Reading Notes: Pareekshit
Pareekshit is the King of Hastinapura. One day, he decides to go hunting where he stumbles upon the hut of a sage who has taken a vow of silence. When the sage doesn't speak to him, Pareekshit drops a dead snake on his shoulders! The sage's son decides to curse Pareekshit and claims that the snake Takshaka will kill him within a week. In order to avoid this, Pareekshit builds a palace at the top of a pillar that is surrounded by guards.
What Pareekshit doesn't know is that Takshaka can turn into a human form! Pareekshit sends for a brahman priest who has an antidote for Takshaka's poison, but Takshaka assumed his human form and sent the priest away.
Takshaka then took form as a worm and snuck into a fruit basket that was being brought to Pareekshit. Once he was alone with the king, he turned into his true form: a giant snake! He bites Pareekshit, causing him to die.
Pareekshit's son, Janamejaya, then becomes king. Janamejaya hates Takshaka and vows to kill every naga in the world. He calls for his priest to perform a snake sacrifice that will cause snakes to jump into the fire to die. One by one, snakes come to die. However, Takshaka is protected by Indra and is not called to the fire.
Eventually, Janamejaya decides to make peace and end the war against the nagas.
Bibliography: Pareekshit
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