Nahusha in the Udyoga Parva

Nahusha was a great king of the lunar dynasty (Candra-vaṃśa). The Indravijaya narrative in the Udyoga Parva of the Mahābhārata (Chapters 13–18) tells how he was made Indra for a time. It tells of his pride and desire, and how he fell. He was made Indra while the true Indra hid in Lake Mānasa, weighed down by brahmahatyā-pāpa (the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa). Nahusha fell when he kicked the ṛshi Agastya, who cursed him to become a serpent.

Chosen as Indra for a time

Indra had killed Vṛtrāsura and was afflicted by brahmahatyā-pāpa. He fled the three worlds and hid in a lotus stalk at Lake Mānasa. The worlds were left with no ruler. The devas, the ṛshis and Bṛhaspati met in haste, because the worlds needed order and dharma needed a working rule.

After looking among the fit men, they chose Nahusha. He was a king of the lunar dynasty, known for his righteousness, his strength in battle and his stored tapas (austerity). All of Indra’s divine powers were handed over to Nahusha. He was set on the throne as ruler of Svarga for a time.

At first Nahusha ruled well and the worlds came back to order. (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 13–14)

Power turns his mind

Power then spoiled Nahusha. The same pride that had made him a great king began to turn dark. He looked on Śacī, the wife of the true Indra, with desire. He called her and told her to come to him as his queen.

Śacī was heartbroken. Her husband was alive and only hidden. Her pativratā-dharma (duty of a faithful wife) tied her to Indra alone. She went to Bṛhaspati. He took her under his formal protection and said that Nahusha’s demand was against the law and would not be met.

Nahusha held Indra’s power but was using it against dharma, and the harm to the order of the worlds was growing. (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 14–15)

Śacī gains time

Bṛhaspati sent Upāśruti, the devī of night. She led Śacī through the dark to Lake Mānasa, where Indra lay hidden. Śacī met Indra and told him how to atone for his brahmahatyā-pāpa. Together they began the cleansing.

Then Śacī went back to face Nahusha. She told him she would agree to come. But he must come to receive her in a palanquin carried by the seven great ṛshis (saptaṛshis). Nahusha was blinded by desire and pride, and he agreed.

The saptaṛshis, who have great tapas, great age and great dignity, were yoked to Nahusha’s palanquin. Making the highest teachers of brāhmaṇa wisdom carry a king like beasts of burden was the outward sign of how power had turned his mind upside down. (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapter 17)

The kick and Agastya’s curse

The ṛshis carried the palanquin slowly. Nahusha grew impatient. His eyes were on Śacī and his desire was urgent, and the slow pace of the ṛshis made him angry. He kicked the ṛshi Agastya on the head with his foot and shouted “sarpa sarpa”, which means “go faster, go faster”.

The word sarpa means both “go” (as a command) and “serpent”. Agastya is one of the greatest ṛshis. He drank the ocean and overcame the Vindhya mountains, and his tapas has no measure. He turned and said just two words as his śāpa (curse): “Sarpa bhava”, “become a serpent”.

It took effect at once. Nahusha was thrown down from Svarga and fell to earth as a great serpent. The palanquin and the ṛshis who carried it were free. The seat of Indra was empty again. (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapter 17)

Indra comes back

After Nahusha’s fall Indra came out of Lake Mānasa. His brahmahatyā-pāpa had been spread out and atoned. Bṛhaspati set him back in his own place. Śacī was joined again with her husband, and the three worlds returned to right order. (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapter 18)

Release from the curse

The Mahābhārata says, in other places, that Nahusha in serpent form later met the Pāṇḍavas in their forest exile. He held Bhīma in his coils until Yudhishṭhira came and answered Nahusha’s questions correctly. The curse was then lifted. Nahusha took back his divine form and went to his own realm.

Character and teaching

Nahusha was truly great before he became Indra. He was righteous and strong, and he had earned his tapas. But the power of the seat of Indra was too great for the discipline he had. He could not keep to dharma when he had unlimited power.

His fall came from kicking a brāhmaṇa. The Mahābhārata often teaches that a brāhmaṇa must never be harmed, and that harming one brings ruin. The Kēśinī narrative gives the same teaching: the force of a brāhmaṇa cannot be treated with contempt without destroying the one who does it.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 13–18 (Indravijaya narrative)