Mahabharata - Jaratkaru and birth of Astika

Jaratkaru and birth of Astika

Once upon a time there was a great sage called Jaratkaru belonging to the race of Yayavaras, who practised severemost austerities. He ate sparingly, lived on air, had no fixed place to stay and renounced even sleep. He used to roam around in diverse places. One day he came across a bunch of sages who were sinking low into a hole below. When Jaratkaru asked them the reason for this downfall, they replied that they had a lone descendent named Jaratkaru who did not marry and did not have any offspring. Therefore being his ancestors and being deprived of the Pinda (food offering) and Udaka (water) which are due to the ancestors, they were sinking lower and lower and had no means of salvation unless Jaratkaru bore an offspring.  Jaratkaru then told them of his true identity. He was full of pity for his ancestors and told them that although he had practised life long ascetism and celibacy, he was ready to marry solely for the sake of helping his ancestors get the desired place in the heaven. However he would marry only such a lady who would be given away to him even knowing his condition of poverty and whose name would be same as that of him, viz. Jaratkaru.

One day while roaming he came to a forest and there when he was praying for the redemption of his ancestors, the king of the nagas (serpents) Vasuki heard him and offered his sister in marriage to him. Jaratkaru, remembering his vow, asked Vasuki the name of his sister and the latter replied that her name was Jaratkaru. So sage Jaratkaru gladly agreed to marry Vasuki's sister for the sake of liberation of his ancestors.

Vasuki had actually planned this marriage in order to save the nagas from being destroyed in the great sacrifice of Janamejaya. He was advised by none other than Lord Brahma to take this course of action in order to faciliate the birth of great Astika, who would prevent the annihilation of the nagas by stopping the sacrifice of Janamejaya. The destruction of the nagas was rooted in the curse given by Kadru, the wife of sage Kashyapa to her children, the nagas, who refused to do her bidding. Also this was ordained by the Gods as, in the language of Brahma, the nagas had become too cruel and too powerful and had to be destroyed. However when Vasuki and Airavata, the great naga chiefs, on hearing about this curse, were worried about the fate of the nagas, they were told by grandsire Brahma that Vasuki should give his sister in marriage to the sage Jaratkaru, from whom would be born a son named Astika. With him would lie the future of the nagas. In Janamejaya's sacrifice only the wicked and cruel nagas would be destroyed, but the virtuous ones would survive on account of Astika's intelligence and presence of mind. Vasuki had therefore asked all his naga men to look for Jaratkaru and whenever he was ready to matty he would approah him. One day, while Jaratkaru had loudly solicited a wife from all creatures, as per his promise to his ancestors, Vasuki, approched him with his sister. Jaratkaru however told him of his promises, that his wife had to be of the same name as him and that he would not maintain her. Vasuki assured him that his sister's name was also Jaratkaru and that he would continue maintaining her. Therefore Jaratkaru married her. He imposed a condition on her that nothing should be said or done against his wish or liking. The poor woman agreed to this and they began to live in Vasuki's house. She began to serve him with extreme faithfulness, always alert and ever awake to take care of all his needs.

One day while Jaratkaru was sleeping his wife observed that the sun was about to set and yet the great sage did not wake up to perform the evening duties due for a Brahmin, called Sandhya. She had a dilemma as Jaratkaru had warned her against waking him up and yet unless she woke him up, he would incur sin of omission of duty. After pondering for sometime she decided to wake him up. The sage, on waking up was full of wrath and told her that since she had acted against his wish, he would leave her at once. Jaratkaru further said that the sun had no power to set when he was asleep owing to his great ascetism and merit. He however blessed his wife to have a son of great learning and went his way for further ascetism.

After Jaratkaru left her, his wife reported it to Vasuki. In due course of time she gave birth to a son. He grew up in the house of his maternal uncle and studied the Vedas under sage Chyavana, the son of great sage Bhrigu. He was very intelligent and wise and was named as Astika (from Asti - one that exists or that is). He soon picked up all the scriptures and became vastly erudite.