Nala Rescues Karkotaka from the Fire
Wandering alone after abandoning Damayanti, King Nala hears a voice crying for help from within a great forest fire. He enters the flames and finds the serpent king Karkotaka trapped by a curse — unable to move, waiting for rescue.
After Nala had abandoned Damayanti in the forest, he wandered alone. He came upon a great forest fire blazing through the wilderness. From the midst of the flames, he heard a voice crying out again and again: "Come here, Nala! Come here, Punyashloka!"
Nala answered: "Do not be afraid."
He entered the center of the fire.
There he saw the king of the snakes lying coiled, trembling. The serpent joined his hands in salutation and spoke. "O king! Know me to be a serpent named Karkotaka. I once captured an innocent brahmarshi (a sage of immense austerity), and he cursed me in his anger. Because of that curse, I cannot move even a step from this place. If you rescue me, I will teach you what will ensure your welfare. I will be your friend — there is no serpent who is my equal. I will become very light. Pick me up swiftly and leave."
The lord of the serpents shrank to the size of a thumb.
Nala grasped him and carried him out of the flames, into an open space free of the black-trailed fire. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 360