Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Takshaka included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of ղṣa첹
A fierce serpent.
Genealogy and birth.
Descending in order from վṣṇ��Ѳī�śⲹ貹�ղṣa첹.
śⲹ貹muni got of his wife ū serpents and ղṣa첹 was one of the serpent chiefs. (Śǰ첹 5, Chapter 35, Ādi Parva). See also under ū).
ղṣa첹 and ʲīṣi.
In his boyhood ղṣa첹 went out from the family. The reason was a curse by his mother. Once ū and վԲ, another wife of śⲹ貹, entered into a controversy regarding the colour of the hair of the tail of the horse Uccaiśśravas. ū said, it was black and վԲ said it was white. It was decided that she who lost the wager should become the servant of the other. That night ū called her children and asked them to go and hang on the tail of the horse so that it should appear black. Some of the righteous children opposed this deceitful attempt of their mother and refused to go. ū cursed them saying that they would be burnt to death at the Sarpasatra of Janamejaya. ū sent those children out from home and ղṣa첹 became their leader.
At that time ʲīṣi (King of ٲ) became the victim of a curse that he would die by the bite of ղṣa첹 within seven days. (To know more details regarding this curse of the sage see under Āī첹). The worried King in consultation with his ministers decided to take protective measures. At first he moved to a seven-storeyed palace and stayed on the seventh storey. Physicians of fame and those well-versed in mantras were posted at the palace. Brahmins were put on duty for prayers. The entire palace and precincts were guarded by huge elephants. Security arrangements were such that even wind found it impossible to enter the palace without permission. The King did all his daily routine activities in the palace itself. At that time śⲹ貹 [There is a version that it was Dhanvantari who was thus sent back by ղṣa첹. 9th Skandha, ٱī 岵ٲ] was the greatest of all physicians and Գٰ첹 and, greedy that he was, he started to the palace of ʲīṣi thinking that it would be the best opportunity to obtain some money from the King. ղṣa첹 also was going to the palace in the guise of a brahmin. On the way ղṣa첹 met śⲹ貹 and knowing well that the presence of the celebrated śⲹ貹 at the palace would be an obstacle to the achievement of his mission, he approached śⲹ貹. They talked on the way and śⲹ貹 said he was going to the palace to save the King from the bite of ղṣa첹. Then ղṣa첹, revealing his identity, said that it was impossible to save anybody from the result of his bite. Both then decided to test their skill then and there. A huge banyan tree with many branches spreading wide was standing nearby and ղṣa첹 gave it a bite. Within seconds the huge tree was charred to destruction; śⲹ貹 then took some water and reciting a mantra poured the water over the ashes of the tree and then to the surprise of ղṣa첹, the tree rose up and stood in its original form. On seeing that ղṣa첹 confessed that śⲹ貹 was superior to him. ղṣa첹 then coaxed him to his side and giving him a huge amount as bribe bade him return home.
Six days went by and on the seventh day ղṣa첹 reached the palace of ʲīṣi. He found the palace well-guarded and watched. There was no way to go in. ղṣa첹 then called all his relatives and had them disguised as brahmins. He sent them in with fruits and roots, like people who had come to pay homage to the King. ղṣa첹 crept into one of the most attractive of the fruits as a tiny worm. The guards at the gate stopped them. The fake brahmins then said that they had come a long way from a far off tapovana and should be allowed to see the King. The information was carried to the King. The King said he would see the brahmins the next day but ordered their gifts to be brought to him. When the fruits and roots were brought to him, he gave a fruit each to the ministers, himself taking the most beautiful fruit of the lot. When he cut the fruit open he saw a worm with two black eyes and a red body sitting inside it and was a bit surprised. Then he addressed his ministers thus: "Oh, best of ministers, by your earnest and sincere endeavour nothing has happened to me till now. The Sun is going to set and the term of the curse is going to end. There is no need to be afraid of any poison now. But let not a curse of a sage go futile. Let this worm bite me and fulfill the curse." So saying the King took the worm and placed it on his neck. The worm changed itself into the fierce ղṣa첹 and bit the King and the King fell down dead. (12th Skandha, ٱī 岵ٲ).
How ղṣa첹 became Indra’s friend.
Once the son of a sage of great divine splendour named ٳٲṅk was studying under a Guru named Veda. When his education was complete, the Guru asked him to bring as 岹ṣiṇ� (fees) the ear-rings worn by the ṣaٰⲹ wife of King Pauṣya. Indra made ղṣa첹 steal the ornament and created many obstacles on the way. (For details see under ٳٲṅk). That incident made them mutual friends and gradually ղṣa첹 became an intimate friend of Indra. From that day onwards ٳٲṅk waited for an opportunity to take vengeance on ղṣa첹. It was at that time that Janamejaya, son of ʲīṣi, became the king. Janamejaya was only eleven years old when he became king and he was not then aware of the details of the death of his father. ٳٲṅk went to him and told him how ղṣa첹 killed his father. Janamejaya became furious and asked him how to wreak vengeance on him. ٳٲṅk suggested the performance of a Sarpasatra to which all the serpents should be attracted by mantras and burnt to death there. The young king agreed and ٳٲṅk with other ṛṣis commenced the Sarpasatra.
One by one all the serpents came and fell into the sacrificial fire but ղṣa첹 was not to be found. Where is ղṣa첹? This question was heard from many lips. ղṣa첹 was specially invoked by ٳٲṅk. ղṣa첹 could not bear the power of ٳٲṅk and he ran and prostrated before Indra. Indra not only did give refuge but gave him half of his seat in the throne and ղṣa첹 sat on it fully confident of security. ٳٲṅk was enraged, when after repeated calls by mantra, ղṣa첹 did not appear and so he sat in meditation for some time to know the cause. He then saw ղṣa첹 sitting on the throne of Indra and the sight threw him into fury and he invoked ղṣa첹, Indra and the throne and all. Lo! in an instant Indra, ղṣa첹, the throne and all started moving towards the sacrificial fire! Within seconds all would have been burnt to death but for the timely intervention of a brahmin boy named Āī첹, son of the sage ٰ. (See under Āī첹, ղṣa첹 escaped death that time).
ղṣa첹 by instructions from Indra was living in the forest of ṇḍ and when that was burnt by Agni, it was Indra who saved ղṣa첹 from the fire. (See under ṇḍdāha).
Other details.
(i) A king called Candrāṅgada lived in the house of ղṣa첹 for some time. (See under Candrāṅgada).
(ii) ղṣa첹 in the guise of a brahmin named ṣa貹ṇa첹 went to the sage ٳٲṅk and stole the ornaments from him. (See under ٳٲṅk).
(iii) Once the Earth was made into a cow and everybody milked from her what each wanted. The serpents milked poison from her and they then used ղṣa첹 as the calf. (See under ṛt).
(iv) During the burning of the forest of ṇḍ, Arjuna slew the wife of ղṣa첹. (See under ṇḍdāha).
(v) When the soul of Balabhadrarāma, after his death, reached , ղṣa첹 received it with respect. (Śǰ첹 15, Chapter 4, Mausala Parva).
(vi) ղṣa첹 lives in the court of ղṇa worshipping him. (Śǰ첹 8, Chapter 9, Parva).