Jaratkaru

The great ascetic wandered the world and visited various pilgrimage spots and sacred bodies of water. He had even renounced food and sleep, and survived only on air. He had become old. Once on his journey, he saw his emaciated ancestors - Pitrus hanging upside down with their heads in a hole that led to hell, with the grass root (Bena grass) that was holding them steadily from being eaten by a rat. The Pitrus told Jaratkaru to give up his foolishness to be an ascetic and end the lineage of the Yayavaras. They begged him to marry and beget children so that they could go to the next world. While Jaratkaru resented the idea of taking a wife initially, he finally agreed to take a wife only if she agreed to the following conditions: He will only take a virgin with the same name as his, who is given as alms to him by her family, notwithstanding his poverty. He moves ahead on his journey, having given this promise to his forebears.

The second Mahabharata version adds two additional conditions: that the namesake woman should marry him of her own free will, and that he will not support his wife.

The aged sage wandered the world in vain in search of a bride but did not find a suitable one. Once, in the forest, he recalls the promise to his Pitrus, and he prays three times for a suitable bride.

The revered Sage then marries Mansa Devi who agreed live her life with him in accordance to his conditions. Although initially Jaratkaru did not love Mansa, he heart eventually began to soften due to Mansa wholeheartedly serving her husband. They also beget a very virtuous son who is named Asthika.

Vasuki, the king of the nagas (serpents), awaits the arrival of the sage. As advised by the god Brahma, Vasuki has planned the marriage of his younger sister (known as Manasa in later texts) to Jaratkaru, the great seer in order to counter the curse given by the mother of the snakes, Kadru. She had cursed the snakes to be burnt at the yajna (fire-sacrifice) of Janamejaya. Brahma prophesied that the son of Jaratkaru and Manasa would stop the sacrifice, rescuing the serpents. Vasuki has also appointed serpents to keep a watch on the sage and report back to him when the sage decides to marry.[5][2]

Vasuki emerges and offers his younger sister Manasa to the sage, who accepts her after cross-checking with his criteria. Vasuki also promises to support Manasa. After the marriage, Jaratkaru lives in the abode of the serpents with his new wife. Jaratkaru warns his new wife that he would abandon her and his home if she ever displeases him, so she serves her eccentric husband dutifully. In due course, Jaratkaru unites with Manasa, making her pregnant.[3][5]

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana portrays Manasa as the daughter of the sage Kashyapa, who is the one who betroths her to Jaratkaru. The marriage is never consummated as Jaratkaru even refuses to touch Manasa, and sleeps separately under a fig tree.[6]

Manasa with her husband Jaratkaru (left) & son Astika (right) flanked by Nāgas, 11th century Pala period statue from Bengal

The Mahabharata continues in its longer telling: Soon after Jaratkaru impregnates his wife, the fatigued sage sleeps upon his wife's lap. As sunset nears, and it is time for evening worship, Manasa faces the dilemma whether to disturb the peaceful slumber of her husband, or let him sleep, and thus, risk him losing the merit of the obligatory worship. She weighs her options, and chooses the former. She whispers in his ears to awaken him, so that he may perform his ablutions and light the Agnihotra flame. The sage is enraged, and feels insulted. He says that the sun would not dare to set before he performs his rituals. He forsakes her, though the "innocent" wife begs his pardon and justifies her decision. She reveals to him the true purpose of their marriage, the birth of their son – saviour of the serpents – and asks him to wait until that purpose is fulfilled. The sage assures her that his seed is in her, and that she would deliver a learned son. Jaratkaru leaves to perform his austerities again, never to return again to his family.[3][7]

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana narrates that Jaratkaru oversleeps and misses the time of his morning rituals. The agitated sage threatens to banish Manasa to the hell for disobedient wives. The Sun steps in and placates the sage, praising him as a powerful sage, but Jaratkaru has made up his mind to abandon his wife. The god Brahma intervenes and states that it will be inappropriate to abandon her, unless he grants her a child. Jaratkaru touches Manasa's abdomen and impregnates her. Then he departs, foretelling that Manasa will give birth to a renowned sage.[6]

The Manasa Vijaya (1495) by Bipradas Pipilai, a devotional paean to Manasa from the Mangal-Kāvya genre, describes how Jaratkara (Jaratkaru) abandons his wife on their wedding night itself. Manasa is a daughter of the god Shiva, who is hated by Shiva's wife and her stepmother Chandi. Shiva marries Manasa to Jaratkara. Chandi does not want Manasa to have a happy married life and thus asks her to wear serpent ornaments on her wedding night. While Manasa sleeps in peace, Jaratkara stays awake in fear of the snakes. In the middle of the night, Chandi throws a frog in the room, which causes the snakes to hiss and swarm around the room in pursuit of the frog. A terrified Jaratkara runs away from the house and hides in a conch in the ocean. Further, he becomes scared of the snake goddess and refuses to stay with her. However, he spends a few nights with her and impregnates her and thus performs his "husbandly duty".[8]

Little is told about the sage after his exit from Manasa's life and the main story. In due course, a son named Astika is born to the couple. Astika stops the sacrifice of Janamejaya and rescues the serpents. The ancestors reach heaven as Jaratkaru did procreate. The first telling in the Mahabharata says that after a long life, Jaratkaru dies and also attains heaven.[5]