We’re at the midst of an important juncture wherein Sage Utthanga storms into King Janame-Jaya’s palace at Hastinapura. He meets King Janame-Jaya and observes that he is trying to come out of a curse that was inflicted by a “Deva-Lokha-Dog”. We’ve witnessed that Sage Utthanga was extremely angry with Takshaka for what he had done to him earlier. Also, Takshaka was the one who was responsible for King Parikshit’s demise earlier. Tying the knot between these two, Sage Utthanga saw this as a golden opportunity to take revenge on Takshaka and teach him a lesson. He thus starts convincing King Janame-Jaya to perform a “Sarpa-Yaaga” immediately. The “Sarpa-Yaaga” is something that is against all snakes in the world. If this “Yaaga” is performed meticulously, all the snakes would automatically be dragged inside the “Agni” (Fire) and would eventually die!Sage Utthanga wants all the snakes in the world to be destroyed completely, including Takshaka, as these creatures were constantly wreaking havoc in the society. Thus, Sage Utthanga decided that he would use King Janame-Jaya to perform the “Sarpa-Yaaga”.
Thinking thus, Sage Utthanga convinces King Janame-Jaya to start doing the “Sarpa-Yaaga”. He asks King Janame-Jaya to junk the austerities that he was trying to perform for getting out of the curse, and instead, perform something for the benefit of the world in future. Sage Utthanga replies to King Janame-Jaya thus, “Oh King! I shall show you who killed your father. You’ve to seek revenge and teach him a lesson, isn’t it? Instead of working towards something else, try to work on this and finish him off! Let him understand that he has made a big mistake in killing your father!” As Sage Utthanga explains thus, his Guru Veda comes alongside the same way, and sees his disciple very angry! Now Guru Veda explains a very important point to Sage Utthanga thus, “Oh Utthanga! Please do not get angry! All this is part of a bigger ploy. Do you know who came on top of that bull in front of you? It was none other than Indra himself! Do you know what that black coloured bull really was? It was nothing but Indra’s white elephant by name “Airavatha”. You were asked to eat the cow dung, weren’t you? Do you know what that cow dung was? It was nothing but the sacred “Amrut” that makes you immortal! It is only with the power and strength of the “Amrut” that you had consumed, you were able to travel all the way to the “Naaga Lokha” with ease while chasing Takshaka! This is the reason behind you being so powerful inspite of the snakes trying to bite you every now and then! It is because of this power, were you able to meet Indra in person! You blew air into a horse, isn’t it? That horse was none other than “Agni Bhagawan” himself! Hence, please realize that all the Devas have come together and helped you!”
As Guru Veda explains thus, Sage Utthanga’s ego increased further! He somehow wants to bring Takshaka to book now! Sage Utthanga realizes that it is his best chance now to take on Takshaka! He now convinces King Janame-Jaya one final time thus, “Oh King! You should perform the “Sarpa Yaaga” immediately! I shall be of all support to you! You’ve just heard what my Guru had said, isn’t it? Hence, you should take the initiative to perform the Yaaga and with this, all the snakes in the “Naaga Lokha” should come and fall into the “Homa-Gunda” on their own and die! As all the snakes come on, Takshaka would also be forced to fall into the sacrifical fire, and would be burnt to death! With this, your father would rest in peace!”
As Sage Utthanga explains thus, King Janame-Jaya was totally convinced with the explanation. He too wants to finish off Takshaka at any cost. He is now angry with Takshaka for killing his father, and with the help of Sage Utthanga, King Janame-Jaya is all set to perform the “Sarpa-Yaaga”! What happens next? Is King Janame-Jaya successful in bringing Takshaka to book? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 