Page:Tales from the Indian Epics.djvu/45

Rh After the Brahman priests had performed the last rites of the dead king, the ministers and the citizens of Hastinapura gathered together and placed on the vacant throne Parikshit's son Janamejaya the Bharata although he was then but a boy. For although young he was wise and learned beyond his years. And all knew that he would rule well and justly over the empire of the Bharatas.

As the years passed by the King, Janamejaya the Bharata, grew in stature and in wisdom. One day he called round him his ministers and bade them tell him the whole story of the death of his father King Parikshit. Now it so happened that just before Prince Takshaka spoke with the Brahman Kashyapa, a certain wood cutter had climbed into the banian tree in order to gather fuel. When the snake prince bit the tree, he perished with it. But when Kashyapa revived the tree, he brought back to life the wood cutter also. And after Prince Takshaka had killed King Parikshit, the wood cutter went to his ministers and told them all that he had seen and heard. Thus the ministers were able to relate the full tale of King Parikshit's death. After they had ended it, they blamed greatly the rishi Sringi. But King Janamejaya blamed Prince Takshaka the snake prince more. For, so the King said, if Prince Takshaka had not bribed Kashyapa to depart King Parikshit would have lived. And in this view Uttanka, the pupil of the rishi Veda, who had lately come to dwell at Hastinapura supported Janamejaya. For Uttanka hated Prince Takshaka because he had tried to steal from him the earrings of King Paushya's queen.

Many times King Janamejaya exclaimed aloud "I