User:Nvvchar/sandbox/Jaratkaru

Jaratkaru, the father of Astika (a sage who rescued the race of snakes from extinction from the yagna (sacrificial fire) of Sarpa Satra performed by king Janamejaya, a descendent of the Pandavas of the epic Mahabharata fame), when he was a bachelor was a devoted young ascetic, highly learned, traveled widely, lived on air, never slept and was a renowned Yayavaras (travelling mendicants). While passing through a blaze of fire he saw his manes (ancestors) hanging upside down with head into a hole from a rope made of virana fibre which was being chewed on by rats. They told Jaratkaru that they were rishis and they were in this state of suspension about to be released to the earth because of any heir to their hierarchy and that their son Jaratkaru who has become an ascetic and and has denied us the opportunity of having a producing a heir to our race. On hearing this, Jaratkaru identified himself to his manes and asked them in what way he could redeem this situation. The manes then commanded Jaratkaru to get married and beget a son and thus redeem them from their misery and attain heavenly bliss. He agreed to marry only for the sake of having a son for their benefit, would marry a girl who would also bear the same name as Jaratkaru, and that she should be offered to him as free gift as he was a poor man.

He then wandered around looking for a wife. He then chanced on Vasuki, the king of snakes, who offered his sister in marriage to him. Jaratkaru was keen to know the name of the girl, before confirming to marry her. Vasuki, then informed that his sister's name was also Jaratkaru. By this act Vasuki was also redeeming a past curse on his race by marrying off his sister to a Brahmin sage. Then the marriage was solemnized as per sacred rites, and in due course a son was born to them whom they named as Astika. Astika became a learned sage well versed in all scriptures and made his parents proud.

The curse

The curse that was redeemed by Vasuki was the one, Kadru, the mother of snakes, had given to her sons. Kadru was one the two daughters of Prajapati, the snake king, his other daughter was Vinata. Both the daughters were married to sage Kashyapa who please with them had bestowed boon to each of them. Pleased with this offer of a boon by their husband, Kadru asked that she be blessed with 1000 snakes of equal beauty while Vinita (mythology) asked to be blessed with two sons who would be valiant and who would be superior to the thousand snakes to be born to Kadru. After advising t his wives to be careful with their embryos, Kashaya went to the forest to continue meditation. Both wives bore eggs which were placed under care in separate vessels. The 1000 eggs borne by Kadru emerged and after 500 years of gestation. However, the gestation of the two eggs of Vinita became prolonged and anxious to have her sons early she broke open one of the two eggs. What emerged out of the egg was a premature embryo with only half developed upper part of the body. The child was very upset with her mother and cursed her for making haste in breaking the embryo by saying "Since thou hast prematurely broken this egg, thou shall serve as a slave. Shouldst thou wait five hundred years and not destroy, or render the other egg half-developed, by breaking it through impatience, then the illustrious child within it will deliver thee from slavery! And if thou wouldst have the child strong, thou must take tender care of the egg for all this time!". The child then disappeared in to the sky. After 500 years of waiting the second egg hatched and Garuda, the lord of birds emerged who is known as the snake eater. On perceiving light rays Garuda flew away in search of food to quench his huge appetite

Horse episode

Uchchaihshravas, a seven headed white horse

The two sisters than saw a brightly shining and amenable horse which was known by the name Uchchaihshravas (a seven headed white horse). This horse had emerged when the asuras (demons) and devas (the godly) in their fight to seek the potion of eternal bliss, at the intervention of Lords Vishnu and Brahma, churned the ocean to seek the amrit. Apart from the nectar, among the many things that merged out of churning of the ocean of milk, Uchchaihsravas the beautiful and powerful horse also emerged. Looking at the horse the two sisters waged their bets on the colour of the stately horse. While Vinita said its colour was white, as it really was, Kadru vehemently said that its tail was black. To prove her point Kadru had a sinister scheme. They waged that whoever looses the bet would serve the other as a slave for ever. Kadru then ordered her sons to convert the colour of the tail of the horse into black, they all refused and in a fit of rage she cursed them saying that they would all be burnt to death in a fire sacrifice that would be performed by king Janamejaya. Brhama and other gods who were watching this situation thought that the curse ws proper as sankes had become a menace to all other creatures in world by biting and killing with their poison.Brahma called kashyapa the father of the snakes and informed him about Kadru's curse on her 1000 sons and told not to grieve as his sons had become a menace to the world. Brahma then also taught kashyapa the remedy for the snake poison.

The following day the sisters went eagerly to look at the horse and check for the winner of the wager. As kadru had told her sons that s they should obey her command in the night and if they honoured her bidding the curse on them would be redeemed. The sons of Kadru did not want to die and so they tied themselves around the tail of the horse in the form black hairs and thus changed its colour to black. When the sisters saw the white colured horse with a black tail combination Vinita was dejected as she had lost the bet and had to serve her sister Kadru as a slave.