Janamejaya Resolves to Avenge His Father's Death
After hearing the meticulous account of his father's murder, King Janamejaya is consumed by grief and rage. He declares his firm decision: no time will be lost in taking action against the snake Takshaka.
King Janamejaya listened to the full story from his ministers—the insult, the curse, the bribe, the bite. When they finished, he burned. Grief and anger twisted inside him. The lotus-eyed king wrung his hands. He heaved long, deep sighs, and tears streamed from his eyes.
Struck with deep grief, the lord of the earth spoke. “I have heard from you the account of my father’s ascent to heaven,” he said. “Now hear from me what my firm decision is.”
His voice was iron. “I think no time should be lost in taking action against the evil Takshaka, since he is the one who killed my father. That evil one alone burnt the king and made Shringi’s curse come true. If the evil one had gone, my father would surely have been alive.”
His mind fixed on the moment of intervention that failed. “What harm could have come to him had the king been revived through Kashyapa’s blessings and the precautions taken by his ministers? It was his delusion that made him prevent Kashyapa, supreme among Brahmanas, from reviving the invincible king.”
He named the transgression. “The transgression of the evil Takshaka is a great one. He gave riches to the Brahmana so that he might not revive the king.”
Then he stated his resolve, binding his personal duty to the expectations of his people. “My father must be avenged, to bring great pleasure to me, Utanka and all of you.”
The decision was made. The king’s grief had crystallized into a single, unwavering purpose: revenge against Takshaka. This resolution would set in motion a great and terrible event—the snake sacrifice, the Sarpa Satra—designed to destroy Takshaka and his kind.