Mahabharata 1.47

1.47.1

sūta uvāca |
evamuktvā tataḥ śrīmānmantribhiścānumoditaḥ |
āruroha pratijñāṃ sa sarpasatrāya pārthivaḥ |
brahmanbharataśārdūlo rājā pārikṣitastadā || 1 ||

(Astika Parva continued)

'Sauti said, 'King Janamejaya having said so, his ministers expressed their approbation. And the monarch then expressed his determination to perform a snake-sacrifice. And that lord of the Earth--that tiger of the Bharata race--the son of Parikshit, then called his priest and Ritwiks. And accomplished in speech, he spake unto them these words relating to the accomplishment of his great task. 'I must avenge myself on the wretch Takshaka who killed my father. Tell me what I must do. Do you know any act by which I may cast into the blazing fire the snake Takshaka with his relatives? I desire to burn that wretch even as he burnt, of yore, by the fire of his poison, my father.'

'The chief priest answered, 'There is, O king, a great sacrifice for thee devised by the gods themselves. It is known as the snake-sacrifice, and is read of in the Puranas. O king, thou alone canst accomplish it, and no one else. Men versed in the Puranas have told us, there is such a sacrifice.'

"Sauti continued, 'Thus addressed, the king, O excellent one, thought Takshaka to be already burnt and thrown into the blazing mouth of Agni, the eater of the sacrificial butter. The king then said unto those Brahmanas versed in mantras, 'I shall make preparations for that sacrifice. Tell me the things that are necessary.' And the king's Ritwiks, O excellent Brahmana, versed in the Vedas and acquainted with the rites of that sacrifice measured, according to the scriptures, the land for the sacrificial platform. And the platform was decked with valuable articles and with Brahmanas. And it was full of precious things and paddy. And the Ritwika sat upon it at ease. And after the sacrificial platform had been thus constructed according to rule and as desired, they installed the king at the snake-sacrifice for the attainment of its object. And before the commencement of the snake-Sacrifice that was to come, there occurred this very important incident foreboding obstruction to the sacrifice. For when the sacrificial platform was being constructed, a professional builder of great intelligence and well-versed in the knowledge of laying foundations, a Suta by caste, well-acquainted with the Puranas, said, 'The soil upon which and the time at which the measurement for the sacrificial platform has been made, indicate that this sacrifice will not be completed, a Brahmana becoming the reason thereof.' Hearing this, the king, before his installation, gave orders to his gate-keepers not to admit anybody without his knowledge."

'Sauti said, 'King Janamejaya having said so, his ministers expressed their approbation. And the monarch then expressed his determination to perform a snake-sacrifice. And that lord of the Earth--that tiger of the Bharata race--the son of Parikshit, then called his priest and Ritwiks. And accomplished in speech, he spake unto them these words relating to the accomplishment of his great task. 'I must avenge myself on the wretch Takshaka who killed my father. Tell me what I must do. Do you know any act by which I may cast into the blazing fire the snake Takshaka with his relatives? I desire to burn that wretch even as he burnt, of yore, by the fire of his poison, my father.'

1.47.2

purohitamathāhūya ṛtvijaṃ vasudhādhipaḥ |
abravīdvākyasaṃpannaḥ saṃpadarthakaraṃ vacaḥ || 2 ||

1.47.3

yo me hiṃsitavāṃstātaṃ takṣakaḥ sa durātmavān |
pratikuryāṃ yathā tasya tadbhavanto bruvantu me || 3 ||

1.47.4

api tatkarma viditaṃ bhavatāṃ yena pannagam |
takṣakaṃ saṃpradīpte'gnau prāpsye'haṃ sahabāndhavam || 4 ||

1.47.5

yathā tena pitā mahyaṃ pūrvaṃ dagdho viṣāgninā |
tathāhamapi taṃ pāpaṃ dagdhumicchāmi pannagam || 5 ||

1.47.6

ṛtvija ūcuḥ |
asti rājanmahatsatraṃ tvadarthaṃ devanirmitam |
sarpasatramiti khyātaṃ purāṇe kathyate nṛpa || 6 ||

'The chief priest answered, 'There is, O king, a great sacrifice for thee devised by the gods themselves. It is known as the snake-sacrifice, and is read of in the Puranas. O king, thou alone canst accomplish it, and no one else. Men versed in the Puranas have told us, there is such a sacrifice.'

1.47.7

āhartā tasya satrasya tvannānyo'sti narādhipa |
iti paurāṇikāḥ prāhurasmākaṃ cāsti sa kratuḥ || 7 ||

1.47.8

sūta uvāca |
evamuktaḥ sa rājarṣirmene sarpaṃ hi takṣakam |
hutāśanamukhaṃ dīptaṃ praviṣṭamiti sattama || 8 ||

"Sauti continued, 'Thus addressed, the king, O excellent one, thought Takshaka to be already burnt and thrown into the blazing mouth of Agni, the eater of the sacrificial butter. The king then said unto those Brahmanas versed in mantras, 'I shall make preparations for that sacrifice. Tell me the things that are necessary.' And the king's Ritwiks, O excellent Brahmana, versed in the Vedas and acquainted with the rites of that sacrifice measured, according to the scriptures, the land for the sacrificial platform. And the platform was decked with valuable articles and with Brahmanas. And it was full of precious things and paddy. And the Ritwika sat upon it at ease. And after the sacrificial platform had been thus constructed according to rule and as desired, they installed the king at the snake-sacrifice for the attainment of its object. And before the commencement of the snake-Sacrifice that was to come, there occurred this very important incident foreboding obstruction to the sacrifice. For when the sacrificial platform was being constructed, a professional builder of great intelligence and well-versed in the knowledge of laying foundations, a Suta by caste, well-acquainted with the Puranas, said, 'The soil upon which and the time at which the measurement for the sacrificial platform has been made, indicate that this sacrifice will not be completed, a Brahmana becoming the reason thereof.' Hearing this, the king, before his installation, gave orders to his gate-keepers not to admit anybody without his knowledge."

1.47.9

tato'bravīnmantravidastānrājā brāhmaṇāṃstadā |
āhariṣyāmi tatsatraṃ saṃbhārāḥ saṃbhriyantu me || 9 ||

1.47.10

tataste ṛtvijastasya śāstrato dvijasattama |
deśaṃ taṃ māpayāmāsuryajñāyatanakāraṇāt |
yathāvajjñānaviduṣaḥ sarve buddhyā paraṃ gatāḥ || 10 ||

1.47.11

ṛddhyā paramayā yuktamiṣṭaṃ dvijagaṇāyutam |
prabhūtadhanadhānyāḍhyamṛtvigbhiḥ suniveśitam || 11 ||

1.47.12

nirmāya cāpi vidhivadyajñāyatanamīpsitam |
rājānaṃ dīkṣayāmāsuḥ sarpasatrāptaye tadā || 12 ||

1.47.13

idaṃ cāsīttatra pūrvaṃ sarpasatre bhaviṣyati |
nimittaṃ mahadutpannaṃ yajñavighnakaraṃ tadā || 13 ||

1.47.14

yajñasyāyatane tasminkriyamāṇe vaco'bravīt |
sthapatirbuddhisaṃpanno vāstuvidyāviśāradaḥ || 14 ||

1.47.15

ityabravītsūtradhāraḥ sūtaḥ paurāṇikastadā |
yasmindeśe ca kāle ca māpaneyaṃ pravartitā |
brāhmaṇaṃ kāraṇaṃ kṛtvā nāyaṃ saṃsthāsyate kratuḥ || 15 ||

1.47.16

etacchrutvā tu rājā sa prāgdīkṣākālamabravīt |
kṣattāraṃ neha me kaścidajñātaḥ praviśediti || 16 ||

1.47.17

tataḥ karma pravavṛte sarpasatre vidhānataḥ |
paryakrāmaṃśca vidhivatsve sve karmaṇi yājakāḥ || 17 ||

"Sauti said, 'The snake-sacrifice then commenced according to due form. And the sacrificial priests, competent in their respective duties according to the ordinance, clad in black garments and their eyes red from contact with smoke, poured clarified butter into the blazing fire, uttering the appropriate mantras. And causing the hearts of all the snakes to tremble with fear, they poured clarified butter into the mouth of Agni uttering the names of the snakes. And the snakes thereupon began to fall into the blazing fire, benumbed and piteously calling upon one another. And swollen and breathing hard, and twining each other with their heads and tails, they came in large numbers and fell into the fire. The white, the black, the blue, the old and the young--all fell alike into the fire, uttering various cries. Those measuring a krosa, and those measuring a yojana, and those of the measure of a gokarna, fell continuously with great violence into that first of all fires. And hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of snakes, deprived of all control over their limbs, perished on that occasion. And amongst those that perished, there were some that were like horses, other like trunks of elephants, and others of huge bodies and strength like maddened elephants Of various colours and virulent poison, terrible and looking like maces furnished with iron-spikes, of great strength, ever inclined to bite, the snakes, afflicted with their mother's curse, fell into the fire.'"

(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'The snake-sacrifice then commenced according to due form. And the sacrificial priests, competent in their respective duties according to the ordinance, clad in black garments and their eyes red from contact with smoke, poured clarified butter into the blazing fire, uttering the appropriate mantras. And causing the hearts of all the snakes to tremble with fear, they poured clarified butter into the mouth of Agni uttering the names of the snakes. And the snakes thereupon began to fall into the blazing fire, benumbed and piteously calling upon one another. And swollen and breathing hard, and twining each other with their heads and tails, they came in large numbers and fell into the fire. The white, the black, the blue, the old and the young--all fell alike into the fire, uttering various cries. Those measuring a krosa, and those measuring a yojana, and those of the measure of a gokarna, fell continuously with great violence into that first of all fires. And hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of snakes, deprived of all control over their limbs, perished on that occasion. And amongst those that perished, there were some that were like horses, other like trunks of elephants, and others of huge bodies and strength like maddened elephants Of various colours and virulent poison, terrible and looking like maces furnished with iron-spikes, of great strength, ever inclined to bite, the snakes, afflicted with their mother's curse, fell into the fire.'"

1.47.18

paridhāya kṛṣṇavāsāṃsi dhūmasaṃraktalocanāḥ |
juhuvurmantravaccaiva samiddhaṃ jātavedasam || 18 ||

1.47.19

kampayantaśca sarveṣāmuragāṇāṃ manāṃsi te |
sarpānājuhuvustatra sarvānagnimukhe tadā || 19 ||

1.47.20

tataḥ sarpāḥ samāpetuḥ pradīpte havyavāhane |
viveṣṭamānāḥ kṛpaṇā āhvayantaḥ parasparam || 20 ||

1.47.21

visphurantaḥ śvasantaśca veṣṭayantastathā pare |
pucchaiḥ śirobhiśca bhṛśaṃ citrabhānuṃ prapedire || 21 ||

1.47.22

śvetāḥ kṛṣṇāśca nīlāśca sthavirāḥ śiśavastathā |
ruvanto bhairavānnādānpeturdīpte vibhāvasau || 22 ||

1.47.23

evaṃ śatasahasrāṇi prayutānyarbudāni ca |
avaśāni vinaṣṭāni pannagānāṃ dvijottama || 23 ||

1.47.24

indurā iva tatrānye hastihastā ivāpare |
mattā iva ca mātaṅgā mahākāyā mahābalāḥ || 24 ||

1.47.25

uccāvacāśca bahavo nānāvarṇā viṣolbaṇāḥ |
ghorāśca parighaprakhyā dandaśūkā mahābalāḥ |
prapeturagnāvuragā mātṛvāgdaṇḍapīḍitāḥ || 25 ||