(Vedavyasa Mahabharatam – the story, the ethics, morals & the traditions)

Story 12- Sarpayāgaṃ (The great destruction of Serpents in Janamejaya’s Sarpa Yāgaṃ)[i]

What is the story about?

The story discusses the process of Sarpayāgaṃ and the intervention of rishi Aāstīka to stop the destruction of the entire race of serpents. The story discusses Aāstīka tradition which has been followed for the last five thousand years in India & Aāstīka Stotram to obviate the fear from serpents. It also discusses the important purohits – Hotha, Udgāta, Adhvaryu and Brahma for conducting any yāgaṃ, and the tradition of which is being followed even now.

Another interesting tradition of worshipping snakes and cobras on the day of नागपंचमि (nāgapancami) can be traced to this story.

Background of the Story

Janamejaya was the son of king Parikshit who was the illustrious grandson of Arjuna. Janamejaya was provoked by Uttanka to perform Sarpayāgaṃ (Story 8) to avenge the death of his father, Parikshit. The serpents were also cursed by their mother Kadru that they would die in the Sarpayāgaṃ. The serpents knew that the Sarpayāgaṃ would come to an end by the intervention of a rishi born to their sister Jaratkaru (Story 8); and not all serpents would perish in the holocaust.

Saunaka was inquisitive to know the nuances of the Sarpayāgaṃ and how it was prevented by rishi Aāstīka. Ugrasrvasa started narrating the story.

The great Holocaust

Janamejaya was very angry that his innocent father was killed by Takshaka. He also learnt from Uttanka that Takshaka even prevented a brahmin physician, Kāśyapa from giving treatment to his father. He decided to destroy the entire race of serpents in a Vedic ritual, and he consulted his purohits to suggest a yāgaṃ. After deliberations, the ministers suggested him to perform Sarpayāgaṃ.

Upon the orders of the king, the ritviks started preparing the yajña vāṭikā (यज्ञ वाटिका, the altar upon which the yagna has to be performed). The land was measured, and bricks were arranged as per the śāstrās. While the process was going on, a vāstu śāstra śilpi (a sculptor of vāstu śāstra knowledge)[ii] of sūta caste[iii] declared that there would be an obstacle for the yagna, and all serpents would not perish as the yagna would get stopped by an unknown brahmin. He suggested that the timing of the yagna preparation was not conducive for its logical conclusion. Janamejaya got angry and ordered his people not to entertain any unknown person without his permission into the yajña vāṭikā.

The yagna started with the invocation of Vedic chants and the lighting of the fire. Rishi Chanḍabhārgava agreed to be the Hotha. Rishi Kautsa was the Udgāta, and two rishis Jaimini & Shārangarava officiated as Brahmas and rishi Pingala became Adhvaryu[iv].The other rishis who graced the occasion happened to be Vedavyasa, Narada, Devala, Atreya, Sruthasrava and the like.

Amid Vedic chants the officiating priests were calling aloud the names of the serpents, and under the spell of mantras, the serpents were running towards the yajña vāṭikā and jumping into the fire, only to be get scorched into ashes. When thousands and thousands of serpents were getting burnt, Takshaka (the one which had bitten Janamejaya’s father) got afraid ran towards the place of Indra and sought asylum. Indra blessed him that he would be saved from the holocaust. He asked Takshaka to stay in Indra loka under his patronage.

The Deliberations

Meanwhile the eldest of the serpents, Vasuki got perturbed and reached out to his sister Jaratkaru. He said, ‘My dear sister! You are aware of Janamejaya’s Sarpayāgaṃ. Thousands of serpents are being killed on the fire altar. I am worried about the possibility of the extinction of our race. But there is a ray of hope. As per the divine plan[v], the Sarpayāgaṃ will come to an end with the intervention of your son, Rishi Aāstīka. Can you request him to go to Janamejaya’s court and stop the holocaust?’

Jaratkaru agreed and asked her son Aāstīka to go to the court of Janamejaya and impress upon the king of the necessity of stopping the Sarpayāgaṃ.

Aāstīka’s persuasion and the end of Sarpayāgaṃ

Aāstīka reached the yajña vāṭikā but the gate keepers obstructed his entry. Then he stood outside the gates and started praising Janamejaya, the purohits, the attendant rishis and the yajna. Everyone inside could hear the resonant Stotra sung by the rishi outside. Janamejaya was inquisitive to know who the rishi was! He ordered his servants to allow the rishi inside to the arena of yajña vāṭikā.

Aāstīka pronounced the swasti vachaka (good omen) to the king and said, ‘Oh king! The yagna which you are performing equals the Varuna yagna and Indra yagna in stature. You are the very Indra upon this earth and your people are safe under your benevolent rule’.

Janamejaya was very much pleased with the pious words of the rishi, and he was ready to fulfil any of his wish. He said, ‘Oh Rishi! We are all very much pleased by your Stotra in praise of all of us. Please ask any wish and I shall bestow the same upon you’. Before Aāstīka could talk anything, the Hotha came up to the king and said, ‘Oh king! We have been calling Takshaka but we are told that he was being firmly protected by Indra. Without his death, the objective of the yagna would be defeated. You can fulfil the wish of this rishi after we see Takshaka’s physical presence here’.

Janamejaya felt uneasy that Takshaka was being protected by Indra. He goaded the officiating priests to invoke mantras and call Indra with Takshaka to the fire altar. The priests now started calling Indra with Takshaka. The power of mantras was such strong that Indra could not stay in his place even for a minute. He was rushing towards the fire altar with Takshaka in his hand. Everyone could see Indra in the firmament straight above the yagna vāṭikā. Indra was scared and threw Takshaka to the sky and left to his place. The fear-wreck Takshaka reached just above the yagna vāṭikā and he was ready to jump into the fire.

Janamejaya’s boon to Aāstīka

The purohits said, ‘Oh king! Our wish is getting fulfilled. Takshaka is now under our spell and by our next chanting he would rush into the fire, and he would die. Now you can bestow any boon to the rishi. The king was in happy mood, and looking towards Aāstīka he said, ‘Oh Rishi! Your arrival is good omen for us. Now I wish to grant any boon. Please tell me what you wish to take from me’.

Aāstīka was very happy he said, ‘Oh king! You are a great king, and you abide by your words. My wish is that you please stop the yagna and save the race of serpents. Let no serpent die in the holocaust from this very moment’.

Janamejaya pleaded with Aāstīka to choose any other wish, but Aāstīka was reluctant to agree. A righteous king was not supposed to go back on his words and transgress the moral standards of the day. The king consulted with his ministers and purohits and they suggested the king to honour his own words and bestow the boon upon Aāstīka. Janamejaya, with a happy tone, praised Aāstīka and said, ‘Let your wish be fulfilled. Let no serpent die in this Sarpayāgaṃ from this very moment. Let Takshaka also be freed from the spell of Mantras’.

Janamejaya distributed enormous wealth to people and all other dignitaries who had attended the Sarpayāgaṃ. He also felicitated Aāstīka and bid farewell to him.

Aāstīka was a happy person for he became instrumental in preventing the death of serpent race in the holocaust. All serpents including Vasuki and Takshaka surrounded him in joy and praised him. They said, ‘Oh Great Rishi Aāstīka! ‘We are very much pleased with you, and we want to give back any boon of your choice. Please ask any boon’. Aāstīka was a rishi, and he did not want anything quid pro quo, but when they insisted, he said, ‘Well! I will ask a boon from you. Let there not be any fear to human beings who just remember the anecdote of Sarpayāgaṃ. If a person is encountered with a serpent and the person pronounces the following verse, the serpent should leave way for him. If any serpent transgresses the promise, let its head blead hundred cuts’.

सर्पापसर्प भद्रं ते गच्छ सर्प महाविष I

जनमेजयस्य यज्ञान्ते आस्तीक वचनं स्मर II (Adi Parva 58.25)[vi]

(Oh, great serpent! Please go away from me. Remember the words of Aāstīka at the end of Janamejaya’s Sarpayāgaṃ)

Vasuki was happy at this gesture of Aāstīka.

Points to ponder

1. The story of Sarpayāgaṃ is a popular story in Itihasa literature. In Mahabharata times, the land- forest ratio was heavily skewed in favour of the later. The serpents, like cruel animals, used to prowl upon villagers and it was the duty of the king to protect the people from their onslaught. Sarpayāgaṃ was an invention by the Vedic priests to sacrifice the serpents and save the people.

2. The Sarpayāgaṃ was stopped at the behest of Aāstīka and this day is being celebrated as Nadivardhini Panchami (śrāvaṇa śukla paṃcami). This day happens to be the festival of nāgās (serpents) since their lives were saved by Aāstīka[vii]. People across Bharath celebrate this festival by offering milk, sweets and flowers and propitiate the serpents. The traditional roots of modern Bharath are firmly established in Mahabharat.

3. Aāstīka tradition – In the traditional houses of rural Bharath, we find this Aāstīka tradition. The villagers use to write name ‘Aāstīka’ on the outer doors with the belief that no snake dares to enter the house on seeing the name of their saviour. This tradition is however slowly getting outdated as people do not know the Mahabharath story of Janamejaya and about Sarpayāgaṃ.

Ugrasravasa concluded the story and said, ‘Oh rishis! I have started narrating the story of Mahabharat but on your request I deviated the subject matter to clear some of your doubts’. Saunaka said, ‘We are happy to hear Amrita Mathanam and Janamejaya’s Sarpayāgaṃ from you. Now you please start the main story of the Kuru warriors – Kauravas and Pandavas’. Ugrasravasa started narrating the story of Mahabharat. (We will read this in our next story series).

Footnotes

[i] This Story is taken from Adi Parvam of Mahabharata (Gita Press, Gorakhpur)

[ii]  Vāstu śāstra – Vastu Shastra was developed by our ancient rishis around 4000 years ago. It was conceived as a Vedic science of layout and planning of buildings, and it has evolved over the centuries as a result of man’s efforts to improve his style of living. Vastu Shastra is basically a Vedānga (वेदांग), a branch of Sthāpatya Veda (sthāpatya veda (स्थापत्य वेद), which in turn is a part of Yajur Veda.

[iii] sūta caste – the children born to a Brahmin lady with a Kshatriya man was labelled under sūta caste in Mahabharat times.

[iv] Hotha is the Rigvedic priest; Udgāta is the main priest of Samaveda; Adhvaryu is an Yajurvedic priest; and Atharvavedic main priest is Brahma. All the four priests officiate all important yagnas and yagas.

[v] For knowing the divine plan, the reader may look into the previous episode (Story no 8- Jaratkaru (a rishi) marrying Jaratkaru (a serpent lady)

[vi] sarpāpasarpa bhadraṃ te gaccha sarpa mahāviṣa I

janamejayasya yajñānte āstīka vacanaṃ smara II (Adi Parva 58.25)

[vii] Satya Sai Bal Vikas article on Janamejaya’s Sarpa Satra (https://sssbalvikas.in/courses/group-ii/nag-panchami-festival/lessons/janamejeyas-sarpa-satra/#:~:text=King%20Janamejeya%2C%20the%20son%20of,sacrificial%20fireplace%20was%20specially%20erected )

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