5th House - Satputra the story of ASTIK

By Sri Chiraan 2009/01/19

If Jupiter as fifth lord is strongly placed and also sun is in ninth then one will have Satputra yoga. Satputra is the one who brings joy to the ancestors of both Father and Mother’s lineage. One whose birth is a meritorious and sets fortune among maternal and paternal relations. He is the one who will be a beacon lamp among the dynasty [kuldeepak]. The whole relatives would see a sense of hopes in such progeny. He is the one who relieves the father of his Pitru runa and brings sanctity to a mother's womb. Blessed is a soul and its lineage where a Satputra takes birth. One such child can wash away the sins of 21 forefathers and 21 grandchildren generations. 

• A man when born in this world is born with Panch Runa [five debts]
• Pitru Runa [debt towards the father]
• Matru Runa [debt towards the Mother]
• Dev Runa [debt towards Devatas]
• Rushi Runa [debt towards preceptors]
• Bhuta Runa [debt towards the elements /environment]

Pitru Runa gets cleared as a child is born to the Man. [He is free from debt of the father].

Matru Runa does not get cleared at all [one can never repay what a mother does to his child. We are all ever indebted to a mother for having brought us into this world bearing all the pain and nourishing us selflessly].

Deva Runa is cleared by performing our duties as worship.

Rishi runa is cleared when we make correct usage of our knowledge and teach it to an able disciple.

Bhuta runa can be cleared only by proper use of materials made available to us by God, whether it is fire, water, air, house utensils and grain and other objects. [By not polluting them and respecting them in its correct usage avoiding abuse and ill distribution].

These runa if not properly handled and cleared rebounces to us in every births giving us what we have returned. And snatching from us what we have not returned earlier.

A satputra relieves one of Pitru runa.

The following story is one such in MAHABHARATH, which shows how God readies us a remedy for our problems even before the root of the problem or its cause has taken birth.

This is a story of Astik a learned bramhin, whose birth was awaited by both the lineages of his Father and Mother with lots of hopes and anticipation.

Once there lived a bramhin named JARATKARU, who was not interested in worldly life. He after studying shastras decided to take up NAISHRUSHTIK BRAMHACHARYA. He stayed only on air without food and meditated on Lord. He spent most of his time in pilgrimage and rivers and mountains. One day as he was roaming, he saw a seven old men tied upside down to a branch of tree which was about to fall in a deep well below. The branch had only one string left and that too was being eaten by a worm.

Surprised Jaratkaru asked those holy men, what is this sorrowful sight, why are you all suffering like this. The old men said, oh we are all a ancestors of a single race yayavar, we have no off springs except one named Jaratkaru, but even he is not interested in family life and bent upon ending his life in penance. Old as he has grown, very soon our lineage will end, this tree is our lineage we are ancestors, this single string is the Jaratkaru and the worm is the time, which is eating away, this well is the hell that we all will fall, if there is no offspring for Jaratkaru.

Jaratkaru moved by his ancestors plight said "Oh my Pitru I am that Jaratkaru, please tell me my immediate duty to relieve you all of this plight".

The holy men said "Go and marry a deserving girl for our upliftment" Jaratkaru said "I shall not ask for the hand of the woman myself, anyone who would come all by himself and give his daughter or sister unto me, I shall marry provided her name is also Jaratkaru like mine".

Saying thus Jaratkaru roamed entire world, but owing to his old age and ascetic like way of life none came forward to give their girl to him. Thus reaching the end of the world, Jaratkaru decided if fate had in it a bride for him then he would shout thrice that “My name is Jaratkaru and anyone having a girl by that name wishes to marry her to me, can come and do so”, if someone comes okay or else would go the ascetic way.

As he mentioned it twice, the great Snake Vasuki appeared and said I am bramhin snake son of Kashyap, my sister is Jaratkaru and beautiful, and I would like to marry her to you if you have no objection to marrying a Nagkanya .

Jaratkaru accepted with one condition he will stay with her as long as she does not annoy him. If annoyed he will desert her and go away for penance. Vasuki accepted. Once when sage was sleeping in the lap of his wife, it was about time to sunset. Fearing lapse of karma of sandhyavandana after sunset, wife woke him up for his duties. Sage in anger said "He never lapsed in his duties, and Sun dare not set till he wakes up and complete his karma. Not knowing this, she has annoyed him and thus he would leave her". Wife in grief said "it would not be right of him to leave her for no fault of hers. But at least not before giving her a son". She asked "is there a child in her womb?" The sage said "ASTI" [there is], he would be blazing like sun and Agni well versed in all shastras and Vedas.

Vasuki and all took care of his sister and Astik was born and learnt Vedas under Rishi Chyavan, to the delight of all.

Why did GOD want a child to be born to a bramhin and a Snake? In this world child has extreme affinity to the relatives of the Mothers’ side. Their plight the child when grows up naturally tries to alleviate out of affection. Also a child takes on the qualities of his father. So a child who would be as learned as a Bramhin, well versed in all shastras, and with affinity towards snakes was what God created here.WHY?

Parikshit was son of Abhimanyu. King Parikshit ruled justly this world after Pandava's left. One day while he was hunting, he saw a Kingly featured ugly man kicking a cow. King immediately tried to stop him, but the wicked man said “Oh King know me as Kali, my time has come I have asked you the permission to enter your kingdom”, King resisted but when he found out that in Kaliyuga people would get punya easily just by chanting name of Lord as "Hare ram Hare Ram ram ram Hare hare, Hare Krishna Hare krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare". This punya would be equivalent to what would be got by doing Dhyana in Satya yuga, yagnya in a Treta yuga and Pooja in DwaparaYuga. Thus what is got in a 100 years Krita yuga and 10 years in Treta yuga and 1 year in Dwapara can be got in half a day in Kaliyuga.

Thus seeing this one virtue of Kali and also compulsion to follow Yuga Dharma, Parikshita allowed Kaliyuga to enter, but asked him to stay away from his kingdom and subjects except five places where there is: 

1. Gambling, 2. Prostitutes, 3. Alcohol,  4. Deceit, 5. Gold. As Parikshit was wearing a golden Crown Kali entered His crown and was on his head.

This resulted in bad company, King hunted a deer which went deep into the jungle, chasing the King reached the ashram of Uttanak Rish . He asked rishi whether he has seen deer, the king was exhausted and hungry 60 years of age as he was got frustrated as Rishi was in maunvrata and did not respond. King grew angry out of ego and frustration owing to presence of Kali [one acquires bad qualities in bad company], King felt insulted for not being given welcome by Rishi. He took a dead snake and hurled it around the rishi’s neck. Rishi showed no expression and king went away.

Rishi had a very bright son name Sringi, he was all but 10 years of age, very much pious and given to study of Vedas, but highly short tempered. He was returning from his gurukul and on the way he learnt from his friends that his father was insulted by king with a dead skin and his father did nothing to punish King. So Sringi took the water in nearby pond and cursed King that "He would die by the bite of TAKSHAK [empowered by my penance] within seven days. [What was the penance" Practice of Gayatri for two years"].

Rishi uttanak said "king was a just man, by killing him this way he has deprived the citizens of a good king". He requested his son to divert the curse, but Sringi refused and said "my words would never go futile", So Rishi sent his disciple to King to let know of his fate .

King by then had kept his crown aside and immediately realised his mistake and after hearing from Disciple repented not for loss of his life but for his folly. He constructed a a big palace in midst of sea and stayed there and asked Sages of a way to get Moksha within seven days . Sages advised him Bhagavat by Sage Shuka would ensure him Moksha. So Bhagavat was recited for the first time in this world.

Takshak set out to kill Parikshit, on the way he met a Bramhin Kashyap by name, he asked where he was heading to, Kashyap said he was well versed in art of reviving dead by snake bite and that he would revive king Parikshit. Takshak said lets examine.

He showed a tree and bit it, the tree blasted into ashes by the poison. The bramhin chanted a mantra onto ashes, firstly it turned into seed, then sprout, and two leaves appeared, and then a trunk and branches and whole tree was lush green again as earlier, also there was a man sitting on the branches, he also got restored. The man ran  away.

Seeing the power Takshak asked him why would he revive Parikshit whose longevity was indeed over by the curse of Sringi. Bramhin closed his eyes and after deep contemplation agreed with Takshak. Takshak gave him ample wealth and sent him away. There in the middle of sea all the routes were closed and bramhins were appointed to chant sarpa mantras to prohibit direct entry of snakes. Daily fruits were being taken to King, Takshak entered one of the fruits and as the King opened it, he came out and bit him to ashes and whole palace was set ablaze by poison.

The Son of Parikshit was child, he was enthroned and when he grew up Janamejaya, son of Parikshit, asked how his father left to heavens. The man on the tree survived by Kashyap narrated him story. Angry Janamejaya thought Takshak could have allowed Kashyap to revive his father, but out of fear that his name and reputation of fierce poisonous snake would get tarnished, he has corrupted Kashyap, so he must be punished.

He summoned all his purohits and ministers, they suggested SARPAYAGA. A yagnya was prepared for genocide of snake species. Swetaketu Pingal Moudgalya, Chandbhargava Jaimini all presided as sadasyas and HOTRI for the Yagnya. The Yaga began and as butter was poured with sacrificial mantras, crores of snakes fell into the fire, with stench and fat converted into a river of marrow of snakes. All the snakes fell one by one into the Yagnya Kunda.

Takshaka took shelter of INDRA. Vasuki out of fear of loss of life called Astika to do something for their race. Astika pained by the deaths of maternal relatives headed for the Yagnyashala, he praised Janamejaya in  a very notable fashion comparing his yaga with that of SOMA VARUNA YAMA, Indra, Ajameedha, Ramachandra, Yudhisthira presided by Krishna Dwaipayana. Meanwhile Takshak was not coming due to Indra's shelter. King was happy with the praises of ASTIK, he wished to give him boon on account of his knowledge of so many yagas, and their presiders and though of tender age and blazing like a sun and agni and having crossed the doorkeepers easily by his charm and tejas inside the Yagnyashala. He offered him a boon.

The sages stopped him saying Takshak has not yet come, Janamejaya said to bring him along with Indra into the sacrificial fire. Indra too was getting dragged to fire, Indra left Takshak. Takshak unconscious and drawn towards fire from heavens, was rolling in the air as he was about to fall, King said I want to give you a boon oh meritorious bramhin ask, ASTIKA said oh king let no more snakes be dropped into the fire "stop stop stop". King said ask any other boon except this, gold, silver damsels, these three worlds kingdom everything don't ask me to stop, Astika refused. Sages of the yagnya said since this noble bramhin has asked nothing else his boon be given, simultaneously uttering STOP. Takshak stood still in air the whole world stopped . Seeing the prowess of the ASTIKA, King janamejaya stooped the yaga, thus snakes were saved, relatives were saved Uncle Vasuki was saved.

The extermination of Snake race was halted by an able bramhin, who out of love for snake uncles and profound knowledge of Vedas and mantras, forewent the wealth of three worlds, and other gifts and saved the race of his mother, and saved the ancestors of his father.

Thus Lord Narayana showed that even before sarpa yaga took place he had already readied a remedy for it in the form of ASTIKA .

Krishnarpana