places&Rishis

 śaunaka uvāca sarpasatre tadā rājñaḥ pāṇḍaveyasya dhīmataḥ janamejayasya ke tvāsannṛtvijaḥ paramarṣayaḥ Who were great Ṛṣis who became Ṛtvijas in the snake sacrifice of wise king Janamejaya of Pāṇḍava dynasty? ke sadasyā babhūvuśca sarpasatre sudāruṇe  viṣādajaname ̍tyarthaṁ pannagānāṁ mahābhaye Who became Sadasyas in that terrible snake sacrifice, so fearful to the snakes and so sorrowful to them? sarvaṁ vistaraśastāta bhavāñchaṁsitumarhasi sarpasatravidhānajñavijñeyāḥ ke ca sūtaja O child! You shoulde describe all this in detail, so that, O sauti, we may know who were acquaited with the rituals of the snake sacrifice! sautir uvāca hanta te kathayiṣyāmi nāmānīha manīṣiṇām ye ṛtvijaḥ sadasyāśca tasyāsannṛpatestadā Sauti said: I shall tell you the names of those wise men who became Ṛtvijas and Sadasyas of the king. tatra hotā babhūvātha brāhmaṇaścaṇḍabhārgavaḥ cyavanasyānvaye khyāto jāto vedavidāṁ varaḥ Brāhmaṇa, named Caṇḍa Bhārgava, born in the race of Cyavana, greatly illus...

 sautiruvāca tataḥ karma pravavṛte sarpasatravidhānataḥ paryakrāmaṁśca vidhivatsve sve karmaṇi yājakāḥ prāvṛtya kṛṣṇavāsāṁsi dhūmasaṁraktalocanāḥ juhuvurmantravaccaiva samiddhaṁ jātavedasam Sauti said: Snake sacrifice then began in due form. Sacrificial priests, expert in their respective duties according to the ordinance, their bodies with black garments and their eyes red from smoke, poure ghee in blazing fire, uttering Mantras. kampayantaśca sarveṣāmuragāṇāṁ manāṁsi ca sarpānājuhuvustatra sarvānagnimukhe tadā Making the hearts of all the snakes tremble in fear, they began to pour ghee in the mouth of Agni, uttering the names of the snakes. tataḥ sarpāḥ samāpetuḥ pradīpte havyavāhane viceṣṭamānāḥ kṛpaṇamāhvayantaḥ parasparam Thereupon snakes fell into the blazing fire one after another, each be numbered and calling piteously to one another. visphurantaḥ svasantaśca veṣṭayantaḥ parasparam pucchaiḥ śirobhiśca bhṛśaṁ citrabhānuṁ prapedire Breathing hard, swelling to enormous sizes, ...

 sautiruvāca evamuktvā tataḥ śrīmānmantribhiścānumoditaḥ āruroha pratijñāṁ sa sarpasatrāya pārthivaḥ Sauti said: Illustrious king having said so, ministers expressed their approbation. King expressed his determination of performing snake sacrifice. brahmanbharataśārdūlo rājā pārikṣitastadā purohitamathāhūya ṛtvijo vasudhādhipaḥ Lord of the Earth, the best of the Kurus, king Janamejaya, son of Parīkṣit, then called his priest and Ṛtvijas. abravīdvākyasaṁpannaḥ kāryasaṁpatkaraṁ vacaḥ yo me hiṁsitavāṁstātaṁ takṣakaḥ sa durātmavān And that accomplished speaker spoke on accomplishment of his great task. He said: I must avenge on that wretch Takṣaka! pratikuryāṁ tathā tasya tadbhavanto bruvantu me api tatkarma viditaṁ bhavatāṁ yena pannagam takṣakaṁ saṁpratīpte ̍gnau prakṣipeyaṁ sabāndhavam yathā tena pitā mahyaṁ pūrvaṁ dagdho viṣāgninā tathā ̍hamapi taṁ pāpaṁ dagdhumicchāmi pannagam Tell me what I must do! Do you know any act by which I can throw TAkṣaka with all his friends and re...

tatastasmiṁstu divase saptame samupasthite rājñaḥ samīpaṁ brahmarṣiḥ kāśyapo gantumaicchata When the seventh day arrived, a Brāhmaṇa Ṛṣi named Kaśyapa, wished to come to the king. taṁ dadarśātha nāgendrastakṣakaḥ kāśyapaṁ tadā tamabravītpannagendraḥ kāśyapaṁ tvaritaṁ dvijam kva bhavāṁstvarito yāti kiṁ ca kāryaṁ cikīrṣati King of the snakes, Takṣaka, saw Kaśyapa and that king of snakes asked Brāhmaṇa: Where are you going in a hurry? What is your business for which you go? kāśyapa uvāca yatra rājā kuruśreṣṭhaḥ parīkṣinnāma vai dvija takṣakeṇa bhujaṅgena dhakṣyate kila so ̍dya vai O Brāhmaṇa! I am going where the best of Kurus, king named Parīkṣit is. He will today be killed by the snake Takṣaka. gacchāmyahaṁ taṁ tvaritaḥ sadyaḥ kartumapajvaram mayā ̍bhipannaṁ taṁ cāpi na sarpo dharṣayiṣyati I am going in a hurry to cure him, so that he, being treated by me, may not be killed by the snake. takṣaka uvāca kimarthaṁ taṁ mayā daṣṭaṁ saṁjīvayitumicchasi ahaṁ sa takṣako brahmanpaśya me vīryamad...

 sa kadācidvanagato mṛgaṁ vivyādha patriṇā viddhavā cānvasarattūrṇaṁ taṁ mṛgaṁ hahane vane Once on a time he went into the forest and pierced a deer with an arrow. Having thus wounded the deer, he followed it armed with sword and quiver into the dense forest. padātirbaddhanistriṁśastatāyudhakalāpavān na cāsasāda gahane mṛgaṁ naṣṭaṁ pitātava Alone on foot. But he could not, however, come upon that lost deer. pariśrānto vayasthāśca ṣaṣṭivarṣo jarānvitaḥ kṣudhitaḥ sa mahāraṇye dadarśa munisattamam He, who was 60 years old and therefore fatigued and hungry, saw a gret Ṛṣi in that great forest. sa taṁ papraccha rājendro muniṁ maunavrate sthitam na ca kiṅciduvācedaṁ pṛṣṭo ̍pi sa munistadā King accosted that Ṛṣi, who was then observing the vow of silence, but Ṛṣi did not make any reply. tato rājā kṣucchramārtastaṁ muniṁ sthāṇuvasthitam maunavratadharaṁ śāntaṁ sadyo manyuvaśaṁgataḥ Fatigued and hungry king grew angry with Ṛṣi who sat motionless as a piece of wood in observance of his vow o...

śaunakauvāca yadapṛcchattadā rājā mantriṇo janamejayaḥ pituḥ svargagatiṁ tanme vistareṇa punarvada Śaunaka said: Tell me again in detail all that king Janamejaya asked his ministers to say about his father ̍s ascension to heaven. sautiruvāva śṛṇu brahmanyathāpṛcchanmantriṇo nṛpatistadā yathā cākhyātavantaste nidhanaṁ tatparīkṣitaḥ Sauti said: O Brāhmaṇa! Hear all that king asked his ministers and all that they said about the death of Parīkṣit: janamejaya uvāca jānanti sma bhavantastadyathā vṛttaṁ piturmama āsīdyathā sa nidhanaṁ gataḥ kāle mahāyaśāḥ Janamejaya said: You know all that happened to my father and how my illustrious father met with his death. śrutvā bhavatsakāśāddhi piturvṛttamaśetaḥ kalyāṇaṁ pratipatsyāmi viparītaṁ na jātucit hearing from you all about my father, I shall do what is proper and good. I shall not do otherwise. sautiruvāca mantriṇo ̍thābruvanvākyaṁ pṛṣṭāstena mahātmanā sarve dharmavidaḥ prājñā rājānaṁ janamejayam Sauti said: Being asked by that high souled king...

 sautiruvāca gatamātraṁ tu jaratkāruravedayat bhrātuḥ sakāśamāgatya yāthātathyaṁ tapodhana Sauti said: O ascetic Ṛṣi, as soon as her husband was gone, Jaratkāru went to her brother and told him all that had happened. tataḥ sa bhujagaśreṣṭhaḥ śrutvā sumahadapriyam uvāca bhaginīṁ tadā dīnataraḥ svayam Hearing this greatly evil news, king of the snakes spoke to his miserable sister, he being more miserable than she was. vāsukiruvāca jānāsi bhadre yatkāryaṁ pradāne kāraṇaṁ ca yat pannagānāṁ hitārthāya putraste syāttato yadi Vāsuki said: O amiable siser! You know the object for which you were bestowed on the Ṛṣi, so that son be born for the good of the race of the snakes. sa sarpasatrātkila no mokṣayiṣyati vīryavān evaṁ pitāmahaḥ pūrvamuktavāṁstu suraiḥ saha That greatly powerful being will be able to save us from the snake sacrifice. Grandsire told this to celestials in olden times. apyasti garbhaḥ subhage tasmātte munisattamāt na cecchāmyaphalaṁ tasya dārakarma manīṣiṇaḥ O fortunate o...