Page:Tales from the Indian Epics.djvu/37

Rh they sat in council together. For they had set free Queen Vinata and her son Garuda without receiving their price, and Queen Kadru had never taken from them her fearful curse that they would all be consumed in the snake sacrifice of king Janamejaya the Bharata. Some snakes said, "Let us bite all men and beasts to death" other snakes said, "Let us hinder the worship of the gods so that they may be forced to stay our mother's curse"; yet other snakes said, "Let us find king Janamejaya the Bharata and kill him." But Vasuki, the chief of the snake people, said sadly, "My brothers, this will in no way help us, for no one can escape a mother's curse." Then a serpent named Elapatra, spoke, "O Vasuki," he said, "when our mother Queen Kadru cursed us, I lay trembling on her lap and then I heard the immortals speaking with Brahmadeva the father of them all. The Immortals asked Brahmadeva why he allowed Queen Kadru to curse her sons. Brahmadeva answered, "The snake people have multiplied exceedingly and they will destroy the world if they themselves are not destroyed. Many of them will therefore be consumed in the fire of Janamejaya's sacrifice. But they will not all perish. For a rishi named Jaratkaru will wed Jaratkaru the sister of Vasuki the snake king. She will bear her husband a son named Astika, who will save the snake people from entire destruction."

When king Vasuki heard the words of the snake Elapatra he dismissed his brothers. And from that day he devoted himself to the service of his sister Jaratkaru in order that she might find favour in the eyes of the great rishi and so save the snake people from entire destruction.

But the rishi Jaratkaru had by his asceticism over-