Chapter 39

“Sauti said, ‘O best of regenerate ones, hearing these words of Elapatra,all the serpents, in great delight, exclaimed, ‘Well said, well said!’And from that time Vasuki set about carefully bringing up that maiden,viz., his sister Jaratkaru. And he took great delight in rearing her.

“And much time did not elapse from this, when the gods and the Asuras,assembling together, churned the abode of Varuna. And Vasuki, theforemost of all gifted with strength, became the churning-cord. Anddirectly the work was over, the king of the snakes presented himselfbefore the Grandsire. And the gods, accompanied by Vasuki, addressed theGrandsire, saying, ‘O lord, Vasuki is suffering great affliction fromfear of (his mother’s curse). It behoveth thee to root out the sorrow,begotten of the curse of his mother, that hath pierced the heart ofVasuki desirous of the weal of his race. The king of the snakes is everour friend and benefactor. O Lord of the gods, be gracious unto him andassuage his mind’s fever.’

“Brahman replied, ‘O ye immortals, I have thought, in my mind, of what yehave said. Let the king of the snakes do that which hath beencommunicated to him before by Elapatra. The time hath arrived. Those onlyshall be destroyed that are wicked, not those that are virtuous.Jaratkaru hath been born, and that Brahmana is engaged in hard asceticpenances. Let Vasuki, at the proper time, bestow on him his sister. Yegods, what hath been spoken by the snake Elapatra for the weal of thesnakes is true and not otherwise.’

“Sauti continued, ‘Then the king of the snakes, Vasuki, afflicted withthe curse of his mother, hearing these words of the Grandsire, andintending to bestow his sister of the Rishi Jaratkaru, commanded all theserpents, a large numbers of whom were ever attentive to their duties, towatch the Rishi Jaratkaru, saying, ‘When the lord Jaratkaru will ask fora wife, come immediately and inform me of it. The weal of our racedepends upon it.'”