A Boon is Granted: the Law of Karma

            

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्

 देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततो जयम् उदीरयेत्

Churning the Ocean of Milk by gods and demons

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Overjoyed with the prospect of his sacrifice reaching its conclusion the great Janamejaya felt victorious and said, “O brahmana boy! Allow me to grant you a boon. As you are a charming and learned scholar, wise beyond your years. Ask and you shall have your wish. I shall make your dreams come true. Tell me, what would you like? A cow? Gold? Tell me. I have won the battle with Takshaka and would give you whatever you like for good luck.”

A BOON IS GRANTED

            At that time, the brahmana boy Astika Vasuki’s charming young nephew, Astika son of Jaratkaru, saw that Takshak was on the verge of falling into the sacrificial fire and he said, “O king. I have a wish.”

“What is it my son. Tell me.” said the King.

And Astik said, “Stop this sacrifice now.” He called out to the heavens three times, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”

Snake Sacrifice of Janamejaya

With this  command, Takshaka froze still in the sky, his fall paused by mystic mantra and the power of the boon granted to Astika by Janamejaya. There he hovered in the sky just above the sacrificial fire.

 Astika then said, “O great king! If you want to give me a boon, then end this sacrifice and save the lives of the remaining serpents and their families.”
            At this request, Janamejaya was shocked.  He said, “O my dear brahmana boy! You don’t understand. This Takshaka is my enemy. This sacrifice has been held for the purpose of destroying him and his kind. He murdered my father. Ask for something else. Ask me for gold, silver, cows, but please don’t ask me to end this sacrifice. I gave my word that I would grant you any boon you desire. Do not wish for this. How can I stop this sacrifice?”  

            And the humble brahmana Astika replied, “I do not wish for any of these things. I am a brahmana for I am the son of the great sage Jaratkaru, but my mother is also named Jaratkaru. And she is born of the Nagas.”

All those present were astonished to find that a member of the serpent family had become a brahmana and was now poised to take a boon from the king that would stop the great Snake Sacrifice. The crowd fell silent and the brahmanas ceased intoning their mantras.

“For the welfare of my mother’s family, I want to end this Sacrifice.”

And as the great snake Takshaka hovered suspended over the flames of the sacrificial fire the great king Janamejaya pleaded with the boy to change his mind, but Astika was unmoved.

            “I understand you are concerned with the welfare of your family,” the king said, “but a king must consider higher laws, the laws of karma and dharma. As you are a brahmana, you must explain to me how stopping this sacrifice serves the laws of karma and dharma. If you cannot, then I shall immediately order the priest to continue with his mantras and Takshaka will be cast down into the flames.”

At this, Astika said, “O righteous one, noble Janamejaya. son of the great King Pariksit. You have spoken correctly and in accordance with the scriptures. Let me know explain my inner purpose. You are the descendant of the great warrior Arjuna. His son Abhimanyu begat Pariksit your father with Uttara. Your reign is destined to establish peace in this world. But you cannot maintain peace while continuing the karmic reactions of the past. It is true that Takshaka killed your father, but he was only avenging an ancient wrong, committed by your family, O King.

REVENGE

“Long ago in the days before the Kurukshetra war, your great grandfather Arjuna and his brothers the Pandavas, headed by King Yudhishira approached the blind king of Hastinapura, Dhritarashtra for their share of the kingdom. At that time there was a great rivalry between the Sons of Pandu and the Sons of Dhirtarasthra.  The envious Duryodhana and his brothers had done evething possible to kill the Pandavas, having used poison, fire and exile to no avail. Finally after some argument the Kurus used their cunning and political intrigue. They gave the Pandavas land with desert and a forest  to build their own city and live. The forest was called Khandava. As the best land was in the forest, the Pandavas thought of clearing it. And so with the help of Krishna the Pandavas cleared the forest by burning it completely.

“The forest was not uninhabited, but was the habitat of many snakes and animals, including our forefathers, the grandsires of the Naga snake people. But none survived the holocaust. It is well-known that Arjuna the powerful archer used his inexhaustible quiver to build a cage of arrows all around the forest.  With the help of Krishna he set fire to the forest.

“In that great conflagration all living souls within the forest were burned to death. Arjuna and his fire killed every living creature there. None escaped the flames. All the forest-dwelling rakshasas, yakshas, nagas, tigers, bears, wolves, lions, and snakes that tried to escape the burning forest perished in the holocaust. Some of my family members, the Nagas managed to survive by hiding underground, but in the end they were forced to leave the Khandava forest and seek refuge elsewhere.

“On the charred ground that  was once the home of my ancestors Arjuna, together with his brother Yudhisthira and the other Pandavas built Indraprastha, the unrivaled city of legend. The magnificent Indraprastha was the envy of princes and kings. The meeting hall of Yudhisthira was visited by the gods. It excelled the palace of Indra himself in beauty and grace.”

“O king, this ceremony is inspired by hate and vengeance. Such a ceremony can never satisfy the laws of dharma which are meant to restore peace and harmony. But if revenge is a religious principle, you must know that your great enemy Takshaka himself is reaping the harvest of the seeds of revenge that were sowed in Khandavaprastha.  The great Arjuna, your grandfather caused terrible harm to all the serpents and their families by burning them in the holocaust of Khandava-prastha. At that time we were burned by your family. Again the family of the Pandavas is engaged in burning the Nagas to avenge the death of your father.”

“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This is the law of karma. If you continue this sacrifice you will only create a more terrible reaction for the future. Where will it end? But if you end the sacrifice now, you will be known as a man of mercy who respects the appeals of a humble and helpless brahmana. If you end the sacrifice now, you will be known as one who ended a plague of venomous serpents who terrified the earth, but who spared the lives of the Naga families whose forebears include the great Vasuki who helped the gods and demons churn the ocean of nectar giving immortality to the gods.  Spare Takshaka and he and his family will be your allies, now and for future generations. Spare Vasuki and he shall be in your debt, as shall I for I am also a member of the Nagas. Stop this brutal sacrifice in the name of peace and your name shall forever be linked with peace."