The curse

The Death of a King

Śaunaka said, “Tell us, O Suta, of Śukadeva? Who was he? How was he empowered to speak the Bhāgavata? Under what conditions did he recite that great work? And who were those who were blessed to listen?”

The sage Śaunaka said: We have heard that Śukadeva spoke the Bhagavat to the great king Parikṣita, afer he had been cursed. Tell us the story of that king. How was he born and how did he rule? The womb of Uttarā, mother of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, was spoiled by the dreadful and invincible brahmāstra weapon released by Aśvatthāmā. But Mahārāja Parīkṣit was saved by the Supreme Lord. How was the great emperor Parīkṣit, who was a highly intelligent and great devotee, born in that womb? How was he cursed to die?

How did his death take place, and what did he achieve after his death?

Śaunaka said, “We all respectfully want to hear about Mahārāja Parīkṣit who learned the transcendental knowledge of the Bhagavat from Śukadeva Gosvāmī.”

The sages gathered there nodded their heads and listened, intent on capturing on every word spoken by Suta Goswāmi.

Sūta said: After Yudhiṣṭhira won the war at Kurukshetra, he assumed leadership over the kingdom. From his throne in Hastinapura, he ruled like his father Pandu before him, with generosity and fairness. He had no personal ambition or lust for power. He was a great devotee of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The heavenly planets rang with the glories of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s sacrifice. His queen Draupadi, his brothers Bhima and Arjuna as well as the twins became famous for their great deeds. His opulence was treasured even in the heavens. But he sacrificed everything in the service of Śrī Kṛṣa.

O Śaunaka, Arjuna was the brother of that great king and his son was Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu was married to Uttarā and together they begat Parīkṣit, who would hear the Bhāgavat from Śukadev.

Now, when Parīkṣit, was in the womb of his mother, Uttarā, he was opressed from the curse of the envious son of Drona, Aśvatthāma. The envious Aśvatthāma cast his powerful weapon against Uttarā, hoping to burn to death the heir of Yudhisthira’s kingdom.

But the Lord appeared to Parīkṣit in the womb, saving him from certain death. All rejoiced, and when all stars were right, that great prince took birth.

King Yudhiṣṭhira, for his part was satisfied and ordered the ritual ceremonies of birth performed. Great brāhmaṇas, like Dhaumya and Kṛpa, recited the Vedas at his birth. The king gave charity should in gold, land, villages, elephants, horses and good food grains to the learned and wise. The brahmans in turn recognized the boy as a specially gifted child. And yet they prophesied his death by snake-bite.

The boy grew and learned the art of war and peace from his grandfathers. In time he would become as capable a ruler as Yudhisthira himself.

And yet his rule would coincide with the beginning of the age of Kali, the iron age of strife and quarrel. And after Yudhisthira and his brothers left this mortal plane, Parīkṣit’s rule began. He was a fair and wise king and all loved him.

Now it came to pass that one day when Mahārāja Parīkṣit, was hunting stages in the royal forest he became extremely tired, hungry and thirsty. Exhausted he began to search for water. At length he found the ashram of a sage called Śamīka Ṛṣi. There was the king, exhausted and there was the sage beneath a tree. As the king implored him for water, the sage sat in meditation, his eyes closed.

Again the king asked him for water, but the sage sat there, inert. How was it possible that the sage ignored the King of Hastinapura, the grandson of Arjuna, the heir of Yudhisthira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit himself? No seat, no water, no words of welcome came from the forest sage who sat in meditation. This was an insult to the king’s pride. Overcome by thirst, and exhaustion, the king became enraged.

He found a dead snake near the tree, and picking it up with his bow, he placed it around the sage’s neck. Then he returned to his palace.