Bribery in MBH

Bribery is not a new phenomenon today. It was present in the Mahaabhaarat times also. This story of bribery comes in Mahaabhaarat.

Prelude
Pareekshit was the descendant of Paandav - son of Abhimanyu. Once he went to forest for hunting. There he got separated from his retinue and felt thirsty. He came to a sage's Aashram. There a sage was sitting in meditation. The King was so much thirsty that he could not make out that the sage was in meditation. He asked him some water to drink. Being in meditation the sage could not know that somebody was in his Aashram, so he kept quiet. The King thought that the sage was insulting him. He got angry and in anger he picked a dead snake lying nearby from his bow's corner and put it in the sage's neck and came back. This sage was Shameek Rishi. Now Shameek Rishhi's son Shringee Rishi was also very powerful. he was playing outside. One of his friends told him that the king has put a dead snake around your father's neck. Hearing this Shringee got very angry. He immediately cursed the King - "You will die of Takshak Naag bite on the 7th day from today."

Story of the Bribe by Takshak
Although there are two versions of this story further than this - one is from Bhaagvat Puraan and another from Mahaabhaarat, but here we will take the MBH version. When Pareekshit heard this he built a safe building and started living in that building so that Takshak cannot enter that building. A Braahman named Kashyap also heard this that Takshak was going to bite Pareekshit. He was a very good Vaidya and he knew the antidote of Takshak's bite, so with the desire of getting good money from the King he set off to save the King from Takshak's bite. On the other side on the 7th day Takshak also set off to bite Pareekshit.

Takshak also heard this that the Kashyap Braahman was going to save Pareekshit, so he assumed the form of a Braahman and met Kashyap on the way. Takshak asked Kashyap - "Where are you going in so much hurry?" Kashyap said - "Today Takshak is going to bite the King Pareekshit and I am going to cure him from his bite." Takshak said - "I am that Takshak who is going to bite him - that Lord of Earth." Kashyap said - "But I am sure that I will be able to save him from your bite."

Hearing this Takshak got a little worried but he said - "If you are so sure that you could cure the King of my bite, then revive this tree first which I am going to bite now. See the power of my poison. I am going to burn this banyan tree within moments, you show me the power of your Mantra by reviving it." Kashyap said - "You bite it and I am sure I will revive it."

Takshak bit the tree and the banyan tree burned to ashes within moments. Takshak said - "Now it is your turn." Kashyap took the ashes in his hand and said to Takshak - "O King of snakes, Now you see my power." He read a Mantra and the tree started to come to life soon. Within moments there was a sprout, then two leaves, then stem, and then branches etc and within minutes it stood up as a grown up tree. Seeing this Takshak got stunned and he doubted on his poison. He was not ready for this, so he said to Kashyap - "It is not good for you to destroy my poison like this. I will give you much more money than whatever you are expecting from the King. You have revived this tree but you will not be able to revive the King who has been cursed by a Braahman." Kashyap said - "Then you give me that wealth, and I will go back." Kashyap sat in Yog position and came to know that the King's time had really come, so he took the money from Takshak and went back to home. And Takshak went on his way to Pareekshit's palace.

Thus by bribing Kashyap Braahman Takshak killed Pareekshit, so bribery is not a new phenomenon, it has been continuing for a long time.

Sushma Gupta
www.sushmajee.com