Srimadh Bagawatham - Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice.

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2014/12/srimadh-bagawatham-description-of.html

Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice.

Parikshit son Janamejayan came to know about the curse which killed his father.

‘The curse specifically stated that my father was to be bitten by Takshakan not die due to the bite. When this is the case, why didn’t anyone try to revive my father?’ asked King Janamejayan.

‘There was one Brahmana who tried to appear by your father’s side so that he can cure Takshakan’s bite but Takshakan met this Brahman en-route, bribed him with gold and prevented the Brahmana from coming to your father’s aide.’

‘How cruel! It was very spiteful of Takshakan. Because of Takshakan’s spite, I had to suffer without a father. Such mean minded and cruel personalities should be removed from earth. Help me perform an abhijara yagnam to kill all snakes!’

Thus the Brahmins helped Janamejaya perform the snake sacrifice in which thousands of snakes were burnt alive. Takshakan was afraid for his life. He rushed to Swarka Lokam and sought the protection of Devendra.

‘Have all the snakes including Takshakan been burnt?’ asked Janamejayan.

‘Takshakan is nowhere to be found. It looks like he is under the protection of Devendra.’

‘If Devendra will not release Takshakan to us, throw both Devendra and Takshakan in to the fire!’ said Janamejayan.

Devendran immediately pushed Takshakan to fall down into the sacrificial fire in order to save himself from being burnt by Janamejayan.

At that moment a young Brahmachari rishi called Astikar appeared.

Astika’s  father was Jaratkaru an old sage. Jaratkaru decided to spend the rest of his life as a Brahmachari without getting married. One day he saw his deceased ancestors hanging upside down over a pit.

‘Why are you hanging upside down over this pit?’ he asked them.

‘We can be freed if you got married and had a son.’

‘I promise to marry if the girl has the same name as me.’

Jaratkaru searched far and wide but did not find any girl named as Jaratkaru.

Vasuki the serpent king came to know about the sage’s vow. He had a sister named Jaratkaru. Vasuki approached the sage and offered the hand of his sister Jaratkaru in marriage.

Vasuki had heard a prophecy that his sister Jaratkaru would marry a sage and their son would prevent the impending sarpa-bali yagnam.

After a few days sage Jaratkaru decided to leave his wife.

‘You are leaving me now, is there any prospect of progeny?’ she asked him to which he replied ‘there is; asti’ in Sanskrit.

Thus, the boy was named Astika.

 Astika praised the sacrifice and sought a boon from Janamejayan. All the other rishis at Janamejayan’s sacrifice, requested the king to grant boon to Astikar. Astikar asked Janamejayan to stop the sacrifice and save Takshakan. As Janamejayan had promised to grant any boon to astikar, he stopped the sacrifice and thus Takshakan was saved.

As many rishis had gathered at the sacrificial ground, Janamejayan requested Sage Vaisampayanar to narrate the Mahabharata.

Esoteric Interpretation:

 Per Sri Narayan Aiyyangar in his book , "The Essays on Indo Aryan Mythology", snakes represent evil tendencies. Janamejaya's killing the snakes means his killing the evil tendencies. Sage Jaratkaru means old poet i.e, an enlightened soul. His wife Jaratkaru is the Brahma Vidhya or faith. They get Paramatma as their son Astika. The son is named Astika because of the belief of the Sage in the Lord’s existence. Once Janamejaya has killed evil tendencies, the son Astika appears before Janamejaya. Takshaka as we have seen in the esoteric explanation of Parikshit’s curse is Moksham or final death. Thus Takshaka saved represents liberation granted to Janamejaya.

Thus, Srimadh Bagawatha Sapthaham begins with curse of Parikshit and ends with the sarpa-bali yagam of Janamejayan!

Concluded