Priests draw Takshaka from Indra's protection into the fire
The priests' mantras succeed too well: they draw not only the snake Takshaka from hiding, but the god Indra himself, who arrives with the snake concealed in his robes. A furious Janamejaya orders both god and snake hurled into the fire.
The mantras worked. Indra himself arrived at the sacrifice. The great god came in his celestial chariot, worshipped by all the gods surrounding him and followed by masses of clouds and large numbers of vidyadharas (celestial beings) and apsaras (celestial dancers). But the snake Takshaka was hidden inside Indra's garments.
Janamejaya, whose entire purpose was the destruction of Takshaka, saw this divine intervention not as an obstacle but as a provocation. He spoke angrily to his priests. "O Brahmanas! If Takshaka is in Indra's palace, hurl him into the fire with Indra himself."
The priests turned their power not against the god, but against the snake sheltering with him. "O king! Look. Takshaka is coming now and will soon be under your power. His terrible roars and fearful cries can be heard. The snake has been given up by the wielder of the vajra (Indra). He has fallen and his body has been disabled through our mantras."
Takshaka, deprived of his consciousness, was falling from the sky. His sharp sighs and deep breaths could be heard as he plummeted toward the sacrificial pit.
The priests declared the deed nearly done. "O lord of kings! Your deed is being properly performed. It is now proper for you to grant a boon to this best of Brahmanas."
Takshaka, the king of snakes, was about to fall into the sacrificial fire in a moment. It was at this precise instant that Janamejaya finally turned to Astika and offered him the boon he had promised long before.