Story 4 - Story of Ved and his student Uttank

This is the story of Ayuddhaumya’s third student, Ved. Ved went on to become a Guru himself and he had a brilliant student, Uttank. This story is mainly about the task of Uttank and how he encouraged King Janmayjay to perform a Yajna to avenge his father's death, thus setting out the chain of events for the bitch's curse to unfold.

One day, Ayuddhaumya called his third student, Ved, and said, "Son, stay in my house for a few days. Serve us well and you will be blessed."

Ved agreed and spent a considerable time serving his Guru. Selflessly, he performed every task set out by his guru, even when Ayuddhaumya would load him like a beast of burden. However, he carried on with his duties, without a complaint.

Pleased with his service, Ayuddhaumya blessed him and set him free to move on with his life. Ved happily bade his teacher farewell and returned to his native town. He married and became a teacher.

Like his guru, Ved too had three favourite students, but he would never ask them for a test to prove their devotion like Ayuddhaumya. This is because he knew firsthand what hardships a student suffers when he is asked to prove his devotion to Guru and did not want to cause the same suffering to his students. So he gladly imparted knowledge to his students while serving as a priest to King Janmayjay and King Paushya.

Whenever Ved left his house for priestly duty, he would appoint one of his students as a caretaker. One day, he appointed his brilliant student, Uttank, to take care of the house while he was away. When he returned, he heard a lot of praise for Uttank’s decent behaviour.

Delighted with these reports, he called Uttank and said, “Son, you have served me with a lot of devotion and care. I am very pleased with you. May all your wishes come true. Now, you have my permission to leave the ashram and set out in the world.”
Uttank bowed to his guru and asked, “Sir, before I leave, I would like to present you with a gift. What do you desire?”
Ved refused but when Uttank persisted, he said, “All right, if you insist, then go and ask my wife.”
Uttank called on his Guru’s wife and repeated the request. She smiled and said, “I would like you to go to King Paushya’s kingdom and bring a pair of earrings from the queen. Four days from today, we have a banquet for Brahmins. I want to wear those earrings while serving food to them. If you can perform this task, then you will be successful, otherwise not.”

Uttank set out for King Paushya’s palace. On the way, he saw a tall man sitting on a bull. The man called out to Uttank and asked him to eat the bull’s dung. Uttank refused. The man encouraged, “Why do you hesitate? When I asked your Guru to eat it once, he readily ate it. Do not think much, eat it.” Uttank hurriedly ate the bull’s dung and went on his way. He washed his mouth while walking and reached the king’s palace.

He introduced himself to King Paushya who welcomed him. Uttank said, “Your highness! I have come to ask a favor from you.” When Paushya heard Uttank’s request, he sent him to his queen’s palace.

In the queen’s palace, however, Uttank could not see the queen anywhere. He searched for a while but when unsuccessful, he returned to the King and complained bitterly that the queen was missing. The King replied, “My lord! My queen is a pious woman. She cannot be seen by any indecent or unclean man.” When he heard this, Uttank remembered what happened during the way and narrated the incident to the king. The king said, “That is the reason you cannot see the queen. You ate on the way and did not wash your mouth or hands properly.”

Uttank was humbled by his carelessness. He sat down facing the east direction, washed his mouth and hands, sipped the holy water three times, and washed his mouth twice.

After performing these ablutions when he returned to the palace, he could see the beautiful queen. The queen greeted him, offered him refreshments, and asked how he fared. Uttank narrated his Guru’s wife’s request to the queen. The queen took off her earrings and handed them to Uttank with a warning, “Be very careful with them. Takshak, the king of serpents, also desires them. If you are not careful, he might just snatch them from you.”

Uttank thanked the king and the queen for their generosity and set out on his way back. On the way, he noticed a snake following him. Sometimes it would appear, and sometimes disappear. After a while when Uttank was thirsty, he put down the earrings to drink water. The snake was waiting for just that opportunity. It immediately snatched the earrings and disappeared. Uttank realized that the snake was none other than Takshak in disguise.

Furious with his sneaky behaviour, Uttank summoned Vajra, the weapon of Indra (the god of thunder and lightning). With Vajra’s help, he followed Takshak to the land of snakes. Scared of the power of Uttank, Takshak returned the earrings. Uttank returned at the right time to present them to his Guru’s wife and received her blessings. However, he could not forgive Takshak for his devious behaviour.

He bid farewell to his guru, came to Hastinapur, and sought an appointment with the king. During that time, King Janmayjay had just returned after a successful invasion over Takshilapur.

Uttank said to the king, “Your highness, it was Takshak who had killed your father by biting him. Your father’s life could be saved by a Brahmin called Kashyap. When Kashyap was coming to revive your father's life, Takshak tricked him into going back. You must take revenge of your father’s death from Takshak. To do so, you must perform a Yajna and burn the sinner snake into ashes. That soulless evil has also caused me a lot of grievance. If you perform the Yajna, then you can take avenge your father’s death and I will also be pleased.”