Rishi Veda’s Revelation: Interpreting Utanka’s Nagaloka Odyssey

Welcome back to Utanka’s Nagaloka Odyssey! After expressing his gratitude to King Paushya for the food and hospitality, Utanka received the queen’s earrings and began his long journey back to Sage Veda’s ashram. Along the way, he noticed a strange beggar—sometimes visible, other times mysteriously vanishing.

After a long and arduous journey, Utanka decided to rest by a river. He placed the earrings on the ground and went for a swim. Suddenly, the beggar appeared out of nowhere, snatched the earrings, and ran away. As soon as Utanka noticed the theft, he raced after the beggar. To his shock, the beggar transformed into his true form: Takshaka, the serpent king.

Who was Takshaka?

Takshak is a Nagaraj in Hinduism and Buddhism. He is mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata He was king of Nagas (Snakes) He was one of the sons of Kadru.

Utanka’s Nagaloka Odyssey while finding Takshaka

When Takshaka was caught, he quickly changed back into a snake and disappeared into a large hole in the ground, escaping into Nagaloka (the serpent realm). Determined to fulfill his promise to the queen, Utanka followed him, digging the hole with a stick. But he made little progress until Indra, the king of the gods, intervened. Indra, observing Utanka’s struggle, used his thunderbolt (Vajra) to enlarge the hole, allowing Utanka to enter Nagaloka.

In Nagaloka, Utanka found himself in a vast, majestic realm filled with countless palaces and elegant mansions adorned with turrets, domes, and grand gateways. Awed by the splendor, Utanka began to praise the Nagas in hopes of retrieving the earrings, but his words fell on deaf ears. Growing frustrated, he started observing his surroundings more closely.

• Two women at a loom, weaving a piece of cloth with a fine shuttle, using both black and white threads.
• A wheel with 12 spokes, turned by six boys.
• A man with a handsome horse.

Curious, Utanka approached the man standing next to the horse and struck up a conversation. Through their conversations Utanka understood that:

This wheel whose circumference is marked by twenty-four divisions representing as many lunar changes in furnished with three hundred spokes! It is set in continual motion by six boys (the seasons)! These damsels representing universal nature are weaving without intermission a cloth with threads black and white, and thereby ushering into existence the manifold worlds and the beings that inhabit them! Thou wielder of the thunder, the protector of the universe, the slayer of Vritra and Namuchi, thou illustrious one who wearest the black cloth and displayest truth and untruth in the universe, thou who ownest for thy carrier the horse which was received from the depths of the oceans, and which is but another form of Agni, I bow to thee, thou supreme lord, thou Lord of the three worlds, O Purandara!

Seeing Utanka’s plight, the man asked how he could help. Utanka explained that he needed to force Takshaka to return the earrings. The man instructed Utanka to blow some air toward the horse, which Utanka did. The horse then transformed into a blazing fireball that began consuming Nagaloka. Alarmed by the destruction, Takshaka quickly emerged and returned the earrings to Utanka.

With the earrings in hand, Utanka now focused on how to return to his preceptress in time to deliver the earrings as a sacred offering (guru dakshina). The distance seemed too great to cover in such a short time, and Utanka began to panic. Seeing this, the man offered Utanka his horse, assuring him that it would take him to his destination swiftly. Utanka gratefully accepted, mounted the horse, and set off toward the preceptor’s house.

Journey and outcomes explained to Rishi Utanka by Rishi Veda

Back at the ashram, Rishi Veda’s wife wondered what curse to place on Utanka if he didn’t arrive on time, as his delay had caused her immense distress. But when Utanka arrived on time, she had no choice but to bless him. She wished him good fortune and declared that he would be crowned with success.

Utanka then shared his experiences with Rishi Veda—how he was obstructed by Takshaka, the serpent king, and how he ventured into Nagaloka. He described the two women at the loom, the wheel with 12 spokes turned by six boys, and the man with the horse who helped him recover the earrings. Utanka also mentioned encountering a man with a bull who asked him to eat the bull’s dung, explaining that his master had done so.

Utanka asked Rishi Veda for the meaning of these events.

Rishi Veda explained, “The two damsels you saw were Dhata and Vidhata, representing the forces of creation. The black and white threads symbolize night and day. The wheel with twelve spokes turned by six boys signifies the year, divided into six seasons. The man you met in Nagaloka is Parjanya, the Rain God, and the horse is Agni, the Fire God. The bull you saw on the road was Airavata, the king of elephants, and the man mounted on the bull was none other than Indra. The dung you ate was actually Amrita (nectar of immortality). Indra, who foresaw your future hardships, gave it to you to protect you during your journey through Nagaloka. As my friend, Indra favored you to make sure your safe return.”

With this, Rishi Veda declared that Utanka’s education was finished and that he had fulfilled his duty by delivering the guru dakshina. He encouraged Utanka to continue his journey and learn from the experiences that awaited him beyond the ashram.

Utanka left the ashram but remained determined to seek revenge on Takshaka for the difficulties he faced. How Utanka exacted his revenge will be revealed in the next blog.

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