And possessed by anger, the puissant Rishi then cursed the king,
touching water and overcome with wrath.'
"And Sringin said, 'That sinful wretch of a monarch who hath placed a dead
snake on the shoulders of my lean and old parent, that insulter of
Brahmanas and tarnisher of the fame of the Kurus, shall be taken within
seven nights hence to the regions of Yama (Death) by the snake Takshaka,
the powerful king of serpents, stimulated thereto by the strength of my
words!'
"Sauti continued, 'And having thus cursed (the king) from anger, Sringin
went to his father, and saw the sage sitting in the cow-pen, bearing the
dead snake. And seeing his parent in that plight, he was again inflamed
with ire. And he shed tears of grief, and addressed his sire, saying,
'Father, having been informed of this thy disgrace at the hands of that
wicked wretch, king Parikshit, I have from anger even cursed him; and that
worst of Kurus hath richly deserved my potent curse. Seven days hence,
Takshaka, the lord of snakes, shall take the sinful king to the horrible
abode of Death.' And the father said to the enraged son, 'Child, I am not
pleased with thee. Ascetics should not act thus. We live in the domains of
that great king. We are protected by him righteously. In all he does, the
reigning king should by the like of us forgiven. If thou destroy Dharma,
verily Dharma will destroy thee. If the king do not properly protect us,
we fare very ill; we cannot perform our religious rites according to our
desire.
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