Takshaka tests Kashyapa's power to counter his poison
Takshaka intercepts the sage Kashyapa, who is on his way to cure the poisoned king. To prove the journey is pointless, Takshaka incinerates a fig tree with his venom and challenges the sage to revive it.
The sage Kashyapa was a master of healing mantras, capable of countering even the deadliest poisons. When he heard King Janamejaya was marked for death by Takshaka's bite, he set out for Hastinapura, hoping to cure the king and earn a reward.
Takshaka intercepted him on the road. The snake-king had no intention of letting a cure reach his target. "O Kashyapa!" he said. "If you can cure any creature that has been bitten by me, prove it. Revive this tree once I have bitten it. I will set this fig tree on fire before your very eyes. Try your best and show me the power of the mantras you have spoken of."
Kashyapa accepted the challenge. "O king of snakes! If that is what you wish, bite the tree. I shall revive it once it has been bitten by you."
Takshaka went to the fig tree and bit it. The tree instantly absorbed the terrible poison and flared up, burning until it was completely reduced to ashes. Takshaka turned back to the sage. "O best of the Brahmanas! Try your best and give life to this lord of the forest."
Kashyapa picked up the heap of ashes. "O king of snakes! Today you will witness the power of my knowledge. I will revive this lord of the forest in your very presence."
The illustrious sage began to chant. Through the power of his learning, he regenerated the tree from nothing. First, a sapling pushed up from the ashes. Then two leaves unfurled. Then twigs and branches formed, until the entire tree stood whole again, as if it had never been touched.
Seeing this, Takshaka was impressed, but his purpose was unchanged. "O Brahmana! It is wonderful that you can destroy my poison. But why are you going to the king? I will give you whatever riches you hope to gain from him. Your success is uncertain because that king has been afflicted by a Brahmana's curse. His life has been shortened. Your famous reputation will disappear if you fail, like the sun robbed of its splendour."
Kashyapa replied plainly: "O snake! I am going there for riches. Give them to me, and I will return home."
Takshaka agreed. "I will today give you more riches than you hope to get from the king. Therefore, return." The sage Kashyapa, having heard this offer, meditated on the king's fate for a moment, accepted Takshaka's wealth, and turned back.