Sampoorna Mahabharata • సంపూర్ణ శ్రీమహాభారతము • Episode 11

Utanka’s story
Utanka asked the king to reverse his curse. The king said, ‘In Brahmins, words are sharp but mind melts like butter. In us, kshatriyas words are sweet but mind is hard. As my anger has not abated I cannot reverse the curse’.
Utanka said, ‘You cursed believing I had attributed impurity to clean food. Now it is proven that the food was unclean. Hence, curse uttered then cannot harm me now’.
Saying this he left. On his way he could occasionally sense a naked beggar following him. Deciding to refresh himself he stepped into a pond keeping the earrings down. Suddenly that naked beggar escaped with the earrings.
Utanka chased and caught him. But the beggar transformed into a snake and slipped into a hole. Picking a stick Utanka began to hit that hole. In the process of digging he was fatigued, but didn’t stop. Pitying him, Indra energized that stick with power of his thunderbolt. This time when Utanka hit forcefully, he found himself in nagaloka.
He prayed, ‘O Vasuki and other serpent kings! I bow to you. I pray to Takshaka who previously lived in Kurukshetra and Khandava. Along with his companion Aśvasena, he resided on banks of Ikśumati near Kurukshetra’.
(Note: Swamiji says the mantra chanted now frees the person from fear of snakes).
When the serpents did not respond to his prayer Utanka was dejected. Suddenly he saw 2 women weaving a cloth using black-white threads; 6 boys rotating a wheel having 12 leaves and a celestial was seated on a fine horse. He was astonished. He prayed fervently to the celestial.
Pleased with his prayers, the celestial asked, ‘What do you seek?’ Utanka sought control over the serpent-world. ‘Then blow into the horse’s anus’- he said.
The moment Utanka blew, from all the holes in its body fiery fumes emerged and enveloped the entire nagaloka. The snakes felt as if the fire of annihilation was about to devour them. Unable to tolerate the heat, they trembled. Understanding this to be Utanka’s anger, Takshaka hastily handed over the rings to Utanka. The flames then died down.
Utanka thought, ‘By today I have to offer earrings to my Guru’s wife. I am still far from home. I have failed’.
Understanding his dejection the celestial said, ‘Sit on this horse. Within a second you will reach your destination’.
Utanka returned to the ashram. His Guru’s wife was thrilled seeing the earrings. She showered plentiful blessings upon him. Guru Veda asked, ‘What took you so long to return from Poushya’s kingdom?’
Utanka narrated everything and then asked, ‘Who was the celestial on the bull? Why did he make me eat dung? What was the horse doing in nagaloka? Who were those women, man and boys? What was the cloth being woven by them?’
Veda replied, ‘The bull was Airavata; the man was my friend Indra; the dung was nectar and it saved you from danger in nagaloka. The women were Dhata-Vidhata. Black-white threads symbolize night and day. The wheel is the year; its 12 leaves are the 12 months. The 6 boys are the 6 seasons. Horse was Fire-god. The man seated on it was God of clouds.
Out of love, Indra has blessed you. His grace alone helped you retrieve the earrings. Your Guru-bhakti alone has made you so great. You have now freed yourself from Guru runa. Now get married and live happily. Upanishads say that by offering Guru-dakshina the lineage prospers’.
This story reveals Guru’s love for disciple and disciple’s bhakti for Guru. Pleased that Utanka was treading dharmic path, Indra helped him at every step. Dharma alone blesses one with nectar. Devatas always help those who tread dharma path.
Utanka now remembered the harm done by Takshaka. Seeking revenge he went to Hastinapura and said to Janmejaya, ‘Your father Parikshit was a righteous king. But serpent Takshaka killed him by biting him. When Brahmin Kashyapa tried saving your father, Takshaka tricked him too. Takshaka had also harmed me now. To harm others is his nature. You must avenge your father’s death by conducting a sarpa yaga and killing him’.
Just as an evil person destroys the entire family, Utanka wanted to destroy the entire snake species because of Takshaka.
Upon knowing the cause of his father’s death, Janmejaya was hurt. He wanted revenge.