Vasuki Plans the Marriage of Jaratkaru to Avert the Curse
The snakes have a prophecy: a marriage can save them from a terrible sacrifice. After aiding the gods in churning the ocean, Vasuki, the serpent king, seeks Brahma's counsel to make it happen. Brahma confirms the plan and sets the wheels in motion.
The snakes had been living under a shadow — a mother’s curse that promised their destruction in a snake sacrifice. Then they heard the words of the snake Elapatra, who had overheard a prophecy from the gods themselves: there was a way out. A marriage could avert the doom. The king of the snakes, Vasuki, had a sister named Jaratkaru. If she were married to a sage who also bore the name Jaratkaru, their son would be the instrument of salvation. Hearing this, the snakes were delighted. Vasuki, relieved, began to take great care of his sister, waiting for the time to act.
Not long after, the gods and the asuras (demons) undertook the great churning of the ocean. Vasuki, the strongest of the strong, served as the living rope wound around Mount Mandara, his immense body pulled back and forth to stir the depths. When the work was done and the treasures, including the nectar of immortality, had been retrieved, Vasuki went with the gods to see Brahma, the grandfather of the universe.
Before Brahma, the gods spoke on Vasuki’s behalf. “O illustrious lord,” they said. “Vasuki suffers because of the fear of the curse. He desires the welfare of his relatives, but the spike from his mother’s curse pierces his heart. Please draw it out. The king of the snakes always does that which is pleasing to us and is our benefactor. O lord of the gods! Please grant him a favour and pacify the fever in his mind.”
Brahma replied, “O immortal ones, I have myself mentally thought about what you have said. It was I who earlier inspired the snake Elapatra to utter those words. The time has now come. Let the king of the snakes carry them out.” He confirmed the prophecy’s core: only the wicked snakes would be destroyed, not those who followed the path of dharma (righteousness). Then he gave the crucial instruction. “The Brahmana Jaratkaru has been born and is engaged in austerities. At the appropriate time,” Brahma said, referring to Vasuki, “let him give away his sister Jaratkaru. O gods! What the snake Elapatra proposed for the welfare of the snakes is true. It cannot be otherwise.”
With Brahma’s command, the plan moved from prophecy to action. Vasuki returned and appointed a large number of snakes for a single, continuous duty: to watch the ascetic Jaratkaru. He gave them clear orders. “When Lord Jaratkaru exhibits the desire for a wife,” Vasuki instructed, “come immediately and inform me. Our future welfare depends on this.” The watch began. The fate of the snakes now hinged on the marital inclinations of a solitary sage.