Chapter 10 - On the death of king Parīkṣit

1-3. Sūta said :-- “O Ṛṣis! On that very day when the Brāhmin Kaśyapa went out of his house, Takṣak, knowing the king Parīkṣit cursed, assumed an aged Brāhmin’s form and went out of his abode.

The serpent Takṣak met the Brāhmin Kaśyapa on the way. Seeing the Brāhmaṇa, versed in the Mantras, Takṣak asked him “Where are you going so in haste, and what for are you taking this trouble?”

4-17. Thus questioned, Kaśyapa replied :-- I heard that the serpent Takṣak will bite the king Parīkṣit; therefore I am going in haste to the king Parīkṣit to cure him of the serpent’s poison. I know the mantra (mystic verse) that can destroy the effect of poison. If his life-period is not exhausted, I will certainly give him back his life. Takṣak then.

Said :-- “O Brāhmaṇa! I am that Takṣak; I will bite him and take away his life. So you better desist. Will you be able to treat him whom I bite; certainly you will not.”

Kaśyapa said :-- “O chief of snakes! When you will bite the king who has been cursed by the Brāhmaṇ, I will no doubt make him alive by the power of my mantra.”

Takṣak said :-- “O chief of Brāhmaṇas! If you have so thought that you will make the king alive after I bite him, then shew me your strength before hand. O sinless one! I will bite this Nyagrodha tree (the Indian fig-tree); just now make it alive.”

Kaśyapa said :-- “Certainly I will make this tree alive, that will be burnt away by the venom of your teeth.”

Sūta said :-- “The snake Takṣak then bit the tree, which was reduced to ashes; and asked Kaśyapa to bring back that tree to life.”

Seeing the tree reduced to ashes by the fire of venom of the snake, he collected all the ashes and said :-- “O highly venomous serpent. See to-day the power of my mantra. Behold! While you are witnessing, I will enliven this tree. Thus the great mantra-knower Kaśyapa took water in his hand, and impregnating it with his mantra power, sprinkled the water on the ashes. Immediately, on the sprinkling of the mantra saturated water, the Nyagrodha tree got back its life as before.

Takṣak became greatly astonished to see the tree enlivened again and said to Kaśyapa :-- “O chief of Brāhmaṇs! What is your object in taking so much pains? Speak out what you want and I will fulfil your desires.”

Kaśyapa said :-- “O chief of serpents! Knowing the king cursed, I am going to do good to him by my knowledge and to get in return abundant wealth.”

Hearing this, Takṣak said :-- “I will give you the amount of wealth that you desire; take that and go back to your house, and let my desire be also fulfilled.”

18-26. Kaśyapa, the knower of the highest state, heard Takṣaka’s words and pondered in his mind again and again. “What is to be done now? If I take this wealth and go back to my house, my name and fame will not be known in this world, simply for my greed; but if the king be made alive again, my undying fame, abundant wealth, and greater

Puṇyam will accrue to me. Again fie to that wealth with which there is no fame; so one must try one’s best to preserve one’s fame. The king Raghu, in ancient days, gave away everything of his to the Brāhmaṇas for fame; the king Haṛṣcandra and Karṇa did not hesitate a bit to give away endless property. There is one point again to take into account, how can I trifle away the matter, seeing the king burnt up by the venomous fire?

If I can bring back the king’s life, everyone will become happy. If the kingdom be without its king, the subjects will, no doubt, be ruined. So, following the king’s death, sin will also iñcur on me due to the ruin of the subjects; and infamy will come on my head that I am a very greedy man.” Thus meditating in his mind, the highly intelligent Kaśyapa began to meditate, and plunged himself in Dhyān; he thereby came to know that the king’s life period was spent up. Thus knowing the king’s death imminent, the virtuous Kaśyapa took the desired wealth from Takṣak and returned home.

27-48. Thus making Kaśyapa to retire to his house on the seventh day Takṣak went on to Hastināpur to bring death and destruction on to Parīksit. When he went close to the city, he heard that the king Parīksit was staying on the upper story of the palace; and the palace had been preserved by various gems, mantras, herbs and plant. Takṣak became very anxious; and fearing, lest the curse of the Brāhmaṇas, will fall on his head, became very much agitated and thought. “How shall I now enter the palace? How can I cheat this stupid hypocrite vicious king, cursed by the Brāhmaṇa, who causes troubles to the Brāhmaṇas. Not a single man has taken birth in the Paṇḍava family ever since that he coiled a dead serpent round the neck of an ascetic Brāhmin. The king has committed a very heinous crime and knowing the course of time to be in fallible, has placed sentries on all sides of the palace and has ascended to the top-most story of the building, thinking thereby to deceive Death and is staying in a peaceful mind. How can then he be smitten, in accordance with the Brāhmaṇa’s word? The king, of dull intellect, knows not that death cannot be prevented; for that reason he has placed guards and sentinels round the building, and himself has got up the house and is happily whiling away his time; but he is quite ignorant that when Fate who can never be violated, ordains the death, how can it be prevented though thousands of attempts are made to thwart it? This scion  of Paṇdu family knows that his death is at hand and yet wants to live and therefore is staying in his own place with a tranquil mind. The king ought now to make charities and other meritorious works; it is only by acts of Dharma that disease is destroyed and life is prolonged.

And if that be not the object then a dying man ought to take bath, to make charities and to await his time of death; he thereby attains heaven; otherwise hell is inevitable. The king committed great sin in the act of causing pains and trouble to the Brāhmin or other similar acts and therefore death is so close that the Brāhmin curse has fallen thus on his head. Is there no such Brāhmin who can make him understand this; or the Creator has ordained his death now as inevitable.” Thus meditating, the chief serpent made other serpents following him assume then form of ascetic Brāhmaṇas and gave them roots and fruits to be taken to the king. The serpent Takṣak himself entered within the fruits in the form of an insect. Then the ascetic serpents took the fruits and quickly went out of the place. They came to the palace where Parīksit was resting.

Seeing them, the guards asked :-- “What for have you come here?” Hearing this, “We are coming from the hermitage to prolong the life of the hero king, the son of Abhimanyu and the son of the Pāṇḍava family, by chanting the mantras of the Atharvavedas, and we want to have an interview with the king; now you better go and inform the king that some Munis have come to see you. We will sprinkle water on him and give him some sweet fruits and then depart. We have never come across such gatekeepers in the family of Bharat as disallow the ascetic Muni visitors to go and see the king. We will ascend to the place where the Parīksit is staying and we will bless him, and wish him long life; we will communicate to him our orders and then depart to our own places.”

49-68. Sūtā said :-- Hearing these words, the sentinels spoke as previously ordered by the king, as follows :-- “O Brāhmaṇas! We think verily you won’t be able to have an interview with the king to-day; you, all ascetics can come to-morrow to this palace. O Munis! Owing to the Brāhmaṇa’s curse, the king has built this place; then it follows, as a matter of course, that the Brāhmaṇas are not allowed to get up to the palace.”

Then the serpents, in the form of the Brāhmaṇas, spoke :-- “O good sentinels! Then take these roots and fruits and offer them to the king and communicate to him our blessings.”

The sentinels went to the king, and informed him of the arrival of the ascetic Brāhmaṇas.

The king replied :-- “Bring here the roots and fruits offered by them and ask what for they have come. Give them my pranāms; to-day I cannot meet with them; let them come to-morrow morning.” The sentinels went to the ascetics and got from them their roots and fruits and offered them with great respect to the king. When the serpents in the guise of the hypocrite Brāhmins went away, the king took those fruits and spoke to his ministers :- “Take these fruits and let all my friends eat them. I will take only this one fruit given by the Brāhmaṇas and will eat it.” Saying this, the Uttarā’s son Parīksit gave away fruits to the friends and took one ripe fruit for himself, broke it and saw within it a very fine copper-coloured black eyed insect.

At this the ministers were astonished; the King spoke to them :-- “The sun has set; so there is no further chance of any fear from any poison to-day. I speak then to-day, fearing the Brāhmaṇ’s curse, let this insect bite me.” Thus saying the king took that insect and placed it on his neck. That Takṣak in the form of an insect, when placed, during the sun-set, on the neck by the king, immediately assumed the form of the terrible Kāla (Death), coiled round the king and beat him. The Ministers were greatly surprised and began to weep and cry with great pain and sorrow. Seeing that terrible serpent, the ministers, overwhelmed with terror, fled away on all sides. The guards cried out loudly. The terrible out-cry was raised on all sides. Then Uttarā’s son, the king Parīksit, coiled by the serpent, saw that all his efforts were rendered fruitless, and remained silent and held fast to his patience. From the mouth of the serpent Takṣak the terrible venomous flames came out burning all and immediately killed the king. Thus taking away the life of the king, Takṣak went up in the celestial atmosphere; the people then saw that the serpent was ready as if to burn the world. The king fell down lifeless like a burnt tree; and all the persons cried out seeing the king dead.

Thus ends the tenth Chapter of the Second Skandha on the death of the king Parīksit in the Mahāpurāṇam Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses.

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Dharma, King Parikshit, Undying fame, Great virtue, Seventh day, Heaven and hell, Great sin, Fate and destiny, Chanting the mantra, Brahmana's curse, Ascetic Brahmana, Nyagrodha tree, Curse of the Brahmana, Abundant wealth, Hastinapur, Fame and infamy, Fruit and roots, Mental meditation, Kala (Death), Meritorious work, Roots and fruit, Infernal curse, Immortal fame.