become a slave and that her second son would bring her freedom. In the next post, we will read about a bet that Kadru had with Vinata.

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Next Post: The Bet Between Vinata and Kadru

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Rahu Tries to Drink the Amrit by Deceit

Rahu and other astral figures: Image by Mahesh of Chamba – Self produced scan; from “Pahari masters”, a book by B. N. Goswamy, Public Domain.

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Previous Post: Vishnu’s Mohini Avtaar

Note: In the previous post, we read about how the asuras became desirous of possessing Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of abundance and wealth) and the amrit. However, Narayana (in the form of a beautiful woman) prevented them from succeeding.

In this post, we will read about how Rahu tried to disguise himself as a god and tried to drink the amrit and how he was stopped, once again by Narayana.

While the gods were drinking the amrit, a danava called Rahu was also among them. Rahu was disguised as a god and took a sip of the amrit. However, the amrit had barely reached his throat when he was discovered as an imposter by Surya and Soma (the Moon God) who immediately intimated the other gods. Without wasting any time, Narayana instantly used his discus to cut off the danava Rahu’s head because he had taken the amrit without permission.

Rahu’s separated head which was like a mountain rose up to the sky and uttered dreadful cries. His headless trunk fell on the ground and started rolling, making the entire earth tremble.

From that time, Rahu’s head has been in a state of quarrel with Surya and Soma, whom he swallows from time to time.

Note: According to astronomy and astrology, Rahu and Ketu denote the points of intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon as they move in their respective orbits. The incident of Rahu swallowing Surya and Soma refers to solar and lunar eclipses.

In the next post, we will read about the battle that ensued between the devas and asuras.

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Next Post: The Battle Between Danavas (Asuras) and Devas After Samudra Manthan

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Vishnu’s Mohini Avtaar

Sculpture of Mohini: Image by Nomu420 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32741560

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: Neelkantha Mahadev Saves the World From the Kalakuta

Note: In the previous post, we read about the emergence of Goddess Lakshmi, Soma, Uchchaihsravas (the celestial horse), Airavata (the double-tusked elephant), the Kaustubha gem, Dhanwantari with the pot of amrit, and the deadly poison Kalakuta from the ocean as it was churned. Mahadev drank the Kalakuta and held it in his throat to save the world.

In this post, we will read about what happened when the asuras decided to fight the gods in order to possess Goddess Lakshmi and the amrit.

The asuras were filled with despair when they saw all the wonderful things and beings that had emerged from the ocean. They wanted to possess Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth and abundance) and the amrit (nectar), therefore, they prepared for a battle with the devas. 

Narayana understood what was going on in the asuras’ minds. He immediately used his power of illusion and transformed himself into a graceful and beautiful woman called Mohini. This is the Mohini avtaar of Narayana. 

Mohini approached the asuras and stunned them with her exquisite beauty and grace. And when she started flirting with them, the asuras totally lost their senses. They themselves placed the pot of amrit in Mohini’s hands as they prepared to fight with the gods.

While the asuras were fighting with the gods, Narayana (still in the form of Mohini) took help from Nara to deceive the asuras and quickly left the camp of the asuras with the pot of amrit and took it to the gods.

While still engaged with the asuras in battle, the gods (although frightened) drank the amrit, which they had just received from Narayana’s hands, with great delight.

Note: In the next post, we will read about what happens when Rahu tries to deceive the gods and drink the amrit without permission.

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Next Post: Rahu Tries to Drink the Amrit by Deceit

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Neelkantha Mahadev Saves the World From the Kalakuta

Mahadev drinking the Kalakuta poison (Image By Author Sister Nivedita and Ananda Kentish — credit details at the end of the post)

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Previous Post: The Tired Gods are Re-Energized by Narayana to Continue Churning

Note: In the previous post, we read about how the waters of the churned ocean took on the qualities of nectar as the extracts of trees and herbs mixed with it. Those who drank the water became immortal. However, even though the water took on nectar-like qualities, the nectar that everyone was hoping for did not arise from the ocean. After churning for a long time, the Gods were exhausted to a point where they could churn no longer. They resumed after receiving blessings from Narayana.

In this post, we will read about all the glorious things and beings that emerged from the ocean as the churning continued. We will also encounter the situation that occurred when the deadly Kalakuta poison emerged from the ocean.

After some time, as the churning continued, the mild moon of a thousand rays emerged from the ocean, then came Goddess Lakshmi who was dressed in white, then Soma, then came the white horse Uchchaihsravas, and then the celestial gem Kaustubha which Narayana wears on his chest.

Soon after emergin, Lakshmi, Soma, and Uchchaihsravas approached the high gods (the Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva).

Then the event everyone had been waiting for happened: Dhanwantari arose carrying with him the white pot of nectar in his hands.

As soon as the asuras saw Dhanwantari, they cried out aloud, “The nectar is ours!”

After Dhanwantari, the huge elephant Airavata who had two pairs of tusks arose from the ocean. Indra, the wielder of the thunderbolt, took the elephant as his vehicle.

The churning continued and the last thing to come out of the ocean was also the deadliest – the Kalakuta poison. As soon as it appeared, it blew up into a huge fire with gaseous fumes and engulfed the entire earth in its venom. The mere smell of that deadly substance filled the three worlds with fear and confusion.

The Neelkantha Mahadev Temple in Rishikesh: Image by Rahuldewangan – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11224634

Lord Brahma sought help from Shiva, who swallowed that poison for the safety of all creation. The Divine Maheshwara (Shiva) held it in his throat, and from that time onwards, he is known as Nilakantha (blue-throated) Mahadev.

Note: In the next post, we will read about the Devas and Asuras fighting for the nectar and how Narayana intervened.

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Next Post: Vishnu’s Mohini Avtaar

Image Credit: Author Sister Nivedita and Ananda Kentish Nandalal Bose – https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Myths_of_the_Hindus_%26_Buddhists.djvu/381, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81188480

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The Tired Gods are Re-energized by Narayana to Continue Churning

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: The Churning of the Ocean Begins

Note: In the previous post, we read about how Brahma and Vishnu gave the gods and asuras permission to churn the ocean for nectar. We also read that they used Mount Mandara as a churning rod, the king of tortoises as the base for the rod, and Vasuki (the serpent chief) agreed to be used as the churning rope. Thus the churning began. 

I would like to point out that all this is deeply symbolic of certain spiritual practices and also, possibly, related to the preparation of certain medicines. I don’t have specific details, but those who would like to find out more are encouraged to seek it through spiritually advanced teachers. To start with, here’s an article that explains the yogic allegory of Samudra Manthan. This article explains it from the perspective of Kriya Yoga, and this thread on Quora has several other explanations.

In this post, we will read about what happened when the churning began. These events are also symbolic in nature.

While churning the ocean, the asuras held Vasuki on the side of his hood and the gods held him on the side of his tail. Ananta, the mighty snake, was on the side of the gods. Ever so often, he would go on the other side to raise and drop Vasuki’s hood. 

Because Vasuki’s body was being stretched during the churning, he issued black vapors and flames from his mouth. 

These vapors and flames, aimed towards the sky when Ananta raised the hood, turned into clouds with lightning. And the clouds burst forth into rain which refreshed the tired gods. Since Mount Mandara was also twisted during the churning, its flowers fell on all sides refreshing those who were engaged in churning the ocean.

Then a tremendous roar resounded from the depths of the ocean. It sounded like the great roar that is heard at the dissolution of the universe. Many aquatic animals and beings of the lower regions were crushed and killed by the great Mount Mandara. Also, large trees were torn out, from their roots, as the mountain whirled. These trees along with the birds that lived on them were flung into the churning ocean. Every time these trees rubbed against each other, the friction caused flames to blaze up and the fire spread to the slopes of the mountain burning lions, elephants, and other creatures that lived on it. After some time, Indra caused a heavy downpour of rain to extinguish the fire.

Thus the churning continued with the ocean full of trees and herbs that constantly rubbed against each other as they were tossed about in the waters. After some time, the gum of several trees and herbs that had the properties of amrit mingled with the ocean’s water. The celestials drank that water containing plant extracts mixed with a liquid extract of gold and attained immortality. 

As the churning continued, the herb and tree extracts caused the milky waters of the deep ocean to turn into clarified butter. 

However, even though the waters of the ocean were filled with the properties of amrit, the real amrit that everyone was hoping for did not arise. By now, the gods and asuras were so exhausted that they had no more strength left to churn further.

Unable to proceed, the gods approached the boon-granting Brahma and said, “O sire, nectar has still not arisen from the ocean and we are very tired to churn further. Now, our only hope is if Narayana helps us.”

Upon hearing their problem, Brahma requested Narayana to help the gods, and Narayana blessed them with further strength to churn the mountain.

Note: In the next post, we will read about the glorious beings that arose from the ocean as the churning continued and what happened when the deadly Kalakoot poison emanated from the waters.

Next Post: Neelkantha Mahadeva Saves the World From the Kalauta Poison

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Image Credit: By 245CMR – Own work based on: Sagar mathan.jpg, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106963683

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The Churning of the Ocean Begins

Image of the ‘churning of the ocean’ by ‘bazaar art print’. Image credits at the end of the article.

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Previous Post: The Birth of Garuda – the Serpent Eater

Note: In the previous post, we read about the birth of Garuda – the serpent eater. In this post, we will read about how the churning of the ocean, also known as Samudra Manthan, began.

Soon after Garuda’s birth, his mother (Vinata) and her sister (Kadru) saw a beautiful horse called Uchchaihsravas that had come into being when the churning of the ocean for nectar (Samudra Manthan) was performed. This divine and graceful horse was blessed with eternal youth. It was full of energy and had every auspicious mark on it. It was also worshipped by the gods.

When Sauti narrated this incident of the two women seeing Uchchaihsravas who had arisen from the Samudra Manthan, Saunaka Kulapati (the ascetic of Naimisha forest) immediately became curious to know why the Samudra Manthan had taken place and what caused such a fine horse to be born from it. He asked Sauti to go off a tangent and tell him about the Samudra Manthan first.

Sauti answered Saunaka Kulapati’s question with the following words: 

“There is a blazing and radiant mountain called Meru. The whole mountain appears golden as it reflects and disperses the sun rays that fall on its slopes. The gods and the gandharvas love spending time on this mountain.

Regular humans whose consciousness has been made heavy by the consequences of their sins cannot even approach this mountain.

Terrible wild animals roam around on this mountain, but it’s also filled with many divine, life-giving herbs. It has beautiful trees, and streams, and the entire mountain resounds with charming melodies of celestial music. 

Mount Meru is so high that it appears to be kissing the heavens.”

One day, the gods had a meeting on Mount Meru. They had performed several penances and had observed excellent vows for obtaining the amrit (celestial ambrosia). Having done what was necessary, they were now eager to receive the fruits of their penances (the amrit). 

When Narayana saw the anxious gods, he approached Brahma and said, “O Brahma, please churn the ocean with the gods and the asuras. By doing so, amrit, along with several other substances, medicines, and gems will be obtained.”

Sauti paused for a moment. After telling the ascetics in Naimisha forest about Mount Meru, the meeting of the gods, and Narayana’s words to Brahma, Sauti told the ascetics about another mountain called Mandara.

This mountain was covered with intertwining herbs and was adorned with cloud-like peaks. Dangerous animals lived on it along with countless birds who sang in beautiful melodies. Mandara mountain was often visited by gods, apsaras, kinnaras. The mountain arose for 11,000 yojanas over the earth and its base extended inside the earth for an equal distance.

Note: A yojana is a measure of distance used in ancient India, Thailand, and Myanmar. It is approximately 12-15 Kilometres.

The gods wanted to tear up Mandara and use it as a churning rod. However, being unable to tear that massive mountain from the earth, they approached Vishnu and Brahma and help.

Vishnu assigned this difficult task to the prince of the snakes – the powerful Ananta. The mighty snake succeeded in tearing up the mountain with its forests and the animals that lived on it. Having obtained the mountain, the gods decided to use it as a churning rod for churning the ocean. They, along with Ananta, approached the ocean and said, “O Ocean, we have come to churn your waters for obtaining nectar.”

The ocean replied, “Go ahead. I am capable of bearing the disturbance that the churning will cause in my waters, and I am glad, for, I too will get a share of the nectar.”

Note: Throughout the Mahabharata, you will come across these themes of ‘fair exchange’ and ‘manageable load’. The ocean agreed to the churning that would disturb its waters and cause it significant discomfort, for two reasons:
1. Because it had the capability to bear the churning. It was a manageable load.
2. Because it too would benefit by receiving a share of the amrit. It was a fair exchange.

This balance is worth keeping in mind when we are often told, under the guise of spirituality and religion, to bear unmanageable loads and give to people or circumstances who don’t appreciate us or don’t reciprocate appropriately. 

Having obtained Mount Mandara as a churning rod and permission from the ocean to perform the churning, the gods went to the king of tortoises and requested him to hold the mountain on his back. The tortoise king agreed and Indra devised a mechanism to place Mount Mandara on the tortoise’s back.

Finally, Vasuki (the mighty serpent chief) was requested to be the churning rope.

Note: You might remember Vasuki as the serpent chief who married his sister to Sage Jaratkaru.

Thus, with Mount Mandara as the rod, the tortoise king as the base, and Vasuki as the rope, the Gods and Asuras began churning the depths of the ocean for amrit.

Note: In the next post, we will read about the gods and asuras getting fatigued while churning the ocean and how they were re-energized by Vishnu.

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Next Post: The Tired Gods are Re-Energized by Narayana to Continue Churning

Image Credit:

By bazaar art print – http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/0400_0499/pantheon/churning/churning.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45804883

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The Birth of Garuda – the Serpent Eater

Image of one of the oldest statues of Garuda on a 1st-century BCE portable pillar in Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh, India.

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Previous Post: Jaratkaru’s Son Astika – the Saviour of Serpents

Note: In the previous post, Ugrasrava Sauti narrated a short description of Sage Astika’s birth and how he helped his parents through his wise actions. 

In this post, the ascetics of Naimisha forest express their desire to hear the story in detail including why the Nagas were cursed.

The great sage of Naimisha forest, Saunaka Kulapati, said to Sauti, “O Sauti, narrate once more, in detail, the history of the learned and virtuous Astika. We are very curious to know more about it.”

Saunaka Kulapati continued, “O Sauti, you speak very sweetly with correct pronunciations and emphasis. We are very pleased with your speech. You speak just like your father. Do narrate this story just like your father had narrated it.”

Sauti addressed Saunaka Kulapati, “O sage, you who are blessed with the longevity of age, I shall narrate the story of Astika exactly as I heard it from my father.”

Note: Sauti begins the story from a period much before Astika’s birth. He does so to explain why the Nagas were cursed. The following words were spoken by Sauti to the ascetics in Naimisha forest.

O brahmana, in the Satya Yuga, Prajapati had two beautiful daughters called Kadru and Vinata. They both became the wives of Sage Kasyapa. The sage received much pleasure and gratification from his wives. One day, he offered each of them a boon.

The two sisters were overjoyed when they heard Kasyapa’s words. Kadru wished to have as sons a thousand splendid snakes and Vinata asked for two sons who would be greater than Kadru’s thousand in terms of strength, energy, body size, and prowess. Sage Kasyapa granted both of them what they had asked for and left for the forest. Before leaving, he asked them to take proper care of the embryos until their children were born.

After a long time, Kadru produced a thousand eggs and Vinata released two. Their maids placed the eggs carefully in warm vessels. After five hundred years, Kadru’s thousand eggs burst open resulting in the birth of her thousand snake children. 

However, Vinata became jealous of Kadru because her eggs had not yet hatched. In her impatience, she broke open one of the eggs and saw in it an embryo whose upper part was developed properly but the lower part was not yet fully developed. The unformed child became angry with its mother and cursed Vinata, in the following words, “Because you have broken this egg prematurely, you will serve as a slave. However, if you take good care of the other egg and not break it prematurely, the illustrious child who is born from it will deliver you from slavery.”

After cursing his mother, this child rose to the sky. He eventually became the charioteer of Surya – the Sun God.

This time, Vinata did not repeat her mistake. After another five hundred years, her second egg burst open, and Garuda, the serpent-eater, was born. As soon as Garuda – this lord of the birds – was born, he began to feel hungry. He left his mother, Vinata, and flew in search of the food the Divine Lord had assigned to him.

Note: I would like to point out a pattern of narration in the Mahabharata. We are first given a summary of a story and then the details. This pattern takes the form of stories within stories. This can often be confusing, so I’d like to remind you of where this particular narration started. 

Till now, we have been told that the Nagas were cursed to perish in Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice. We were also told that the Naga chief, Vasuki, had been advised to marry his sister (Jaratkaru) to a sage called Jaratkaru because their son would neutralize the curse on the Nagas.

However, Sage Jaratkaru had adopted the brahmachari way of life and was not interested in getting married. One day, while he was traveling, he came across his ancestors who were agonized by the fact that their lineage would end if Jaratkaru did not marry. The sage agreed to marry only if he found a woman called Jaratkaru and she was happily bestowed by her family as his wife. When the sage went to a forest and prayed for a wife, his prayers were heard by Vasuki who bestowed his sister in marriage to the sage. Their union gave birth to Astika – the sage who would eventually save the serpents at Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice.

At this point, we still don’t know why the nagas were cursed, what conditions led Janamejaya to perform the snake sacrifice, and how Astika saved the serpents. These stories will unravel in future posts.

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Next Post: Samudra Manthan Begins

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Jaratkaru’s Son Astika – the Savior of Serpents

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Previous Post: Rishi Jaratkaru’s Places Some Conditions for Getting Married

Note: In the previous post, we read about Rishi Jaratkaru’s marriage to the Naga maiden, and Vasuki’s sister, Jaratkaru. 

In this post, we will find out why Vasuki wanted his sister to marry Rishi Jaratkaru.

Sauti addressed the ascetics in Naimisha forest to tell them about why Vasuki wanted to marry his sister to Jaratkaru, “O foremost of people who are acquainted with Brahma, a long time back, a woman, who was the mother of a thousand snakes, had cursed her children. She decreed that Agni would burn them at Janamejaya’s sacrifice. Vasuki, the chief of the snakes, married his sister to Rishi Jaratkaru to neutralize that curse. A high-souled child, called Astika, was born of their union. He became an illustrious ascetic, well-versed in the Vedas and their branches, and he regarded every one with a balanced viewpoint. Thus, he removed the fears of both his parents.”

Note: Astika removed the fears of both his parents because Rishi Jaratkaru wanted a child who would please his ancestors and the Naga woman Jaratkaru wanted a child who would rescue the snakes at Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice. Astika did both.

A long time after Astika’s birth, a descendant of the Pandavas conducted a great snake sacrifice for the destruction of the Nagas. 

Note: Janamejaya’s father, Parikshit, was killed by Takshaka’s bite. Janamejaya conducted the snake sacrifice to avenge his father’s death.

Because Astika’s mother was a Naga, the Nagas who were losing their lives at Janamejaya’s sacrifice were his cousins and maternal uncles. Astika was able to save many of the Nagas at the sacrifice. 

Eventually, Astika also had offspring, thus repaying the debt to his ancestors. 

By performing yagnas and making different kinds of offerings, he propitiated the Gods, and by practicing the brahmacharya mode of life, he also pleased the rishis.

Thus, by getting married, and having Astika as a child, Rishi Jaratkaru of strict vows released himself from all bondage and, after a long life, ascended to heaven. 

After narrating the story of Astika, Sauti addressed the ascetic (Saunaka Kulapati), “O tiger of the Bhrigu race, I have told you the story of Astika. Now, which story should I narrate next?”

Note: Saunaka Kulapati, wanted to hear the entire story of Astika, including the old curse on the Nagas, in more detail. In the next post, we will begin with the full story of how the Nagas were cursed and how Astika saved them.

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Next Post: The Birth of Garuda – the Serpent Eater

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Rishi Jaratkaru Places Some Conditions for Getting Married

An 11th-century, Pala period, statue of the serpent lady, Jaratkaru

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: Rishi Jaratkaru Meets his Pitris

Note: In the previous post, we read that Jaratkaru’s ancestors were upset with him for dedicating his life to ascetic practices instead of getting married and having children to further their ancestral line.

In this post, we will read about his ancestors’ request and Jaratkaru’s response.

When Jaratkaru asked his ancestors how he could serve them, they replied, “O child, get married and try to extend our lineage. The merit one gets by becoming a father cannot be obtained through virtue or ascetic practices. Therefore, set your heart on getting married and having offspring. This way, you will perform an act of great merit for yourself and us.”

Jaratkaru replied, “Even though I do not wish to marry or earn wealth, I will marry for your welfare.”

Jaratkaru continued, “I will marry a woman according to the ordinances of the shastras, however, the name of my bride should be the same as mine, and her friends and relations should willingly give her in marriage to a poor man like me. I give you my word, O ancestors, that if I am able to meet such a woman, I will get married and raise children for your redemption, so you may rejoice and proceed to the eternal regions.” 

Having said this, Jaratkaru continued with his journey and wandered to different places in search of a wife. One day, he went to a forest and prayed three times, in a faint voice, for a wife. 

Shortly after that, Vasuki (the great and noble serpent) offered his sister in marriage to the rishi. However, Jaratkaru hesitated. He wanted to know if her name was the same as his. He asked Vasuki, “Tell me the truth, what is the name of your sister?”

Vasuki replied, “O Jaratkaru, this is my younger sister. Her name is Jaratkaru. I give her in marriage to you because we have waited for this day when I could marry her to you.

Thus the rishi Jaratkaru and Vasuki Naga’s sister, also called Jaratkaru, got married according to proper rites.

Note: In the next post, we will read about the birth of Jaratkaru’s son, Astika.

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Next Post: Jaratkaru’s Son Astika — the Saviour of Serpents

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Sage Jaratkaru Meets his Pitris

Credits: Image taken on Assi Ghat, Varanasi, by Miraage.Clicks

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: Rishi Sahasrapat Regains his Human Form

Note: In the previous post, we read about how Rishi Sahasrapat regained his human form and advised Ruru to be kind toward all creatures. The rishi also mentioned Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice. Ruru wanted to know more about why Janamejaya chose to conduct the sacrifice, but Sahasrapat vanished without answering. After searching in vain, Ruru returned home and asked his father (Rishi Pramati) about the snake sacrifice.

As you will remember, all of this was narrated by Ugrasrava Sauti to the ascetics in Naimisha Forest who had just completed attending Saunaka Kulapati’s 12-year yagna. 

After hearing Ruru’s story, Saunaka Kulapati was also curious to find out who Janamejaya was, and why had he conducted the snake sacrifice that took the lives of numerous snakes. Saunaka was also curious to know who Astika was, and why he saved the snakes.

At this point, in the Mahabharata, we are reminded that this narration is also known as a Purana by wise brahmins. We are reminded that Krishna Dwaipayana (Ved Vyasa) originally narrated this story and that Sauti’s wise father (Lomaharshana) was a disciple of Ved Vyasa. Sauti heard the Mahabharata from his father when Lomaharshana was narrating it to the dwellers of Naimisha forest. Coincidentally, now, Sauti was also narrating the Mahabharata in the Naimisha forest.

Sauti assured Saunaka Kulapati that he would narrate the story of Astika exactly as he had heard it from his father, Lomaharshana.

Sauti said to the ascetics, “O listen, as I recite this sin-destroying story in full.”

Astika was the son of a powerful sage called Jaratkaru. Jaratkaru was always engaged in austere devotions. He ate very little and was a brahma-chari with his bodily urges completely under his control. He was a virtuous sage of rigid vows and had great ascetic power. He was also known as a yayavara sage.

Note: ‘Yayavara’ was a term used for wandering sages.

One day, Jaratkaru decided to undertake a long journey over the entire world. He walked during the day and rested at night. Thus, he visited different places and bathed in various sacred waters. 

This great sage practiced austerities that would have been very difficult for ordinary people who did not have the same restraint as he did. On this journey, he did not eat solid food, sustaining himself entirely on air. Because he had also renounced sleep, he rested, without sleeping, at night. Due to his spiritual power, he walked about like a blazing fire.

One day, while traveling, he saw certain beings hanging upside down, on a rope made of virana fibres, in a huge hole. However, that rope had been secretly eaten by all sides by a rat who lived in that same hole. Jaratkaru approached those beings and asked them who they were.

The beings said, “We are rishis of rigid vows. We are known as  Yayavaras. We are troubled and are sinking low into the earth because we do not have descendants. We have a son named Jaratkaru, but that wretch has undertaken a life of austerities. The fool does not think of getting married and raising children. We are afraid that our race will become extinct. That is why we are suspended in this hole, and even though we have possessions, we live like beings who have nothing.”

These hanging rishis asked Jaratkaru, “Who are you, O excellent one, and why are you looking so sad after hearing our story?”

Jaratkaru replied, “O great ones, I am the Jaratkaru you spoke of, and you are my ancestors. Please tell me, how may I serve you?”

Note: In the next post, we will read about what Jaratkaru’s ancestors asked from him.

Next Post: Rishi Jaratkaru Places Some Conditions for Getting Married

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

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Rishi Sahasrapat Regains his Human Form

Photo by rushil shrivastava on Unsplash

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

Previous Post: Ruru’s Anger Toward Snakes

Note: In the previous post, we read about Ruru’s decision to slay every snake and how he was pacified when he met the rishi (Sahasrapat) who had been transformed into a non-poisonous snake due to the curse of a brahmana.

In this post, we will find out why Sahasrapat was transformed into a snake and how he could regain his human form.

When asked by Ruru about who he was and how long he would have to remain a snake, the Dundubha (Rishi Sahasrapat) said, “A long time ago, I had a friend called Khagama. He had a lot of spiritual power which he had acquired through great austerities. However, he was very rash in his speech.”

One day, when Khagama was performing the Agni-Hotra Yagna, Sahasrapat made a toy snake with grass blades and tried to scare Khagama for fun. Khagama was indeed scared. He almost fainted. But when he recovered and found out that his friend had tried to mock him, he became filled with anger and said the following words to Sahasrapat, “Because you made a powerless mock snake to frighten me, you yourself will be turned into a non-poisonous serpent by my curse.”

Sahasrapat was aware that Khagama’s speech carried immense power because of his ascetic penances. He folded his hands and bowed down to his friend and said, “Dear friend, I did this as a joke to make you laugh. It is, therefore, not correct for you to curse me. Please take back your curse.”

When Khagama saw his friend in this state, he was moved by compassion, and, even though he was still very angry, he said, “O noble one, you will be freed from the curse on the day you see Ruru, the son of Pramati.”

Sahasrapat (who was still in the form of a Dundubha snake) addressing Sage Ruru said, “You are the same Ruru. I will tell you something for your good once I recover my human form.”

Saying this, Sahasrapat, transformed back into his original, bright human form, and said to Ruru, “O great one, mercy is the highest virtue of a man. Therefore, a brahmana should never kill another creature. He should always be mild. This is the most sacred teaching of the Vedas. A brahmana should be well-versed in the Vedas and Vedangas and should encourage all creatures to believe in God. Just like a brahmana should remember all the Vedas, he should also be kind to all creatures. It is the dharma of kshatriyas to be stern, to rule their subjects properly, and to use the sword. Your dharma is that of a brahmana and not a kshatriya.”

Rishi Sahasrapat told Ruru, that in the past, a king called Janamejaya had performed a sacrifice to destroy serpents. However, a brahmana called Astika saved the serpents. Astika had great knowledge of the Vedas and immense spiritual power.

Ruru was curious to know why king Janamejaya wanted to destroy the serpents. He asked the rishi, but Sahasrapat simply said that Ruru would hear Astika’s story from other brahmanas. 

Saying this, Sahasrapat vanished.

Ruru ran about in the forest to search for the rishi but couldn’t find him anywhere. Ruru sat down with exhaustion, but the words of the rishi kept going on in his mind. These constant thoughts made his mind confused and foggy. After resting for some time, Ruru regained clarity of mind and returned home where he asked his father, Pramati, to tell him the story of Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice and the brahmana (Astika) who had saved the snakes.

Note: With this post, we end the Puloma (sub) Parva of the Adi Parva. We will begin the Astika (sub) Parva in the next post, in which we will read about Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice and how Astika saved the snakes.

Next Post: Sage Jaratkaru Meets his Pitris

Table of Contents (The Complete Mahabharata in Simple English)

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