Tales from the Indian Epics. Charles Augustus Kincaid

began a song in praise of them. And he especially praised the man with the horse. At last the man said, "Fair youth, your song is pleasing: what good can I do to you?"

      "Great lord," said Uttanka, bowing humbly before him, "the snake prince Takshaka has done me a great wrong. He has robbed me of my earrings. The boon, therefore, that I ask of you is that he and all his people shall be humbled before me."

      "If that is your wish," said the man, "it is easily ​done. Blow upon my horse."

      Uttanka blew upon the horse and instantly flames leapt out from its eyes and mouth and nose, and shot outwards until they seized upon the city of the snake people. In a few moments half of the great city was in ashes and the flames were rapidly devouring the other half. Prince Takshaka, fearing for his life and for the lives of the snake people, made his way to where Uttanka and the man stood. "O Brahman boy," he said, "I have wronged you. I own my fault; therefore pardon me. Here are your earrings. Take them back, and spare our city." Uttanka took back the earrings of the queen and placed them for safety in his garment. Instantly the flames died down and the city of the snake people was saved from total destruction.

      Uttanka was overjoyed that he should have recovered the fee due to his teacher's wife. But suddenly he remembered that the days allotted to him had all but passed and that he could not return in time for his preceptress to wear the earrings when she feasted the Brahmans. He thought and thought but could discover no way to reach his hermitage before sunset. As he meditated, he heard the man with the horse say to him, "Mount my horse; it will take you at once to Veda's dwelling." Uttanka mounted the horse. It rose in the air with incredible swiftness, and in a few moments he found himself in front of Veda's hermitage. Veda's wife was bathing and dressing her hair in order that she might fitly feast the Brahmans. "Uttanka," she said to herself, "has failed to bring me the earrings for which I asked. When the sun sets I shall curse him." As she made this resolve Uttanka entered the house. His teacher's wife dressed herself, and Uttanka, saluting her humbly, ​gave her the earrings of King Paushya's queen.

      Veda's wife thanked him; and Veda said, "Uttanka, my son, tell me how it was that you delayed so long." Uttanka answered, "O my master, Takshaka the snake prince stole my earrings, and to recover them I had to follow him into the city of the snake people." And Uttanka told Veda all that had befallen him. Then continuing he said, "Reverend sage, tell me who were the maidens who were weaving with white and black threads, and what was the wheel with the twelve spokes that six boys were turning. Who was the giant on the bull, and who was the man who gave me the wondrous horse?"

"The maidens," replied Veda, "who were weaving white and black threads were Day and Night. The wheel with the twelve spokes was the year with its twelve months. The six boys who were turning it were the six season's.^[2] The giant who rode the bull was Indra, and the bull was his mighty elephant Airavat. The food that he gave you was ambrosia, and because you ate it you passed without harm through the land of the snake people. The man who aided you to burn their city was Parjanya the god of rain, and the horse that he gave you to ride was Agni the god of fire. Truly, my son, the Immortals, because they love me, shewed you great kindness. Without their help you could never have won for my wife the earrings of King Paushya's queen."

      So saying, Veda drew Uttanka towards him and embraced him. "Uttanka my son," he said, "the days of your pupilage are over. Go therefore where you will." Uttanka saluted Veda and his wife and left their ​hermitage. With his heart burning with hatred against Prince Takshaka he made his way to the court of King Janamejaya the Bharata, who ruled in Hastinapura.

      1 ↑ The Shradh ceremony.

      2 ↑ The Indian year has six seasons.