Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Vasuki 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 ܰ쾱
One of the famous 岵 (serpents).
Birth.
The uragas and nāgas (serpents) were born to ʰ貹پ śⲹ貹 by his wife ū. ܰ쾱, the eldest son of ū spent his childhood with his parents.
Difference of opinion.
վԲ and ū staked on the colour of the tail of Uccaiśśravas (A horse obtained at the churning of the sea of Milk. To win the stake, ū asked her sons to hang on the tail of Uccaiśśravas as black hairs. But the truthful ܰ쾱 was not prepared to do so. ū cursed ܰ쾱 and the others who sided with him. From that day onwards ܰ쾱 and those who were cursed, separated from their mother and formed into a serpent group. (Ѳٲ Ā徱 Parva, Chapters 37 and 48)
The length of ܰ쾱.
The Devas and the asuras decided to get ṛt (Ambrosia—the celestial honey of immortalily) by churning the sea of milk. The Devas went to bring Mandara-mountain, to be used as the churning rod. Their attempt was futile. The asuras made a trial with the same result. The ūٲṇa (Guards) of Ś also made a vain attempt. On the instruction of վṣṇ, Ҳḍa went and brought the mountain as easily as an eagle takes away a frog. Now ܰ쾱 should be brought. The Devas and Gandharvas failed in that attempt also. Ҳḍa who was haughty of his strength and speed, went to the city of the nāgas (serpents) and requested ܰ쾱 to come to the sea of Milk. ܰ쾱 replied that if the matter was so urgent he had no objection for being carried to that place. He took the middle part of ܰ쾱 in his beak and flew up higher and higher and reached beyond the horizon. Still the lower half of ܰ쾱 was lying on the ground. So he took ܰ쾱 in his beak as folded in two. Still the result was the same. Ҳḍa became aware of the impossibility of carrying ܰ쾱 and returned, ashamed and disappointed. վṣṇ rebuked him for his arrogance. After this, Ś stretched his hand to . ܰ쾱 became a small bangle on that hand. Thus ܰ쾱 was brought to the shore of the sea of Milk. (Kamba 峾ⲹṇa, Yuddha ṇḍ).
Other details.
(i) For the safety and protection of the 岵 (serpents) ܰ쾱 gave his sister ٰ as wife to the hermit ٰ. (See under ٰ).
(ii) The nāgas anointed ܰ쾱 as their King. (Ѳٲ Ā徱 Parva, Dākṣiṇātyapāṭha, Chapter 36).
(iii) When ܰ쾱 saw the serpents, born of his family, falling into the sacrificial fire of Janamejaya and dying in large numbers, he sent his nephew Āī첹 to find out a way to rescue the perishing nāgas. (Ѳٲ Ā徱 Parva, Chapter 53, Stanza 20).
(iv) ܰ쾱 participated in the birth festival of Arjuna. (Ѳٲ Ā徱 Parva, Chapter 122, Stanza 71).
(v) ܰ쾱 advised the 岵 to give the divine juice to īԲ, in accordance with the request of Āⲹ첹. (See under īԲ).
(vi) ܰ쾱 stays in the palace of ղṇa worshipping him. (Ѳٲ Parva, Chapter 9, Stanza 8).
(vii) Arjuna once allured the sister of ܰ쾱. (Ѳٲ վṭa Parva, Chapter 2, Slanza 14).
(viii) In Tripuradahana (the burning of Tripura) ܰ쾱 acted as the bow-string of Ś and as the axle of his chariot. (Ѳٲ ṇa Parva, Chapter 34, Stanza 22).
(ix) In the fight between Arjuna and ṇa, ܰ쾱 was a well-wisher of Arjuna. (Ѳٲ ṇa Parva, Chapter 87, Stanza 43).
(x) The Devas anointed ܰ쾱 as the King of the 岵. (Ѳٲ Śⲹ Parva, Chapter 37, Stanza 30).
(xi) ܰ쾱 gave ܲṇy two followers named Jaya and ѲᲹⲹ. (Śⲹ Parva, Chapter 45, Verse 52).
(xii) ܰ쾱 is one of the seven nāgas which hold up the earth. (Ѳٲ ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 150, Stanza 41).
(xiii) When Balabhadrarāma went to after his death, ܰ쾱 had gone there to receive him. (Ѳٲ Mausala Parva, Chapter 4, Stanza 15).
(xiv) Once ܰ쾱 and tried to find out who was the more powerful of the two, in consequence of which contest Mount հūṭa was broken from the vicinity of Ѳ峾 and was thrown into the southern Sea. (See under հūṭa).
(xv) Words such as Nāgarā�, 岵Ჹ, 岵Ի, Pannaga, Pannagarā�, Sarparāja, and so on are used as synonyms of ܰ쾱 in Ѳٲ.