As Kaśyapa, the wise and powerful sage, journeyed toward the city with the intent to save King Parīkṣit from the curse of death by serpent bite, he was met upon the road by Takṣaka, the mighty serpent king himself. Takṣaka revealed his true identity, declaring, “O brāhmaṇa, I am the serpent destined to consume the king. Turn back, for none can heal one bitten by me.” But Kaśyapa, undaunted, replied, “O serpent, even if you bite the king cursed by the brāhmaṇa, I shall surely revive him by the power of my mantra—there is no doubt.” Takṣaka, intrigued and perhaps a little challenged, said, “If you are truly able to revive the best of kings after my bite, O sinless brāhmaṇa, then show me the power of your mantra.” Takṣaka then declared, “Today I shall burn down this banyan tree with my venomous fangs.” Kaśyapa responded, “Even if you bite or burn it, O best of serpents, I shall revive it.” Sūta, the storyteller, tells us that Takṣaka bit the banyan tree, and his venomous fire reduced it to ashes. He then turned to Kaśyapa and said, “Revive it, O best of brāhmaṇas.” Kaśyapa, seeing the tree reduced to a heap of ash by the serpent’s fiery poison, gathered the ashes together and spoke: “Behold today the power of my mantra, O best of serpents; I shall revive this banyan tree now, as you watch, O mighty one of great venom.” Having spoken thus, Kaśyapa, master of sacred chants, took water and sprinkled it over the ashes, empowering the water with his mantra. At once, from the sprinkling of that water, the banyan tree was restored, beautiful and flourishing as before. Takṣaka was amazed to see the tree brought back to life. Impressed, the serpent said to Kaśyapa, “Why do you exert yourself so? Tell me your desired wish, and I shall fulfill it for you.” Kaśyapa replied, “Desiring wealth, I saw the king as my opportunity. After the king was cursed, I left my home to help him with my knowledge.” Takṣaka said, “O foremost of Brahmins, take as much wealth as you wish from the king; I will give it to you. Go to your home; I am satisfied.” Sūta continues: Hearing these words, Kaśyapa, who knew the supreme truth, began to ponder deeply: “What should I do? If I take the wealth and return home, my fame in the world will be lost because of attachment to greed. But if I save the excellent king’s life, my fame will be unshakable, I will gain much wealth, and merit will come from saving a life. Fame must be protected at all costs; cursed is wealth without fame. In the past, Raghu gave away everything to a Brahmin for the sake of fame. Hariścandra and Karṇa, too, gave away much for the sake of fame. How could I ignore a king burning with the fire of poison? If I save the king’s life today, there will be happiness for all people; without a king, the destruction of the people is certain—there is no doubt of this. If the king dies, the sin of the people's destruction will be mine, and infamy will come to me in the world because of greed for wealth.” Thinking thus, Kaśyapa, wise and discerning, meditated and realized that the king’s life was already at its end. Understanding through his meditation that the king was destined to die, Kaśyapa, righteous in soul, accepted the wealth from Takṣaka and returned home. With Kaśyapa turned away, Takṣaka, intent on fulfilling the curse, made his way quickly to the city called Nāgasāhvaya, determined to kill the king on the seventh day. There, he learned that at the city’s edge, the king was residing in a palace, carefully guarded by jewels, protected by mantras and medicines, and watched over with great vigilance. Takṣaka, filled with anxiety and fearful of the brāhmaṇa’s curse, began to ponder through his yogic power, “How can I enter the house? How can I deceive this sinful king, who is ruined by the brāhmaṇa’s curse, deluded, and a tormentor of brāhmaṇas? None in the line of the Pāṇḍavas has ever done such a thing as placing a dead serpent on a sage’s neck. Knowing the course of time, the king committed a blameworthy act; now he has set guards in the palace and entered the mansion. Today the king, free from anxiety, thinks he is cheating death. How shall I burn him, as commanded by the brāhmaṇa’s words? The deluded one does not know that death is irreversible; therefore, today he enjoys himself, having stationed guards and ascended the palace. If death is indeed ordained by fate for one of immeasurable power, how could it be averted by any means, even with millions of efforts?” Meanwhile, the king, heir of the Pāṇḍavas, knowing that death had come, remained composed and steady, fixing his mind on life. He reflected that a king should always perform acts of charity and merit, for by righteousness, disease is destroyed and life becomes enduring. Otherwise, if the decree of death is not fulfilled, then acts like bathing and giving gifts at death would lead to heaven; otherwise, to hell. The sin committed by harming brāhmaṇas and the terrible curse of a brāhmaṇa indeed approach at the time of death for the king. There was no brāhmaṇa at his side to warn him; death ordained by the Creator is, in every way, unavoidable. Takṣaka, thinking thus, instructed the snakes nearby to assume the guise of ascetics. He sent them forth, while he himself entered into one of the fruits in the form of a worm, carrying fruits and roots with him. The disguised serpents quickly made their way to the royal palace, carrying the fruits, and stood near the mansion. The guards, seeing the ascetics, questioned their purpose. The ascetics replied, “We have come today from the forest hermitage to see the king. We have come to bless the heroic son of Abhimanyu, the radiant scion of his line, and to nurture him with Atharvan mantras.