Mahabharata – 63
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                       AdiParva

Janamejaya enquiers of his father’s demise

While the sage Astika was growing to manhood, the young Janamejaya had already completed his glorious reign of the kingdom of Hastinapur for thousand years.One day morning Janamejaya was seated in his court like a moon surrounded by the stars of wise men & ministers.There entered the great sage Utanka the disciple of Veda.He had a prayer to Janamejaya.         Earlier Utanka was harassed by the great snake Takshaka.Curiously enough Indra & other gods rescued him from troubles.Now this great sage Utanka told the king Janamejaya that he had better take revenge upon the very Takshaka which was instrumental in killing Parikshit the noble father of Janamejaya.Though Utanka was a  great sage, Janamejaya a judicious king would not presently obey the sage.He asked the elders in the court as to how his father had died.

The elders & other courtiers recollected the whole story of the death of the noble king Parikshit.Doubtless the king was noble.He saw to that the four castes of the society would perform their duties properly as the result of which his kingdom was brimming with plenty in all aspects economic, social, & spiritual.Despite that, tired of hunting, he could not recognise a sage who had taken the vow of silence.He wanted water to slake his thirst but the sage would not respond to his request.Angry with the sage Parikshit the noble father of Janamejaya did perhaps the most ignoble act.He took a dead snake from the neighbourhood & dangled it as a neckless arround the neck of the great sage in a rage.The great sage was indifferent to what happened to him.But his son Sringi, a great sage too, came to know what happened to his father.In the absence of the king the great sage Sringi cursed him that he should be killed by the great snake Takshaka in seven days.Sringi’s father who was maligned by the king rose from meditation & was sorry for the curse that his son Sringi had uttered.Sringi was also skilled in penance.His curse would not fail.So presently Sringi’s father the great sage Samika sent his disciple Gauramukha to Parikshit’s court.Gauramukha informed that Sringi had cursed him & the king should take care.

Immediately a fresh palace was built where no stranger could enter,not even a worm.But however much man seeks to protect himself against the curse of a Brahimin sage, he can not hold out in the age of the Mahabharata.So Parikshit finally was killed by the great snake Takshaka.

Janamejaya was told that there was a Brahamin who could bring back Parikashit to life  even  if he were dead due to the bite of Takshaka.But Takshaka bribed the Brahamin & the later  did not come to rescue the king Parikshit.This put Janamejaya in great rage.As ordained by the curse of a Brahamin Takshaka could kill Parikshit.The Brahamin Kasyapa could recall the king to life.The curse of the Brahimin would be fulfilled.At the same time Parikshit returning to life could rule.Takshaka the king thought was to blame for this.

But Janamejaya enquired of the authenticity of the story of the Brahmin being bribed by the Takshaka.The ministers told the king Jananmejaya that there was a banyan tree on the road along which Takshaka & the Brahamin coming to Hastinapur in  haste.A man was up on the tree culling leaves.The Brahamin as well as Takshaka talking to each other on the road came by the banyan tree on the road side Takshaka bit the banyan tree which turned instantly into ashes.The man who was up in the tree was also turned into ashes.The Brahamin Kasyapa however chanted mantras & the tree revived.The person was also brought back to life.It was this person who had told the ministers as to the bribing the Brahamana by Takshaka.

Now Janamejaya had no doubt as to the wickedness of Takshaka.In a rage he hit up a plan to organise a fire sacrifice where by all the snakes including Takshaka would be killed.