The grateful snakes grant Astika a protective boon
The snakes, saved from extermination by their nephew Astika, are delirious with gratitude. They insist on granting him a boon. Astika asks not for wealth or power, but for a specific, enduring protection for anyone who remembers his story.
The snakes were free. The sacrificial fire that had been drawing them to their doom was extinguished, their king Takshaka saved from the air itself. The architect of their deliverance was Astika, the son of the sage Jaratkaru and the snake-woman Jaratkaru — their own nephew.
Delighted and relieved, the assembled snakes wished to express their gratitude in the only way such beings knew: by granting a boon. They surrounded Astika, their worries gone, and asked him repeatedly, “O learned one! O child! What is it that you desire? What can we do to please you? We are happy that we have now been freed by you. What boon can we grant you?”
Astika’s desire was not for himself. He thought of the future, of the fear his mother’s race could still inspire. He replied, “Let Brahmanas and other men, who read about this virtuous act of mine with a tranquil mind in the morning and evening, have no reason to fear you.”
The snakes agreed with cheerful hearts. They told their nephew, “It shall be exactly as you wish. We will happily do what you have asked us to do.” Then they expanded the boon, weaving his name and lineage into a permanent shield. “He who invokes the immensely famous and truthful Astika, born to Jaratkaru from Jaratkaru, will be protected from snakes. Those who remember Asita, Artimana and Sunitha” — his ancestors — “during the day or the night, will never face any danger from snakes.”
Having thus saved the snakes and secured their promise, Astika, the supreme Brahmin with dharma in his soul, lived out his life. He met his destiny at the appointed time, leaving behind many sons and grandsons. But he left behind something else: a name that became a charm, a story that, when told with a tranquil mind, would keep the listener safe.