Takshaka intercepts the healer Kashyapa on the road
On the seventh day, the healer Kashyapa sets out to save the cursed king, seeking wealth and virtue. On the road, he is met by Takshaka in disguise, who reveals himself and claims his bite is incurable. Kashyapa asserts his power to heal, setting the stage for a confrontation.
When the seventh day arrived, the Brahmana Kashyapa — supreme among healers — set out with a clear intention. He had heard what had happened: that Takshaka, king of snakes, would send Parikshit to Yama’s abode. Kashyapa possessed the knowledge to treat such a bite. He thought, “I will cure the king of his fever when he has been bitten by the best of snakes. Through this, I will gain wealth and virtue.”
Takshaka, the agent of the curse, saw Kashyapa on the road, single-minded in his desire. To intercept him, the serpent king took on the disguise of an old Brahmana and appeared before him.
“Where are you going so swiftly?” the old man asked. “What is the act you wish to accomplish?”
Kashyapa replied plainly. “Today, Takshaka, the best of the snakes, will use his energy to set on fire the invincible King Parikshit of the Kuru lineage. O amiable one, the king of snakes is as powerful as Agni in his energy. I am rushing there today to cure the fever of the king of unlimited energy, who was born in Pandu’s illustrious lineage.”
The disguise fell away. “O Brahmana,” said the old man. “I am that Takshaka, who will set the ruler of the earth on fire. Turn back. You cannot cure someone who has been bitten by me.”
Kashyapa did not flinch. He had come this far on the strength of his knowledge. “O snake, I will go to the king and cure him of his fever when you have bitten him. That I know. I have the power of intelligence and knowledge.”
The challenge was laid in the dust of the road between them: the destructive power of the serpent king against the restorative knowledge of the healer. The outcome of their contest hung in the balance.