Dundubha narrates his curse and its condition to Ruru
Transformed into a snake by his friend’s curse, Dundubha meets the young Brahmin Ruru. He recounts the story of the prank and the conditional curse, revealing that Ruru himself is the prophesied liberator who can restore his original form.
The dundubha — a celestial being trapped in the form of a snake — addressed the young Brahmin Ruru. He began to explain his past, to provide a beneficial lesson.
He told Ruru of his old friend, the ascetic Khagama, and the foolish prank with the grass snake that had caused Khagama to faint during his fire ritual. He described Khagama’s angry curse: “You will yourself turn into a powerless snake.” He recounted his own desperate plea for forgiveness, and how Khagama, moved by his agitation, had declared the curse irreversible but had set a condition for its end.
“Hear what I have to say and hold it close to your heart,” Khagama had told him. “When Pramati’s son, the pure Ruru appears, you will be immediately freed from the curse on seeing him.”
The dundubha looked at the young man before him. “You are that Ruru, the son of Pramati.”
Having revealed this, and knowing his liberation was at hand, the dundubha prepared to impart his lesson. “Regaining my form, I will tell you something for your benefit.”
He spoke of dharma (righteous duty). “O best of beings! The righteous path is non-violence and that of not destroying life. Therefore, a Brahmin should never take the life of any living creature.” He explained that the sacred texts say a Brahmin should always be peaceful, learned in the Vedas and the Vedangas (auxiliary sciences), should make all creatures fearless, and should be non-violent, truthful, and forgiving. “The supreme duty of Brahmins is to retain the knowledge of the Vedas. The duty of the Kshatriyas is not meant for you.”
He drew a clear line: to hold up the rod of punishment, to rule over and protect subjects — these were the natural duties of Kshatriyas, the warrior class. For a Brahmin like Ruru, the path was different.
To illustrate the power of a Brahmin’s protection, he gave a final example from lore. “In days gone by, the snakes were destroyed in Janamejaya’s sacrifice. But the frightened snakes were saved by a Brahmin at the snake-sacrifice. O supreme among the Brahmins! This was Astika, chief among the Brahmins, powerful in his austerities, brave, strong and learned in the Vedas.”
The dundubha’s tale was complete. He had met the prophesied liberator, recounted the cause of his own suffering, and delivered his lesson on non-violence and the distinct dharma of a Brahmin.