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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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.
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Note: In the previous post, we read about how Indra helped Uttanka reach his teacher’s house on time and gift the queen’s earrings to Veda’s wife. Pleased with Uttanka, his teacher, Veda, gave him permission to leave and lead his life independently.
In this post, we will read about Uttanka’s continued anger toward Takshaka which led him to go to Hastinapura to seek revenge.
Uttanka left his teacher’s house after obtaining his leave. Even though Uttanka was able to give the guru-dakshina on time, he was very angry with the serpent king, Takshaka. He wanted to take revenge on the serpent. With this in mind, he proceeded toward Hastinapura to meet king Janamejaya.
Note: You may remember from a previous post that Janamejaya and his brothers were cursed by the celestial she-dog, Sarama, for harassing her son. Disturbed by the curse, the king appointed an accomplished sage called Somasrava (who could neutralize the curse) as his purohit. Soon after appointing Somasrava, Janamaejaya marched towards Takshashila to bring that region under his control.
When Uttanka reached Hastinapur, Janamejaya had won the battle in Takshashila and was on his way back to Hastinapura.
After reaching Hastinapurs, Uttanka waited for Janamejaya to return from the battle. When he saw the victorious king enter Haspinapura, surrounded by ministers on all sides, he pronounced blessings on the king in a proper manner (as would befit an emperor). After that, at an opportune moment, Uttanka spoke to the king in a melodious way with the correct accent, saying, “O best of monarchs, how is it that you spend your time like a child when another matter urgently requires your attention?”
Janamejaya also greeted the excellent brahmin respectfully and replied, “In caring for my subjects, I perform the duties of my noble tribe. What is this matter that requires my urgent attention and has brought you here?”
When the excellent king, Janamejaya, of generous heart addressed the great brahmin known for his good deeds, he replied to the monarch, “O king, the matter that demands your attention is closely related to you. Therefore please do it. The serpent king, Takshaka, was responsible for your father’s death. He bit your father and reduced him to the five elements like a tree stricken by thunder. The wicked Takshaka committed this unnecessary act because he was intoxicated with power. Not only did he bite your father, but he also caused Kasyapa, the great physician, to run back when he was coming to Hastinapura to help your father recover from the deadly bite. The time, ordained by the fates, has come for you to avenge your father’s death at the hands of that vile serpent. It is therefore your duty to burn the wicked serpent in the blazing fire of a snake sacrifice. O king, give immediate orders for the sacrifice. That way, you will avenge the death of your father and you will also do me a great favor because that wicked serpent had once obstructed me when I was doing important work for my teacher.”
Janamejaya became sorrowful about his father’s death when he heard Uttanka’s words. Furious with Takshaka, Janamejaya asked his ministers to explain to him all the details of his father’s demise. The details, narrated by Uttanka himself, caused Janamejaya to become overcome with pain and sorrow.
Note: With this post, we end the Paushya (sub) Parva of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata.The next post begins with the Pauloma (sub) Parva of the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata.
You might recall that all the stories we have read till now were narrated by Ugrasrava Sauti (a bard) to a group of ascetics in the Naimisha forest. These ascetics had gathered to attend Saunak Kulapati’s 12-year yagna. In the next post, Sauti again asks the ascetics which story they want to hear. We’ll find out if they want to hear about Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice immediately or later.
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After passing Rishi Ayodha-Dhaumya’s test, Veda entered worldly life, got married, and had his own disciples over time. One such disciple was Uttanka. Having learned under a teacher who although loving was a hard taskmaster, he did not want to subject his pupils to harsh discipline. Therefore, he never forced them to obey his commands or perform difficult tasks.
One day, King Janamejaya and Paushya came to Veda’s residence and appointed him as their Upadhyaya (spiritual guide). Sometime after being appointed the Upadhyaya, Veda had to leave his house to attend to work related to a yajna. Before leaving, he asked Uttanka to take care of the house in his absence. His parting words to Uttanka were:
“Do whatever needs to be done in my house without neglect.”
Having said these words, Rishi Veda left to attend to his work.
Uttanka’s Respect & Restraint
Uttanka stayed back ever mindful of his teacher’s instructions.
One day, the women in Rishi Veda’s house approached Uttanka and said, “O Uttanka, the mistress of this house is in the season when a sexual connection may be fruitful for bearing children. The rishi has gone out for work, so, in his absence, you have to perform what needs to be done.”
Uttanka answered, “I cannot do this. My teacher has not instructed me to do that which is improper.”
When Rishi Veda returned from his journey and learned what had happened, he was pleased with Uttanka’s conduct. He called Uttanka and said, “Uttanka, my child, you have served me well. Your restraint has increased our friendship. Therefore, I give you permission to leave. Go where you choose and may your wishes be fulfilled.”
Uttanka, however, insisted on giving guru-dakshina to his teacher. He replied, “The person who teaches incorrectly and one who receives teachings incorrectly, are doomed to enmity, and one of them dies. Therefore, I wish to do something for you as an honorarium.”
Instead of asking Uttanka to do some task, Veda simply asked him to stay at his house for some more time.
After some time had passed, Uttanka once again asked Rishi Veda to give him a task. However, Veda did not want anything for himself, so he told Uttanka to ask his wife if she wanted anything.
Uttanka went to his teacher’s wife and requested her to ask for something so he could leave their house without being in indebted to them.
Veda’s wife asked Uttanka to go to King Paushya’s kingdom and bring the queen’s earrings for her. She said, “The fourth day from today is sacred. Several brahmanas will come to dine at this house. I wish to wear those earrings when I appear before them. Accomplish this task, O Uttanka. You will have good fortune if you succeed, but if you don’t, then it will be difficult for good fortune to come to you.”
Uttanka Goes to Paushya’s Kingdom
Having received his guru-ma’s command, Uttanka left for Paushya’s kingdom. On the way, he saw a huge bull with a large man seated on it. The man said to Uttanka, “Eat this bull’s dung.”
Uttanka hesitated, but the man insisted, saying, “O Uttanka, don’t think so much about it. Your teacher has also eaten this bull’s dung in the past.”
Uttanka agreed when he heard this. He ate the dung and drank the urine of the bull, got up respectfully, washed his hands and mouth, and resumed his journey.
Uttanka soon reached Paushya’s palace where he blessed the king and explained why he had come to his palace.
Upon hearing Uttanka’s request, King Paushya said, “O Uttanka, go to the women’s chambers and ask the queen for her earrings.”
However, when Uttanka went to the women’s chambers, he did not find the queen there. A little upset, he returned to Paushya and said, “O king, it is not proper for you to deceive me. The queen is not in her chamber.”
Paushya thought for a moment and replied, “The queen is very pure and chaste. Therefore, she can be seen only by those people who are perfectly pure and have not come into contact with anything impure.”
Uttanka reflected for a moment and said, “After having my meal, I performed my ablutions while standing. Maybe that is why I could not see her.”
“Yes, that’s a transgression. A person cannot purify himself properly while standing or walking,” Paushya said.
Uttanka agreed with the king’s logic and went to clean himself properly.
He sat down facing the east and washed his face, hands, and legs thoroughly. Then he took some clean water, that was free of froth and not too warm, and drank it twice, taking just enough so that it would reach his stomach immediately. After that, he cleaned his eyes, ears, and other openings of his body by touching them with water.
Thus, having cleaned himself properly, Uttanka, once again went to the women’s chambers.
This time, he was able to see the queen.
The queen greeted Uttanka respectfully and asked him what he wanted.
Uttanka replied, “I have come to beg for your earrings which I wish to take as a present for my guru-ma”
The queen was pleased with Uttanka’s conduct and felt that he was worthy of charity. She took off her earrings and gave them to Uttanka saying, “You will have to carry these earrings very carefully because Takshaka, the king of serpents, also covets them.”
“Don’t worry O queen, Takshaka, will not be able to take these earrings from me,” Uttanka assured. After thanking the queen, he took her leave and went to express his gratitude to Paushya.
The Quarrel Between Uttanka and Paushya
Paushya requested Uttanka to stay in his palace a little longer to perform a shraddha ceremony.
Uttanka agreed and requested the king for some clean food to eat. When the food was brought to him, Uttanka noticed that it was cold and there was hair in the food.
The unclean food displeased Uttanka.
Uttanka became angry and said to the king, “You have given me unclean food, therefore, you will lose your sight.”
Hearing Uttanka’s words, Paushya also became angry and cursed him back saying, “You have falsely labelled cleaned food as unclean, therefore, you will not have any children.”
“It doesn’t befit you to curse me in return after having offered me unclean food. Here, you can see for yourself that the food is truly unclean,” Uttanla replied.
When Paushya examined the food, he realised that it was indeed unclean. It was cold and had hair in it because it was prepared by a woman who had not braided her hair. Paushya tried to pacify Uttanka by saying, “Sir, the food is indeed cold and it contains hair. It has been prepared without sufficient care. I pray to you, please pardon me. Let me not become blind.”
Uttanka replied, “What I have said will happen. I cannot prevent that. However, you will regain your sight soon after losing it. Now, grant me that your curse also does not have any effect on me.”
Paushya, however, did not take back his curse. He said, “I am unable to take back my curse because my anger has not yet calmed down. You may not be able to understand this because a brahmana’s heart is soft even though his words may be sharp. In the case of a kshatriya, it is the opposite. His words are soft but his heart is like a sharp-edged tool. I am unable to neutralise my curse because of the hardness of my heart.”
Uttanka replied, “Even though I showed you that the food offered by you was indeed unclean, I still softened my curse when you requested me to do so. However, you cursed me when you were in the wrong. Therefore, your curse will not have any effect on me. I am certain of this.”
Having said this, Uttanka took the earrings and left Paushya’s court to return to his teacher’s house.
The Serpent King, Takshaka, Steals the Earrings
On the way, Uttanka noticed a naked idle beggar who came in and out of his vision. Uttanka did not pay much attention to this beggar. He put the earrings on the ground and went to clean himself in a body of water.
In the meantime, the beggar, whom Uttanka had ignored, took the earrings and ran away.
Utanka noticed the thief, but he decided to complete his ablutions. Having purified himself, he bowed to the Gods and his spiritual teachers, and after that, he chased the thief and overtook him with great difficulty. However, the moment he seized the thief, the beggar changed his form and stood before Uttanka as his real self – that of Takshaka, the serpent king.
Having returned to his real form, Takshaka the serpent entered a large hole in the ground and proceeded toward the region of the serpents, which was also his own abode.
Uttanka Pursues Takshaka
Seeing Takshaka slither into the ground helped Uttanka remember the queen’s words about how Takshaka also coveted the same earrings. The hole that Takshaka had entered was wide enough for snakes but too small for humans. Uttanka picked up a stick and began expanding the hole to pursue the serpent, but he wasn’t able to make much progress.
When Indra, the king of the Gods, noticed Uttanka’s problem, he sent his thunderbolt to the brahmin boy. That thunderbolt entered Uttanka’s stick and rapidly enlarged the hole leading the way for Uttanka to follow. Following his stick powered by the thunderbolt, Uttanka went deep into the earth until he reached the region of the serpents.
The region was vast. It felt like it extended infinitely in all directions. There were hundreds of elegant mansions with gateways, turrets, and domes. There were also wonderful places for entertainment and games.
Uttanka was hoping that Takshaka would return the earrings after he glorified him and the serpents. But he didn’t respond to Uttanka’s praises. When Uttanka realized that Takshaka wasn’t going to return the earrings, he looked around and thought of an alternate plan.
As he looked around, he noticed two women at a loom weaving a piece of cloth with black and white threads. The warp was of white thread and the weft, which was of black thread, was being woven using a very fine tool.
Near the loom was a wheel with twelve spokes. It was being turned by six boys. He also noticed a man with a healthy and well-groomed horse. Uttanka addressed them with the following mantras.
“This wheel whose circumference is marked by twenty-four divisions representing lunar fortnights is furnished with three hundred spokes! It is kept in continuous motion by six boys representing the six seasons!
These two women representing universal nature are continuously weaving a cloth of black and white threads, ushering into existence the manifold worlds and the beings that live in those worlds.
O wielder of the thunder, the protector of the universe, the slayer of Vritra and Namuchi. O illustrious one, wearing the black cloth, you show truth and untruth in the universe. You own the horse which was received from the depths of the ocean. This horse is another form of Agni (the God of fire). I bow to you, O supreme Lord of the three worlds. O Purandara!”
Note: Purandara is another name for Indra.
Hearing these words, the man with the horse said to Uttanka, “I am gratified by your adoration and I want to do something good for you. What can I do?”
Uttanka replied, “Help me bring the serpents under my control.”
“Blow into this horse,” the man said.
Uttanka did as he was told and the moment he blew into the horse, fire and smoke came out from the horse’s ears, nose, and every opening. The fire along with the smoke began to spread over the entire region of the serpents.
Takshaka was so surprised and shaken by what was happening that he rushed out of hiding and returned the earrings to Uttanka.
When Uttanka took the earrings, he realized that today was the sacred day when his guru-ma wanted to wear the earrings. He needed to give them to her immediately, however, he was very far from his teacher’s house. Uttanka was once again in a fix because there was no way he could reach his teacher’s house on time.
Uttanka Gifts The Earrings To His Teacher’s Wife
Upon seeing Uttanka anxious about running out of time, the man standing next to the horse, said, “Ride this horse, Utanka. He will take you within a moment to your master’s house.’
Uttanka mounted the horse and immediately reached his teacher’s house.
Uttanka’s guru-ma, Veda’s wife, had just finished bathing and was dressing her hair. She was thinking to herself what curse she should give Uttanka if he did not return on time. However, Uttanka did return on time and respectfully presented the earrings to her.
Rishi Veda’s wife addressed Uttanka, saying, “Uttanka, welcome my child. You have arrived at the proper time and at the proper place. You are innocent. Therefore, I will not curse you. Good fortune lies before you. May you be successful in obtaining your wishes.”
After giving the earrings, Uttanka went to his teacher – Rishi Veda. The rishi said to Uttanka, “Welcome to the ashram. What happened that caused you to get delayed?”
Uttanka told his teacher about Takshaka stealing the earrings and that he had to go to the region of the Nagas to get them back. Uttanka also described what he saw in the region of the Nagas: the two ladies who were weaving cloth with black and white threads, the wheel with twelve spokes that was kept in motion by six boys, the man, and the extraordinary horse. Uttannka also told his teacher about the man sitting on the large bull, who he met on the way to Paushya’s palace, and how that man had lovingly asked him to eat the bull’s dung.
After telling Rishi Veda all the details, Uttanka requested his teacher to enlighten him about everything he saw and all the people he met.
After passing the test his teacher had designed for him, Veda entered the domestic mode of life and had three disciples learning from him. Having learned under a teacher who although loving was a hard taskmaster, he did not want to subject his pupils to harsh discipline. Therefore, he never forced them to obey his commands or perform difficult tasks.
One day, King Janamejaya and Paushya came to Veda’s residence and appointed him as their Upadhyaya (spiritual guide). Sometime after being appointed the Upadhyaya, Veda had to leave his house to attend to work related to a yagna. Before leaving, he asked one of his disciples (Uttanka) to take care of the house in his absence. His parting words to Uttanka were:
“Do whatever needs to be done in my house without neglect.”
Having said these words, Veda left to attend to his work.
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One day, while hunting, Janamejaya noticed the hermitage of a famous rishi called Srutasrava. This rishi had a son called Somasrava who was engaged in deep ascetic practices and devotion.
Janamejaya bowed to the famous rishi, Srutasrava, with the desire to appoint the rishi’s son as his purohit. After bowing, Janamejaya said to the rishi, “O possessor of six attributes, please allow your son to be my purohit.”
The rishi answered:
“O Janamejaya, my son who is accomplished in the Vedas and has the full force of my asceticism was born from the womb of a female snake that had drunk my vital fluid. He can help you obtain pardon for all offenses except for offenses committed against Lord Shiva. However, my son has a particular habit. If a brahmana asks him for something, he is sure to grant it to the brahmana. If you can accept and put up with this habit, then you may appoint him as your purohit.”
Janamejaya accepted the condition and returned to Hastinapur with Somasrava.
In Hastinapur, he informed his brothers that Somasrava was their purohit and that any demand made by him should be fulfilled without any questions.
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This post marks the beginning of the Paushya Upa-Parva of the Adi Parva.
King Janamejaya (son of Parikshit) had three brothers: Srutasena, Ugrasena, and Bhimasena. All four of them were seated at the sacrifice on the plains of Kurukshetra.
While they were seated, a dog happened to wander by that very place. This dog was the child of Sarama – the celestial she-dog. Janamejaya’s brothers got irritated at the presence of the dog and harassed it until it left that spot. Consequently, the dog left that place and ran to its mother, crying in pain.
When Sarama saw that her child couldn’t stop crying, she asked her little one: “Why are you crying so much? Who has beaten you?”
The little dog replied, “I have been harassed and beaten by the brothers of Janamejaya.”
“Surely, you must have done something wrong. That is why they beat you,” Sarama told her child.
“I have not done anything wrong. I have not touched the sacrificial butter with my tongue. I have not even cast a glance at it.” The little dog replied.
Sarama was greatly distressed when she heard that her child was beaten for no reason. She immediately went to the place of the sacrifice and said to Janamejaya in anger: “My son did not commit any fault. He neither touched the sacrificial butter with his tongue nor did he look at it. When did you beat him?”
Janamejaya and his brothers unable to give a valid reason, remained silent.
Sarama, who was still angry at the injustice done to her son, cursed them saying: “Because all of you have beaten my son without any reason, evil will come upon you when you least expect it.”
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