‘All the citizens assembled and placed on the throne the king’s young son. The people called him Janamejaya, the slayer of enemies and a hero of the Kuru lineage. Though only a child, that best of kings, the eldest of the bulls among the Kurus, was wise. Together with his ministers and priest, he ruled over the kingdom, like his brave great-grandfather129 once had.
‘Seeing that the king was now able to burn down his enemies, the king’s ministers went to Suvarnavarman, the king of Kashi, and asked him to give his daughter Vapushtama in marriage. After enquiries, the king of Kashi married Vapushtama to that hero among the Kurus, in accordance with the precepts of dharma. After obtaining her, he130 was very happy and never gave his heart to any other woman. In pursuit of pleasure, the valorous one, supreme among kings, roamed happily in lakes, blossoming woods and forests, like Pururava131 did in ancient times, on obtaining Urvashi. Vapushtama, the most beautiful among women, obtained a king of the earth as her handsome husband and at times of pleasure, pleased him with great love.’
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Souti said, ‘At about this time, the great ascetic Jaratkaru roamed the entire earth, having adopted the vow of sleeping at night wherever he happened to find himself in the evening. The immensely energetic hermit roamed around, bathing in the waters of many tirthas, practising vows that those who lack in resolution find impossible to accomplish, abstaining from food and living on air, thus drying up his body from one day to another.
‘He saw his ancestors suspended head downwards in a cave, hanging on to a single strand of grass. Even that single strand was being eaten away by a rat that lived in the cave. Without food, they were lean and in a wretched state, eagerly awaiting their deliverance. Himself in a wretched state, he went to these wretched ones and asked, “Who are you, hanging from this single strand of grass, which becomes weaker as the rat that lives in the cave gnaws at the roots? The rat is slowly biting away the root of the strand still left with its sharp teeth and soon the little that is left of the strand will break. There is no doubt that you will then fall, head downwards, into the cave. Seeing you hang upside down and in this miserable state, I am extremely distressed. How can I help? Quickly tell me if I can prevent this calamity by giving you a quarter, a third or even half of my austerities.132 Or if you can save yourselves with all my austerities, I am willing to do that. What is best?”
‘The ancestors replied, “O Brahmana! You are old and celibate133 and you wish to deliver us. O best of Brahmanas! You cannot save us with your austerities. O son! O supreme among eloquent speakers! Our state is the outcome of austerities. We are descending into this hell because of lack of offspring. O son! Hanging in this cave, our knowledge has become dim. Therefore, though you are famous in the worlds because of your manliness, we do not know you. You are old, you have great good fortune and you sorrowfully grieve for us. O Brahmana! Learn who we are and the reason behind the grief. We are rishis named yayavaras, rigid in their vows. We have been cast off from the holy regions because of lack of offspring. Our sacred austerities have not all been destroyed yet and we have a single strand left. We have a single strand left, but it matters little whether it exists or not. We have bad fortune, or little fortune. We have a single strand in our lineage. He is known as Jaratkaru and he is learned in the Vedas and the Vedangas. He is great-souled, rigid in his vows, a great ascetic and is in control of his senses. But in his greed for austerities, he has reduced us to this state. He has no wife, no son and no relatives. Having lost our senses, that is the reason we are hanging in this cave, like those without protectors. If you meet him, out of kindness for us, tell him that his wretched ancestors are hanging head downwards from a cave. Tell that holy one that he should have a wife and offspring. O Brahmana! O one blessed with the power of austerities! This single strand of grass that you see, the one from which we are hanging, is the strand of our family lineage. O Brahmana! The strands that you see being eaten up, are being eaten up by time. O Brahmana! The half-eaten root from which we are all hanging is the last of our lineage, practising austerities. O Brahmana! The rat that you see is time, immensely powerful. He134 is slowly killing the misguided Jaratkaru, engaged in austerities, who is greedy for austerities, but has lost his mind and senses. O supreme one! His austerities cannot deliver us. Our roots have been destroyed, we have fallen and our senses have been confounded by time. Look at us descend downwards into hell like sinners. We are descending, with all our earlier ancestors. Severed by time, he too will descend into hell. O son! Austerities, sacrifices and other sacred and great acts are inferior to obtaining offspring. That is the view of the learned. When you see him, tell all this to the ascetic Jaratkaru. O Brahmana! If you wish to be our protector, describe in detail what you have witnessed to him and deliver our message that he should have a wife and offspring.”’
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Souti said, ‘Having heard all this, Jaratkaru became extremely miserable with grief. He told his ancestors in a voice that was choked with tears, “I am Jaratkaru, your evil son. I have committed a foolish wrong. Please punish me.” The ancestors replied, “O son! O Brahmana! It is fortunate that you have happened to come here. Why have you not taken a wife?” Jaratakaru said, “O ancestors! It has always been my objective to carry my seed inside my body and to take this entire body to the next world. O grandfathers! But having seen you hanging here like birds, my mind has been diverted from a life of celibacy. There is no doubt that I will do that which brings pleasure to you. If I get a lady who bears my own name, who comes to me of her own volition, who comes to me as alms and whom I will not have to maintain, I will accept her as my wife. O ancestors! Otherwise, I will not marry. That is my truthful promise.” Having said this to the ancestors, the sage continued to roam the earth. O Shounaka! Though he grew old, he could not find a wife.
‘He was sorry that he was not successful in keeping his promise to his ancestors. He went to the forest and cried out aloud in his grief. “Whatever creatures there are, mobile or immobile, visible or invisible, hear my words. I am a man engaged in severe austerities. But my grief-stricken ancestors told me to have a wife. Instructed by my ancestors and wishing to marry and do what they want, I am now roaming the world, poor and miserable, looking for a maiden as alms. If any of the beings I have addressed has a daughter, please bestow that daughter on me, since I am wandering in all directions. The maiden has to have the same name as mine. She has to be given to me as alms and I should not need to maintain her. I ask for such a maiden.” Thereupon, the snakes who had been appointed to watch over Jaratkaru took this news about his intentions to Vasuki.
‘Hearing this, the king of snakes immediately went to the forest where the hermit was, taking his maiden sister with him, adorned in various ornaments. O Brahmana! Having gone there, Vasuki, the king of snakes, offered the maiden as alms to that great-souled sage. But he did not immediately accept her, thinking that she might not have the same name as his and that the issue of maintaining her remained unsettled. He hesitated and was in two minds about accepting her. O descendant of the Bhrigu lineage! He then asked Vasuki for the maiden’s name and said that he would not support her.’
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Souti said, ‘Then Vasuki told the rishi Jaratkaru, “This maiden has the same name as yours. She is my sister and is an ascetic. O best of the Brahmanas! I shall support her. O one blessed with the power of austerities! I shall protect her with all my might.” When the snake made the promise that he would maintain his sister, Jaratkaru went to the snake’s house.
‘Thereupon, the aged sage of great vows, best among ascetics, devoted to dharma and learned in mantras, accepted her hand in accordance with the prescribed rites. Worshipped by maharshis, he went with his wife to a beautiful house built by the king of snakes. In that house, there was a beautiful bed covered with unmatched spreads and Jaratkaru slept there with his wife. At that time, the supreme one made an agreement with his wife. “Never do anything or say anything that causes me displeasure. If you ever cause me displeasure, I shall leave
you and no longer live in this house. Please remember these words I have spoken.” In great anxiety and great sorrow, the sister of the king of snakes agreed. Wishing to bring pleasure to her husband, the fortunate one served her melancholy husband with the dedication of a white crow.135
‘One day, at the time of her season, Vasuki’s sister bathed and following the norms, slept with her husband, the great hermit. She then conceived a child who was like the fire, blessed with the power of austerities and radiant like the god of fire himself. Like the moon in the bright lunar fortnight, the child grew in her womb.
‘A few days later, the immensely famous Jaratkaru fell asleep with his head in his wife’s lap, like a tired person. When the best of Brahmanas was thus sleeping, the setting sun entered the peaks of the mountains. O Brahmana! Vasuki’s excellent sister was frightened at the possible loss of dharma, because the day was coming to an end. “What shall I do now? Should I wake my husband or should I not? He leads a hard life and is devoted to dharma. How can I act so as not to cause him offence? On one side is his anger. On the other, since he lives by dharma, there is the loss of dharma. It seems to me that the loss of dharma is the greater evil. If I wake him, he will certainly be angry. But if the time for evening prayers passes, he will certainly lose dharma.” Having thought this over in her mind, the snake Jaratkaru136 spoke in a sweet voice to the rishi, asleep like a fire, blazing in his austerities. “O greatly illustrious one! Wake up, the sun is setting. O illustrious one! O one who is rigid in his vows! Touch the water and perform the evening prayers. The fearful and beautiful moment for agnihotra137 has arrived. O lord! Dusk is gradually spreading over the western direction.” Having been thus addressed, the illustrious and great ascetic Jaratkaru told his wife, his lips quivering in anger, “O snake! You have insulted me. I shall no longer live with you. I will go away to the place from where I had come. O lady with the beautiful thighs! If I am asleep, I know for certain that the sun does not have the power to set. No one likes to stay in a place where he has been insulted, let alone those who are like me and are devoted to dharma like me.” Thus addressed by her husband, Jaratkaru’s heart began to tremble.
‘Vasuki’s sister told him, “O Brahmana! I did not wake you with a desire to insult you. I did it so that you should not face a loss in dharma.” But the powerful ascetic Jaratkaru had made up his mind to abandon his wife. Addressed by his wife, the rishi angrily told the snake, “O snake! I have never uttered a lie. Therefore, I have to go. O beautiful one! That was the agreement I had earlier made with you and your brother. O fortunate one! I have passed my time happily with you. O timid one! When I am gone, tell your brother that the illustrious one has left. And when I have departed, please do not grieve for me.” Having been thus addressed, the beautiful Jaratkaru was filled with anxiety and sorrow. Her mouth was dry. Her eyes were full of tears. Her voice choked with sobs. Her heart trembled. But steadying herself, the beautiful one then told her husband Jaratkaru with joined palms, “O you who follow the path of dharma! It is not proper for you to forsake me in this fashion. I am innocent. You are established in dharma. But I am also always established in dharma, doing that which brings you pleasure. O best of Brahmanas! I have not yet accomplished the purpose for which I was given to you. I am unfortunate. What will Vasuki tell me? O supreme one! To save themselves from their mother’s curse, my relatives wanted a son born from me through you. But he is not yet visible. The welfare of my relatives depends on a son obtained through you. O Brahmana! I plead with you that you should not go away until I am fertile through our union and can bring about the welfare of my lineage. O supreme one! Why should a great-souled one like you abandon an innocent one when the conception is still not apparent?” Thus addressed, the hermit Jaratkaru, blessed with the power of austerities, told his wife words that were fit and appropriate for the occasion. “O fortunate one! The one who is in your womb now will be a rishi who will be like the god of fire himself. He will be the best of those who follow dharma and will be learned in the Vedas and the Vedangas.” Having said this, the virtuous and great rishi Jaratkaru went away. His heart was once again firmly fixed on the practice of great austerities.’
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Souti said, ‘O one blessed with the power of austerities! As soon as her husband left, Jaratkaru went to her brother and told him what had happened. The best of the snakes heard this unpleasant news and told his sister, who was more miserable than he was, “O fortunate one! You know what had to be done and why you were given. A son was supposed to be born for the welfare of the snakes. That valorous one was supposed to have saved us from the snake-sacrifice. In ancient times, this is what the grandfather and the gods told me. O fortunate one! Have you conceived through that best of sages? It is my wish that the wise man’s marriage should not be fruitless. Without a doubt, it is not appropriate that I should ask you a question on such a subject. But the subject is too serious for me not to ask you. I know that your husband is always engaged in austerities and is prone to anger. I shall not follow him, because he might curse me. O fortunate one! Tell me what your husband has done and thereby pull out the terrible stake that has been implanted for a long time in my heart.” Being thus asked, Jaratkaru consoled the tormented Vasuki, king of snakes, and said, “I asked the great-souled and great ascetic about our offspring. He said it is there and left. I do not recollect his ever having spoken a lie, even in jest. O king! Why should he then utter a lie on such a serious subject? He said, ‘O snake woman! Do not sorrow over the fruit of your action. A son, resplendent as the fire and the sun, will be born to you.’ O brother! Having said this, my husband went away to his hermitage. Let the great distress that preys on your mind be removed.” On hearing this, Vasuki, the king of snakes, was delighted and accepted his sister’s words.
‘The best of the snakes worshipped his sister with kindness, appropriate praise, gifts and homage. O best of the Brahmanas! The immensely radiant embryo grew in her womb like the luminescent sun, like the moon waxing in the sky during shuklapaksha. O Brahmana! At the appropriate time, the snake’s sister gave birth to a son who was like a divine child, the destroyer of the fears of his father and mother. He grew up in the house of the king of snakes and studied the Vedas and the Vedangas from the sage Chyavana, the son of Bhrigu. Even as a child, he was strict in adherence to his vows and gifted with intelligence, spirituality and qualities. He became famous in the worlds by the name of Astika. He was known as Astika, because while he was still in his mother’s womb, his father went away to the forest, saying “asti”.138 Even as a child, he was extremely intelligent. He was carefully watched over in the house of the king of snakes. He was like the golden and illustrious Lord Shulapani,139 the lord of the gods. To the great delight of all the snakes, he grew up.’
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Shounaka asked, ‘At that time, what did King Janamejaya ask his ministers about his father’s ascent to heaven? Tell me that again in detail.’
Souti replied, ‘O Brahmana! Hear what the king asked his ministers and all that they told him about Parikshit’s death. Janamejaya said, “You know all that happened to my father and how my greatly illustrious father came about his death. When I have heard all about my father in complete detail from you, I shall learn all that is good and not that which is evil.”
‘Being asked by the great-souled King Janamejaya, the virtuous and wise ministers replied, “Your father was devoted to dharma, great-souled and a protector of his subjects. Hear how that great-souled one led his life. The four varnas were respectively established in their own dharmas and the king, who was himself well versed with dharma protected them there, in accordance with the dictates of dharma. Illustrious and with infinite might, he protected the goddess earth. He hated no one. Nor did anyone hate him. Like Prajapati himself, he treated all beings impartially. O king! Established in their respective duties, the Brahmanas, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas and the Shudras were protected impartially by the king. He maintained widows, orphans, the disabled and the poor. He was handso
me and like another moon to all creatures. Through that truthful and greatly powerful king, everyone was content and blessed with good fortune. The king became Sharadvata’s student in the science of weapons.140 O Janamejaya! Govinda141 loved your father. He was immensely famous and loved by all the worlds. He was born in Uttara’s womb when the Kuru lineage was almost destroyed. Therefore, Soubhadra’s142 powerful son came to be known as Parikshit. The king was learned in royal norms of dharma and artha and had all the qualities. He was in control of his senses and of himself. He was intelligent and was served by those who were wise. He had great wisdom and was completely familiar with the norms of righteous conduct. He had conquered the six vices.143 Your father protected his subjects for sixty years. His end was preordained, through a snake, and it couldn’t be avoided. O best of men! After him, you have lawfully ascended this ancestral kingdom of the Kurus and will rule for 1000 years. O protector of every being! You were instated when you were a child.”
‘Janamejaya said, “In our lineage, no king has ever been born who did not look after the welfare of his subjects and please them. Consider especially the conduct of my grandfathers,144 who were always devoted to a great life. How did my father, who was like them, come to his end? Describe it accurately to me. I wish to hear it.”’
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