KING JANAMEJAYA.
He was just a little boy when his father died by snake-bite.
He was crowned as the next Emperor.
He did not disappoint the people for the trust they placed in him.
Everybody felt secure under his rule. Prosperity reigned.
But fate? It waited!
UTTANKA!
Uttanka was a Brahmin harassed by Takshaka!
He had a personal grudge against the serpent king.
He sought the guileless king Janamejaya. He talked him into taking revenge for the death of his father.
Takshaka had to be avenged. The serpent-clan itself should be destroyed.
The fire of revenge started burning in the king’s heart.
A great serpent Sacrifice was arranged. Sages and Brahmins from all the lands were invited. Charity was unlimited. A huge fire-alter was built.
As the Sages recited the Mantra, snakes crawled to the fire as if pulled by chains and fell into the fire. Takshaka was no exception.
He was getting pulled towards the fire by the power of the Mantra.
He took shelter in Indra. Indra held on to him by his divine power.
Uttanka was enraged.
He willed that both the serpent and Indra should enter the fire together.
Takshaka was hanging in the air above the sacrificial fire. Indra was also getting pulled along with him.
ASTHIKA
A young boy, son of Sage Jaratkaaru, approached the king. He was the son of a serpent mother. His name was Asthika. He pleased the king with his Vedic Knowledge. The king granted him any boon he wished for. Asthika asked for the Sacrifice to be stopped. King Janamejaya granted the boon. Takshaka was saved. But revenge? It fell dead in front of a ‘promise to a child’!
This is BHARATAVARSHA! The sacred land loved by Gods! The land of penance and virtue! The land where Gods walked as human beings!
What caused all these happenings like snake-Sacrifice? And, why was it stopped?
JARATKAARU
Jaratkaaru was a great Sage! He never married. Once he saw all his ancestors hanging upside down in a pit. He learnt that they suffered that fate because he had no sons to offer the obituary services. He wanted to marry. He was searching for a worthy partner-in-life.
Sage Kashyapa had two wives – Kadru and Vinata. As usual their relationship was a little sour. Once they both saw the horses belonging to the Sun’s chariot. The question of their color arose. Vinata said they were white in color. Kadru said that they were black. She said that if the color proved to be black, Vinata should become her maid. Vinata agreed.
Unknown to her, Kadru sought the help of her serpent-sons and asked them to cover the bodies of the horses so as to make them look black. Her sons had better sense of Dharma. They refused to obey her. She cursed them that they would be burnt in the Sacrificial fire of King Janamejaya. Some serpents fearing the curse stuck to the tail of the horse and somehow managed to make the horse look different. Vinata did not understand that she was getting cheated by Kadru. She was heart broken.
Garuda, her son heard her lamentations and rushed to help her. He was the Chief of the bird-clan. His mother informed him that now she was the slave of Kadru and had to carry her everywhere. Garuda helped her in her work and asked Kadru to release his mother from slavery. He would do anything to free her. She asked for the nectar from Heavens. Garuda fought with the Devas and brought the nectar and gave it to Kadru. His mother was now free. But Indra stole back the nectar when the serpents were un-alert.
The greedy serpents bit the Kusha grass spread out there. ‘Maybe the pot had rolled and the nectar was sticking to them’, they thought. The sharp-edged grass cut their tongue and their tongues became split.
The good serpents who were cursed by their mother went to Brahma, to put forth their cause. Brahma told them to find the Sage Jaratkaaru and offer the sister of the Serpent-Chief Vaasuki, in marriage to him and that her son will save the serpent clan. The serpents did likewise. But Jaratkaaru insisted that if anything unpleasant was done by her, he would leave her and go off. They both lived happily in the palace of Vaasuki. Once the tired Sage told his wife not to wake him up at any cost and went to sleep.
Evening time approached. It was worship time. His wife was in a dilemma.
‘Dharma had to be preserved at any cost. It did not matter if her husband got angry’; she thought.
She woke him up. Jaratkaaru was annoyed. He decided to leave the palace.
His wife pleaded - “What about the child that will save her clan?”
He just said, “ASTI” (is there). He left.
In due time, she gave birth to a child. He was equal to his father in studies and Knowledge.
His name was AASTHIKA and he saved the serpent-clan from destruction.
Wherever his name is remembered, the serpents do not cause harm.
Past; Present: Future!
An event in the past is the cause of many events in the present.
An event in the present becomes one of the causes for a future event.
Nothing happens without a cause.
No comments:
Post a Comment