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UTANKA AND THE TAKSHAKA--1

 As he was walking back, Utanka came across a nude beggar.The beggar too walked along,but to his utter dismay Utanka found that the beggar  vanished suddenly from his view.He reappeared after a moment. Utanka spotted a lake by the side of the road, and decided to have a bath. He kept those pair of ear-rings on the ground and went for the water.The beggar appeared suddenly and ran away with the pair .Utanka chased him and overpowered the thief soon.
The beggar soon metamorphosed into Takshaka or the serpent  and entered into a large hole that appeared out of the blue in the earth. He  proceeded to his own abode, the region of the serpents. Utanka tried to dig in the hole to get hold of the serpent. But he was unable to make much progress. Indra took pity on him and sent Vajra-thunderbolt to his assistance. Thunderbolt struck and the hole was enlarged.Utanka entered through the hole and reached the land of the serpents or the Nagaloka underneath the surface of the earth.
Oh! What a glorious place it was!Hundreds of palaces, elegant mansions and entertainment parks were strewn all around. Utanka tried to appease the serpents with glorifying verses to get the ring back. But his efforts went futile. He took a closer look around. He beheld two women weaving a piece of cloth on a loom with black and white coloured threads. Simultaneously he witnessed a wheel with twelve spokes,turned by six boys.There was also a handsome man with a horse. Utanka eulogized everything that he saw for he was desparate to get back the ring. The man was pleased with his veneration. He asked Utanka,’’My dear child, how can I help you’’?  He answered,’’I want to bring the serpents under my control.’’The man asked Utanka to blow into that horse.And as he did there emanated terrible fire and smoke from every aperture of the beast’s body. The flames consumed every cranny of the Nagaloka. Terrified,Takshaka hastily came out of his abode with those earrings in his hand.He immediately handed them over to Utanka.
But Utanka was anxious to reach the hermitage of his guru soon. It was the auspicious day when his preceptress was supposed to attend the ceremony where she wished to deck herself with those rings.The man with the horse sensed his anxiety.He said,’’Ride this horse,Utanka,and he will take you wherever you desire within a moment.’’
Veda’s wife,that is Utanka’s preceptress was getting ready for the ceremony.She was about to curse Utanka as the boy wasn’t still able to reach there.At that moment he arrived and handed her over those rings. She was extremely pleased and blessed him with her heart.
 Utanka then met his master and narrated him the happenings.The guru said,’’The ladies that you had met in Nagaloka were Dhata and Vidhata, the  black and white threads denote night and day,the twelve spokes of the wheel signify the twelve months and the six boys  the six seasons of the year.The handsome man that you had met was Indra and the horse Agni.The bull that you had encountered on your way was Airavat and the man surmounting the bull was Indra himself.The excreta that you had consumed was Amrita.It was because of this Amrita you could avert death in the terrifying crevices of the  Nagaloka.Indra  my friend has kept an eye on you throughout your journey.’’’’My dearest,’’ Veda continued,’’I grant you leave now.Please depart to your own abode.’’   

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