Astika (Hinduism)
Astika was an ancient Hindu rishi (sage), and he was a son of Jaratkaru by the serpent goddess Manasa - a sister of the great serpent king Vasuki. According to the Mahabharata, he saved the life of a serpent Takshaka, the king of snakes, when the king Janamejaya organized a snake sacrifice known as Sarpa Satra, where he made great sacrifices of serpents, to avenge for the death of his father Parikshit[1] due to snakebite of Takshaka. Ultimately, he induced and prevailed upon the king to end his persecution of the serpent race.[2] That day was Shukla Paksha Panchami in Shravan and is since celebrated as the festival of Nag Panchami.[3]
| Astika | |
|---|---|
| Mahabharata character | |
 The snake sacrifice of Janamejaya, as Astika (boy in red) stops the king | |
| In-universe information | |
| Family | Jaratkaru (father) Manasa (mother) |
References
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
- Son of Abhimanyu, who in turn was a son of Arjuna.
- Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 72.
- Garg 1992, p. 743.
Bibliography
- Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-376-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Hindu deities and texts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gods |  | |
| Goddesses | ||
| Other deities | ||
| Texts | ||
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.