Once upon a time, King Parikshit, the grandson of Arjun the warrior, went on a hunting expedition. He got tired and felt intense thirst. So he entered the cottage of the sage Samika. The sage was absorbed in meditation and so, he was not aware of the presence of the King. Parikshit was very much annoyed that the sage did not treat him with hospitality. Further, he was very much tormented by hunger and thirst. He thought, “This sage is pretending to be absorbed in meditation to avoid caring for me. He is not showing even the minimum courtesy a King deserves. He is showing his contempt to me.” Then he picked up the edge of his bow, which was made up of the carcass of a serpent, and threw it as a garland over the neck of the sage, and walked away.
Sringi, the youthful son of the sage, who was playing on the bank of the adjoining river with other boys, came to know from some playmate that King Parikshit had put a dead serpent over the neck of his father. He cursed the King and said that the serpent Takshaka should bite him on the seventh day for his mischievous and indecent act.
Having said this, the boy then ran to the cottage and saw the serpent on the neck of his father and cried bitterly. The sage was roused by the commotion set by his son. He opened his eyes, threw off the dead snake and asked the boy the cause for his lamentation. The boy told him all that had happened.
The sage was very much pained by the curse the boy had given to the King. He said, “O my son, you have been very ignorant and rash.
King Parikshit is a great devotee of his people. He will never retaliate. He will accept your curse thankfully as a punishment for his thoughtlessness. Further, he is not to be blamed at all. I have failed in my duty as a subject, in not giving to him the respect he deserved. I have failed in my duty as a host, in not giving him food and water. He did not at all deserve a curse from you. May God forgive you for the sin you have committed out of ignorance.” Then the sage sent his disciple to the King informing him of his son’s folly and entreated him to take the necessary precautions to guard his precious life.
King Parikshit reached his palace, and rested himself for some time. He repented very much for his foolish and rash action. The disciple of the sage came to him with the message. The King felt intensely relieved in mind. He accepted the curse as atonement and a blessing in disguise. He reflected within himself, “I lost my understanding and sense of right and wrong on account my wealth and position. I was puffed up with pride. I have become wiser now. I have developed Vairagya. The curse will clean up my sinful act towards a great sage.” Vairagya, you might keep in memory, is a state of mind, where you are free from all sorts of greed, selfishness and attachment and you concentrate more and more on the Lord.
Thus saying, King Parikshit entrusted his kingdom to his son and sat on the sacred banks of the Ganga with a strong determination not to rise from there till his mind was absorbed in God. The news reached the ears of the Rishis. They all assembled to witness the devotion of the mighty King. The King welcomed them with folded hands and asked their advice as to how he could best utilise his time in the service of God. Various Rishis prescribed various methods. At this moment, another sage by the name Suka arrived. King Parikshit repeated his question to the sage. Suka replied, “God, the father, should always be thought of. His name should always be on your lips. His grandeur and qualities should always be heard and meditated upon. His presence should always be felt by you. This is the only best way of utilising your time and remembering Him at the time of death. This will lead to eternal bliss.”
“Do not think, O great King Parikshit, that you have only a short week before you. Long ago, Rajarshi Khatwanga rendered great help to the gods in battle. The gods told him to ask for a boon in return for his services. Khatwanga asked the gods how much time he had before death, to enjoy the boon. The gods told him, he had only one hour left with him. He desired that he might attain union immediately with the Lord. The gods said, “Be it so”.
He concentrated his mind on the Lord with great devotion and attained eternal bliss.
Suka continued, “Therefore, O King! Fix your mind with intense devotion on the Lord. Do not think of the things of this world. Listen to the glories of the Lord and His greatness.”
Thereupon, Suka recited to King Parikshit stories of the Lord from great scriptures. King Parikshit heard it with intense devotion and concentration on the Lord. He did not know when a serpent came from nowhere and bit him to death. He was now united with the Lord, the Supreme Father of all creatures.
This story is told, even today, to make people less fearful about death, which is inevitable.