ass and water, and fruits.
And that foremost of kings, of great prowess, accepted those offerings.
And after their business was finished, he said upto them, 'Retire.' Then
after those snakes disguised as ascetics had gone away, the king
addressed his ministers and friends, saying, 'Eat ye, with me, all these
fruits of excellent taste brought by the ascetics.' Impelled by Fate and
the words of the Rishi, the king, with his ministers, felt the desire of
eating those fruits. The particular fruit, within which Takshaka had
entered, was taken by the king himself for eating. And when he was eating
it, there appeared, O Saunaka, an ugly insect out of it, of shape
scarcely discernible, of eyes black, and of coppery colour. And that
foremost of kings, taking that insect, addressed his councillors, saying,
'The sun is setting; today I have no more tear from poison. Therefore,
let this insect become Takshaka and bite me, so that my sinful act may be
expiated and the words of the ascetic rendered true.' And those
councillors also, impelled by Fate, approved of that speech. And then the
monarch smiled, losing his senses, his hour having come. And he quickly
placed that insect on his neck. And as the king was smiling, Takshaka,
who had (in the form of that insect) come out of the fruit that had been
offered to the king, coiled himself round the neck of the monarch. And
quickly coiling round the king's neck and uttering a tremendous roar,
Takshaka, that lord of snakes, bit that protector of the earth.'"

SECTION XLIV

(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'Then the councillors beholding the king in the coils of
Takshaka, became pale with fear and wept in exceeding grief. And hearing
the roar of Takshaka, the ministers all fled. And as they were flying
away in great grief, they saw Takshaka, the king of snakes, that
wonderful serpent, coursing through the blue sky like a streak of the hue
of the lotus, and looking very much like the vermilion-coloured line on a
woman's crown dividing the dark masses of her hair in the middle.

"And the mansion in which the king was living blazed up with Takshaka's
poison. And the king's councillors, on beholding it, fled away in all
directions. And the king himself fell down, as if struck by lightning.

"And when the king was laid low by Takshaka's poison, his councillors
with the royal priest--a holy Brahmana--performed all his last rites. All
the citizens, assembling together, made the minor