According to Hindu Mythology there are four ‘Yugas’ (ಯುಗ / युग , an era) :
Satya-yuga (ಸತ್ಯಯುಗ / सत्ययुग , also known as Krita-yuga (ಕೃತಯುಗ / कृतयुग)) , Treta-yuga (ತ್ರೇತಾಯುಗ / त्रेतायुग) , Dwapara-yuga (ದ್ವಾಪರಯುಗ / द्वापरयुग) and Kali-yuga (ಕಲಿಯುಗ / कलियुग).
We are believed to be in the Kali-yuga(some sources say that it started after Krishna’s death and some others after the great Mahabharata war). According to the puranas, Lord Vishnu manifested himself on this earth as Lord Rama, who lived in Treta-yuga and Lord Krishna during the Dwapara-yuga. As per Aryabhata’s calculations, Kali-yuga started in 3102 BCE. We are in the 5119th year of Kali-yuga (still lakhs of years to go!). These yugas repeat cyclically.
From Satya-yuga (golden-age or a time of sheer truth and righteousness) to the present Kali-yuga (iron-age or an age of darkness), we see a gradual decilne of dharma(righteousness), wisdom, knowledge, intellectual capability, life span and emotional and physical strength.
A nice and thought provoking video about the beginning of Kali-yuga is here:
Fast Forward, Parikshit (ಪರೀಕ್ಷಿತ / परीक्षित) is ruling the inherited kingdom. (Parikshit is the son of Abhimanyu (ಅಭಿಮನ್ಯು / अभिमन्यु) and the grandson of Arjuna (ಅರ್ಜುನ /अर्जुन)). True to his lineage, he was a brave, just and wise king who was loved by his subjects. One day, during an hunting affair, separated from his companions and exhausted, he came across a humble hermitage. It belonged to sage Shamika (ಶಮಿಕ / शमिक), who was in a deep meditation. The king humbly requested the sage for food and water multiple times. The sage had taken an oath of silence too and hence couldn’t respond. Anger had conquered the king by then, and he picked up a dead snake lying nearby and garlanded the sage.
The sage’s son, after hearing the incident through a friend could not take the insult to his father, and hence cursed the king : "Since out of the arrogance of his power Parikshit has garlanded my father with a dead snake, may he die on the seventh day from today, bitten by a snake. The impious king shall be sent to the abode of Yama (ಯಮ / यम, the God of death) by Takshaka (ತಕ್ಷಕ / तक्षक) , the king of the serpents. Thus shall the king whose very existence is an offense to the high-souled people, meet with an untimely death!". Sage Shamika, after learning about the curse, called his son and told him: ‘O son, what have you done! I had forgiven the king for the insult he did to me, as it was an act fueled by tiredness and hunger. Moreover he is a wise and just king, because of whom the sages are able to leave peacefully without any fear of interruption from the evil forces.’ Sage Shamika sent a message to the king apologizing for his son’s act of anger and asked him to take precautionary measures to counter the mishap.
The king grieved more for the insult he had committed, than for his own imminent death. He thanked the sage’s messenger and after a discussion with his courtiers, a magnificent new palace was constructed overnight! It was raised on a single tall pillar, and the base of the pillar was inside a moat. Several people, skilled in the art of repelling snakes were placed around the palace to protect the King. An announcement was made, that anyone who had skill in the art of counteracting snake-venom should report to the king. They would be recompensed handsomely for the trouble. The king spent six days in the palace listening to sacred literature recited by the scholars. The D-Day arrived, by which, Takshaka, entrusted with a task had arrived at Parikshit’s place too.
The defense at the palace was almost impeccable. Takshaka was manipulating on entering the palace as the evening of the seventh day arrived, while the king having a sense of great escape. A regular fruit vendor carrying apples was about to enter the palace, and Takshaka, using his abilities, transformed himself into a small worm and entered one of those apples. (An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Alas, not for the king). As fate would have had it, Parikshit chose the apple in which Takshaka had entered and soon the worm came out and the serpent king magnified and presented himself in his original form. Before anything could happen, he bit the king with his ferocious fangs. Such was the power of his venom, that the king was devoid of his life in no time!
(A bit of geeky stuff : What was the technique used by Takshaka here?
- ‘Transform and Conquer’).
Parikshit’s son, Janamejaya (ಜನಮೇಜಯ / जनमेजय) inherited the kingdom. One day a Brahmin named Uttanka (ಉತ್ತಂಕ / उत्तंक) came to his court and said ‘You amaze me King Janamejaya. When the murderer of your father is roaming around free, you sit at ease in your court and enjoy the the comforts of a King. You have not even addressed this great injustice to your father!.’ Surprised by his words, Janamejaya turned to his counselors and learnt about the death of his father. (Janamejaya was a small child when his father had died and hence wasn’t very aware of the circumstances then). Angered by the cause of his father’s death, Janamejaya asked the Uttanka ‘O Brahmin, thank you for bringing this injustice to my attention. Kindly tell me by what means, could I accomplish this task of revenge.’ To which, Uttanka suggested ‘O King, there is a mention of a great sacrifice called snake-sacrifice in the puranas (ಪುರಾಣ / पुराण). On performing it, all the snakes, including Takshaka, will turn powerless by the recitation of mantras (verses that are recited during rituals) and fall into the great fire. The king readily agreed to it and ordered for the preparations to be made for it.
Now, why did Uttanka prompt king Janamejaya to perform this sacrifice? Because he had been troubled by Takshaka long back and was awaiting a revenge. A shortened version of this story goes like this:
Uttanka, after completing his education at the Gurukul (ಗುರುಕುಲ / गुरुकुल , the ancient school) asked his guru as to what he wanted from him as gurudakshina (ಗುರುದಕ್ಷಿಣ / गुरुदक्षिण , a form of fee, in return for the education). The guru’s wife needed a pair of ear-rings that belonged to the queen for a festival that was due in four days, and Uttanka was assigned this task of bringing it. Uttanka went to the capital and the queen readily agreed to give away the ear-rings, not before warning him about Takshaka, who was also in pursuit of the same. During his return to the Gurukul, Takshaka came in the form of a beggar and stole away the ear-rings. Uttanka chased him until he reached Sarpaloka (ಸರ್ಪಲೋಕ / सर्पलोक ,the abode of snakes). With the power of his learnings, Uttanka took the help of Gods and successfully brought the ear-rings just in time for the festival.
So, the sacrifice, directed towards a huge destruction, began. As the sages called each snake by its name, and uttered the fatal verse, they started falling into the sacrificial fire. The sacrifice continued for days. Snakes of all kinds and sizes were perishing in the flame in thousands. At this point a Brahmin named Astika (ಆಸ್ತಿಕ / आस्तिक) entered the sacrifice hall. The king greeted him with all due respects and asked him what he wanted. Meanwhile, Takshaka had sought asylum from his friend, Lord Indra. The sages uttered the name of Takshaka stating that whoever protected him may fall into the fire too. Both Indra and Takshaka started falling towards the fire and Indra let the serpent king go. Takshaka was moments away from falling into the great fire, when the sage ‘Astika’ requested the king to stop the sacrifice immediately. It was customary to grant a Brahmin’s request and thus Takshaka, escaped death by a whisker. The remaining snakes were saved and the king’s revenge remained incomplete.
(Left : The snake sacrifice, Right : Astika stopping the yaga and saving Takshaka)
Astika was created by the snakes to protect their clan. A question comes to our mind - why didn’t the sages sacrifice Takshaka first? (He was under the divine protection of Indra and it was not easy to get him initially. On a lighter note, probably they had saved the best for the last). However, this act of revenge looks outrageous! Of course, it was Kaliyug then - the dark time, and the evil continues to manifest even now! Also, there is another story that tells why king Janamejaya could not complete his task. But let us not make things too complex right now. We had read in the previous story that it was at this sacrifice, the Mahabharata story was narrated to a group of sages and later passed on.
The next post, shall have Mahabharata stories, beginning with the story of king Shantanu (ಶಂತನು / शांतनु) and Bheeshma (ಭೀಷ್ಮ / भीष्म , one of legendary characters).
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