Chapter 36

“Saunaka said, ‘O child, thou hast named many of the serpents gifted withgreat energy and incapable of being easily overcome. What did they doafter hearing of that curse?’

“Sauti said, ‘The illustrious Sesha amongst them, of great renown,leaving his mother practised hard penances, living upon air and rigidlyobserving his vows. He practised these ascetic devotions, repairing toGandhamadana, Vadri, Gokarna, the woods of Pushkara, and the foot ofHimavat. And he passed his days in those sacred regions, some of whichwere sacred for their water and others for their soil in the rigidobservance of his vows, with singleness of aim, and his passions undercomplete control. And the Grandsire of all, Brahma, saw that ascetic withknotted hair, clad in rags, and his flesh, skin, and sinews dried upowing to the hard penances he was practising. And the Grandsireaddressing him, that penance-practising one of great fortitude, said,’What is that thorn doest, O Sesha? Let the welfare of the creatures ofthe worlds also engage thy thoughts. O sinless one, thou art afflictingall creatures by thy hard penances. O Sesha, tell me the desire implantedin thy breast.’

“And Sesha replied, ‘My uterine brothers are all of wicked hearts. I donot desire to live amongst them. Let this be sanctioned by thee. Likeenemies they are always jealous of one another. I am, therefore, engagedin ascetic devotions. I will not see them even. They never show anykindness for Vinata and her son. Indeed, Vinata’s son capable of rangingthrough the skies, is another brother of ours. They always envy him. Andhe, too, is much stronger owing to the bestowal of that boon by ourfather, the high-souled Kasyapa. For these, I engaged in asceticpenances, and I will cast off this body of mine, so that I may avoidcompanionship with them, even in another state of life.’

“Unto Sesha who had said so, the Grandsire said, ‘O Sesha, I know thebehaviour of all thy brothers and their great danger owing to theiroffence against their mother. But O Snake, a remedy (for this) hath beenprovided by me even beforehand. It behoveth thee not to grieve for thybrothers. O Sesha, ask of me the boon thou desirest. I have been highlygratified with thee and I will grant thee today a boon. O best of snakes,it is fortunate that thy heart hath been set on virtue. Let thy heart bemore and more firmly set on virtue.’

“Then Sesha replied, ‘O divine Grandsire, this is the boon desired by me;viz., may my heart always delight in virtue and in blessed asceticpenances, O Lord of all!’

“Brahman said, ‘O Sesha, I am exceedingly gratified with this thyself-denial and love of peace. But, at my command, let this act be doneby thee for the good of my creatures. Bear thou, O Sesha, properly andwell this Earth so unsteady with her mountains and forests, her seas andtowns and retreats, so that she may be steady.’

“Sesha said, ‘O divine Lord of all creatures, O bestower of boons, O lordof the Earth, lord of every created thing, lord of the universe, I will,even as thou sayest hold the Earth steady. Therefore, O lord of allcreatures, place her on my head.’

“Brahman said, ‘O best of snakes, go underneath the Earth. She willherself give thee a crevice to pass through. And, O Sesha, by holding theEarth, thou shalt certainly do what is prized by me very greatly.’

“Sauti continued, ‘Then the elder brother of the king of the snakes,entering a hole, passed to the other side of the Earth, and holding her,supported with his head that goddess with her belt of seas passing allround.’

“Brahman said, ‘O Sesha, O best of snakes, thou art the god Dharma,because alone, with thy huge body, thou supportest the Earth witheverything on her, even as I myself, or Valavit (Indra), can.’

“Sauti continued, ‘The snake, Sesha, the lord Ananta, of great prowess,lives underneath the Earth, alone supporting the world at the command ofBrahman. And the illustrious Grandsire, the best of the immortals, thengave unto Ananta the bird of fair feathers, viz., the son of Vinata, forAnanta’s help.'”

So ends the thirty-sixth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.