A new era

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्

 देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततो जयम् उदीरयेत्

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

A Century Passes

(The story of Bhishma's passing from this world was related years after the fact by Suta, who heard it from Vaishampayana at the snake sacrifice.)

As the sun declines in the West and darkness falls upon the ancient battlefield, cinders from the funeral pyre of a great hero fly skyward, tracing the twilight with red. Yudhishthira the king bows his head and prays. The birds who have sung funeral songs with the dying breaths of Bhishma, now fall silent. The night fires along the sacred river send fragrant smoke of to heaven.

And now we move through time into a future era, and leave the battle behind. A century of years have passed since the bloodshed of Kurukshetra. King Yudhisthira and the Pandavas are but memories.

The Pandavas retire to the Himalayas

 After a long and peaceful rule King Yudhisthira had retired, leaving the throne to Pariksit. 

Arjuna begat Abhimanyu. The son of Abhimanyu ruled in peace. His name, Pariksit, reminds us of the very principles of dharma. But he too has passed into memory, along with his heroic deeds. Maharaja Parikit died untimely, murdered by the ferocious king of Naga snakes, Taksaka. 

Nagas

Now Maharaja Parikit begat the King Janamejaya. We arrive at a time some two generations after the great battle.

When Janamejaya became king, he wanted revenge on Taksaka and the lords of the snakes for murdering his parent, the great king Pariksit. And so, he held a great sacrifice. Its object was to rid the world of serpents by casting them into the holy fire. One by one the great cobras and lords of the Nagas fell victim to the fire. But when the sacrifice was stopped by an innocent brahman boy, Janamejaya relented. 

Having ended his sacrifice, the king wanted  to hear the story of his ancestors, and caused the recital of the Mahabharata by Vaishampayana Rishi, a student of Vyasa.

Present at that sacrifice was Ugashrava Sauti, or  Suta, who heard everything. Some time later, Suta went on pilgrimage to see the holy places. Suta's wandering brought him deep into the sacred forest called Naimisharanya near the Gomati river. 

In those dark green woods many seekers of the truth were holding a twelve-year sacrifice.  The principle among these was Shaunaka, surnamed Kulapati, an important teacher of the Vedas who presided over the sacrifice. 

And so, our scene shifts. We leave the battlefield for a quiet forest. A century of years have passed since Bhishma left this mortal plane.  His instructions live on, his heroic life is a legend oft told.

Shaunaka bows before Suta and the two great souls embrace. He is led to the place of honor, where he might speak and enlighten those present. The sun is at the horizon as they meet and exchange greetings. The sacrificial fire is lit and gradually darkness falls. Here too, the birds have fallen silent as the full moon shimmers through the leafy banyan trees. A crowd of holy men have gathered round. They sit in yogic postures intent on hearing. A rustic place of honor has been set and Suta is led there. He sits beneath that great banyan tree and adjusts his garments, looking at the gathered sages before him.

Suta Goswami speaks

Shaunaka rises to his feet. "O Suta Goswami," he says. "You have traveled far and wide in your search for truth. You have studied with the great Vyasa. And now we have heard that you are on pilgrimage, having just come from the great snake sacrifice of that son of Pariksit, King Janamejaya.  We know that Vaishampayana Rishi was there and that he told the story of the Mahabharata that he had learned from his teacher, the great Vyasadeva, author of the Vedas."

Shaunaka said, "Tell us," O Suta. "What were the events leading to the great battle of Kurukshetra? How and why did such a war take place? Why were the Pandavas persecuted by the Kurus? Please tell us the story as you heard it from Vaishampayana at the holy snake sacrifice of Janamejaya, leaving nothing out."

Suta Goswami at Naimisharanya

Shaunaka said, “You have recently come from the great snake sacrifice of King Janamejaya. O Best of the twice-born, why was the king determined to destroy the serpents? And what did you learn about the reign of the great king Pariksit.  Please describe this to us in detail.”

Having been thus questioned, Suta Goswami, Ugrasrava Sauti, the son of Lomaharshana, also stood before the assembly with folded hands and addressed them, as follows:

PARIKSIT’S RULE

“At the conclusion of the Mahabharata war or the conflict between the allies of the Kurus and the Pandavas which culminated in the battle of Kurukshetra, the peace was ruled by Pariksit, the grandson of Arjuna who had been protected in the womb of his mother Uttara by Krishna from the great fire weapons of the envious Asvatthama.

“ Pariksit’s rule was just and fair. King Pariksit was a virtuous and great-souled monarch who always protected all classes of people. He was equally disposed toward all creatures. He gave charity to widows and orphans, the crippled and poor. He was tall and well-made; his body was marked with all the auspicious signs of a great ruler.  Brave, truthful and athletic, he ruled Hastinapura with a fair hand and established a long peace which the world had not seen in generations since before the great conflict.  He was expert in the science of arms and dear to Sri Govinda. Popular and loved by all, he was well-versed in the duties of kings and graced with all virtues."

Suta said, "Amongst archers, Maharaja Pariksit was as good as Arjuna. He was as fire in war, unbreachable as the sea, strong as a lion, and as good a refuge as the Himalayas. A great devotee of Krishna, when heard that he was cursed to die by a snake-bite, he took shelter of the Lord. He sought self-realization from  the son of Vyasadeva, Shukadeva Goswami.  His very name "Pariksit" means truth-seeker.

 Sūta Gosvāmī said: "O learned ones, King Pariksit ruled as a great king does by the rules of dharma and with dedication to the Supreme Lord, Krishna.Later, he married the daughter of King Uttara and begot four sons, headed by Janamejaya.

Because of the mercy of the Lord God Himselfwho acts wonderfully, King Pariksit survived the the weapon of Ashvatthama. And since he was always dedicated to Krishna,  he was fearless, in spite of a brahmana's curse.

A BOY'S CURSE

Suta said, “Pariksit's son was Janamejaya. But when Janamejaya was but a child, the fair King Pariksit was murdered by the ruthless Taksaka, son of Nagas, born into the race of serpent men. The Nagas were gifted with certain mystic powers that allowed them to assume the form of serpents or men. Taksaka was one such. Now Pariksit, like his great-grandfather Pandu was mighty of arms, a great archer, and fond of hunting. He was expert in hunting bears, wolves and wild boars and other dangerous beasts. One day, deep in the forest on a hunt, having wounded a deer with a sharp arrow, Parikist slung his bow over his shoulder and penetrated into the deep forest in search of the animal. This deer was a magical deer: Sacrifice personified, a supernatural being. No deer had ever fled before the bow of Pariksit as had this magical beast. And so the deer drew Pariksit deeper into the forest until he was lost.

“Sixty years had slowed his pace. Exhausted by the chase that great king was overtaken with thirst.  He went in search of water, for he could hear a stream gurgling in the woods. After walking for some time, famished and thirsty, he came upon a forest sage beneath a tree. But when he addressed the sage, asking him for water, the sage merely sat in meditation and said nothing, as he had taken a vow of silence. Enraged, the king turned to leave when he came upon a dead serpent. Thinking to teach the sage a lesson, the king picked the serpent up with the tip of his bow and adorned the sages neck with it.

“Upon this, the sage awoke from his meditation and said nothing. But the Rishi had a son, Sringin, who was easily angered, and seeing the humiliation suffered by his father,  he became angry. His eyes turned read as blood and that son of a brahmana touched sacred water and cursed the great king, saying, “That sinful wretch of a despot has insulted my father the best of brahmans, by hanging a snake on his neck. I hereby curse King Pariksit  to die from snake-bite within a fortnight. Let him be taken to the court of Yamaraja by the king of venomous snakes, Taksaka himself.”

“But Sringin’s father was not pleased, saying, “My child. What have you done? Brahmans should never use their mystic power to the destruction of great rulers like Pariksit.  You are rash and foolish, my child. I was not offended by the king’s action. Now you have brought tragedy upon us all.” And so saying, having rebuked the child, the sage sent a messenger to Pariksit to inform him of the great calamity that would befall him within a week’s time.

“Upon these, the wise Pariksit made preparations to die. He engaed in ascetic practices by fasting and purifying himself.  He repented his foolish act. He called upon the wisest of men for their advice. He was told to seek out Sukadeva Goswami, the deepest of wise men. Shukadeva, the son of Vyasa, in turn spent a week instructing the king on the meaning of life and narrated the entire story of the Bhagavat before the king and assembled sages and nobles of the court."

Maharaja Parikit hears the Bhagavat from Shukadeva

 Suta said, "That enlightened son of Vyas, Sukadev himself, in turn spent a week instructing the king on the meaning of life and narrated the entire story of the Bhagavat before the king and assembled sages and nobles of the court.



"It is told that the king took precautions against snakes, even going so far as to install himself in a tower, well-guarded by day and night against snakes. And within the tower there dwelled brahmans skilled in the use of medicine and herbs, who had all the known andidotes against snakebite. And in that tower, expert mystics intoned poison-neutralising mantras to protect the king.

Takshaka

DEATH OF PARIKSIT: TAKSAKA

 Suta said, "And one day an apple was delivered to him by a Naga disguised as a brahman." 


"When the king bit into the fruit a tiny worm appeared from the apple. Some say the king laughed and said, 'Here is the serpent who will kill me,' while holding the tiny little worm up for inspection. In an instant the worm grew to his full size, a terrifying serpent.  It was none other than Takshaka himself, powerful lord of the Nagas."
 

Suta said, "Having transformed himself into a gigantic cobra, Takshaka sank his fangs into the king, injecting him with hot venom. As the venom coursed through his veins, the great King Pariksit, remembering Krishna, knew his time had come and left his mortal frame for the upper world. The body of that once invincible king fell stone dead. 
The brahmanas there were baffled with fright, and so the wily Taksaka quickly made good his escape through a window, slithering down the creeper vines that grew on the palace walls. And, shrinking in size, the snake-bird Takshaka quickly flew from there. He moved quickly, and concealing himself in the tall grass disappeared into the dark forest.

Suta said, "With this, the reign of Pariksit, grandson of the great warrior Arjuna, came to an end. Only a child at the time, Janamejaya was installed upon the throne. He was schooled in the arts of war, married, and ruled in peace. 

Janamejaya Maharaja

"As time passed and the king it so happened that one day a sage came to the court of King Janamejaya and narrated the tragic story of Pariksit’s cruel death at the hands of Takshaka. 

"And hearing this story the monarch was moved and began to squeeze his hands in anger. His breath was hot and he wept tears of rage to hear the tale. And finally, he said: “'Hear this. It is my fixed resolve to avenge the cruel murder of my father by this wretch, the snake-bird Takshaka. Not only shall I finish with Takshaka, but all his ancestors and descendants. I shall have vengeance for his ruthless murder of my father, the great Pariksit.'” 



Suta said, "And so it was that after a time, Pariksit’s son, the noble Janamejaya was determined to avenge his father’s murder.

"Now, the wicked Takshaka was the vilest of the serpent race, and had murdered a great king for a petty fault, intoxicated with his own venom. After consultation with his chief ministers and learned brahmanas, Janamejaya, son of Pariksit and ruler of all the Indias gave orders for a great sacrifice, one that would eliminate all snakes and serpents from the surface of the earth."

Suta said, "And so that tiger of the Bharat race, the son of Pariksit, Janamejaya called his priest and ritviks together and explained to them his desire, saying, 'I must avenge myself on the wretch Takshaka who killed my father. Tell me what I must do. Do you know any act by which I may cast into the blazing fire the snake Takshaka with his relatives? I desire to burn that wretch just as he burned my father by the fire of his poison.'"

And the chief priest among them answered, “There is a great sacrifice, O King, devised by the gods themselves. It is called the Snake Sacrifice or sap-yajna. This is written in the scriptures. As you are a great king, only you may achieve it. It has been prophesied in the Puranas.”

The king was pleased and said, “Tell me what you need and I shall do it.” And so the priests and ritual mantra-tellers well-versed in the Vedas and knowledgable about the rites of sacrifice went about making the preparations. They constructed a great sacrificial platform and prepared for the ceremony.

Suta said, "King Janamejaya summoned the best of dutiful brahmanas to conduct the sacrifice. They proposed to utter the most powerful of mystic mantras and by so performing the rites and rituals of the Vedas and pouring clarified butter into the fire to initiate the destruction of all forms of vipers, cobras, snakes and poisionous worms by calling them into the fire."

SNAKE SACRIFICE OF JANAMEJAYA

And when the time came, they build a great fire. They poured the butter into the fire with mantras and the flames leaped higher. “Svaha!” said the priests and intoned the mantras for snake-killing. The sacrificial priests were dressed in black and their eyes were red from smoke as they poured more butter into the fire and chanted the mantras, calling each species of snake by name.

 And as the priests uttered the names of the snakes, the snakes themselves appeared in the sky as if by magic and began to fall into the fire. A rain of black snakes fell into the blazing fire, screaming and hissing. They came in large numbers, snakes as white as ice, emerald snakes, ferocious serpents as black as ebony, blue snakes gleaming like diamonds. The worst of the venomous snakes came first, their fangs dripping poison as they rained into the fire: asps, and vipers, centipedes and viral worms. 

Thousands upon thousands of snakes fell violently into the boiling flames of the sacrificial fire. Tens of thousands of snakes deprived of all control over their limbs perished. Giant anacondas, tropical pythons, monitor lizards, dinosaurs, monsters and dragons. Snakes and serpents of huge bodies and strength like maddened elephants of various colors, shapes and sizes, with virulent poison, terrible and malformed. Snakes with spikes and multicolored scales. Serpents with long black tongues and fierce teeth. All these terrible vipers fell into the flames, their species extinct forever by the power of Janamejaya’s sacrifice.

 As terrible snakes, striking fear into the hearts of all creatures, continued falling into the flames, the slimy fat and  marrow of burned snakes mixed with cinders, hot ashes and melted butter flowed in gruesome green rivers from the sacred fire. The air was filled with an awful stench from the burning flesh and scales of charred and stinking reptiles.

And with this, Takshaka, the great naga king of snakes, began to 

fear for his very life. He went to Indra, the 

aking of the gods, and sought his protection in terror.