Dear friends, I am regretted to write once again about the folly, after reading the final note by Mr. Rajaram, who is a former IRS officer, reproduced below:- "AND TELLING SOME FALSITY UNCHECKED AND CONNECTING KASHYAPA AND SHUKHA IS AWONDER I HAPPENNED TO READ"
I have very clearly written in my compilation the Brahmin Kashyapa is different from sage Kashyapa. This Brahmin was famous to remove any snake bike venom by mantras. He was arranged by Prince Jnanamejaya to remove the venom and bring back to life his father -Parikshith. (If snake king Thakshaka bite his father ). The Brahmin's desire for wealth was met by snake king Thakshaka. He went off ,after getting wealth. This legend is told in Mahabharata. I have never told in my compilation anywhere Sukha and Kashyapa have relation. Mr. Rajaram never reads fully. Since the legend is important I have added it in a posting about sage Sukha. How much I can tolerate the foolish comments of Mr. Rajaram? Members may read the above produced lines of Mr. Rajaram and make out his mistakes in his English writing. Once again I pity how he was selected as IRS. He used to write in groups I was only a supervisor in Telecom department and not ITS. Is he not ashamed of his English proficiency. I have highlighted the mistakes made by him in a single line in English. I am forced to respondR. Gopala krishnan,( former ITS) On Friday, 22 May 2026 at 07:42:14 pm IST, Rajaram Krishnamurthy <[email protected]> wrote: Sukha 6 Sage Kashyapa (krta yuga) and Sukha Maharshi (also spelledShuka or Suka) are two of the most revered sages in Hindu mythology, oftenstudied together as a lineage of realized spiritual masters and creators ofsacred texts. 1. Sage Kashyapa: The Grandsire of Creation Role: One of the Saptarishi (the seven ancient sages) andthe mind-born son of Lord Brahma. The Progenitor: He is known as the "father of allhumanity" and all living beings. Kashyapa, fathered the Devas, Asuras,Nagas (serpents), and various creatures through his multiple wives. Contributions: He is the author of the Kashyapa Samhita,which remains a foundational classical reference book for Ayurvedic pediatrics,gynecology, and obstetrics. 2. Sukha (Shuka) Maharshi: Dwapara end and kali yugabeginning) The Divine Storyteller Role: The enlightened son and foremost disciple of thegreat Sage Veda Vyasa. Birth: Unlike a standard birth, Sukha was miraculouslyborn from a fire drill (Arani) after his father was captivated by a celestialmaiden who transformed into a parrot. Hence, his name literally translates to"parrot" in Sanskrit. Shuka, was an enlightened ascetic who chose alife of pure celibacy and wandering. Major Work: He is best known as the primary narrator ofthe Bhagavata Purana, reciting the text to King Parikshit over a seven-dayperiod before the king's death. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II SAGEKASHYAPA—THE GREAT GRANDSIRE Sage Kashyapa[or Kashyapa Rishi] is a revered name in the Hindu tradition. He is accreditedwith the unique distinction of being the father of the king of gods, the kingof demons, the king of birds and the king of snakes. He is also held to be thefather of the first human incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Being the ‘king’ and‘father’ of such a hallowed stature, he is rightly called ‘grandsire’ in theHindu mythology. When language fails to convey a concept adequately, one thentakes help of stories and allegories to express it. When there is no religiouscolour to these expressions, they are known as fairy tales and folk tales. According tothe Puranas, God alone existed in His formless aspect before Creation. Whencreation began, the Lord appeared as reclining on the snake ashesh (lit.‘That which has no end’), and from his navel came up the divine lotus on whichsat Brahma, the first born of the Lord. Becoming conscious of his presence,Brahma meditated on the reason for his existence, and when he realised that hewas supposed to create the universe, he got into the act through meditation.Soon the first four sages: Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, Sanatkumara were bornof his mind. Being born of the sattva guna of Brahma (since hewas doing intense tapasya), these four were also full of sattva, andhence they dedicated themselves completely to the devotion of God, instead ofgetting entangled in the world. Upset at the failure of his efforts in populating the world,Brahma then created from his mind the great sages, Marichi, Angira, Atri,Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and some others. According to some Puranas, Kashyapawas also one of these manas-putra (‘son born of mind’) ofBrahma, and according to some others, Kashyapa was the son of Marichi. Itis also possible that being the youngest of these sages, Kashyapa was treatedas son by Marichi. Kashyapa performed his duty of populating the world so well,and was such a great sage that he is considered to be the originator of one ofthe first four gotras: kashyapa, angirasa, bhrigu,and vasishtha. A gotra is the lineage to which aHindu associates himself through birth. In most cases, a child is assignedthe gotra of his father, but he may also take up adifferent gotra, or a combination of gotras. Althoughthere were only four gotras originally, its number increasedover time, and presently there are more than fifty of them. At the time of creating Marichi and others, Brahma hadalso created a class of beings called Prajapatis (lit. ‘forefathers’), who weresupposed to complete the job of creation. But, they were all so noble andwithdrawn by nature that they could hardly populate the world. Brahma thensplit himself into a man and a woman, Manu and Shatarupa to hasten the processof creation. Their children be-longed to the human dynasty. Shatarupa, gavebirth to many daughters, who were married off to the sages and Prajapatis. One ofthese Prajapatis was Daksha, who had many daughters. Kashyapa married thirteenof these daughters, from whom were born the various kinds of creatures thatabound the earth. To name a few: Aditi gave birth to the twelve Adityas (gods),Diti gave birth to Daityas (the dynasty that producedHiranyakashipu, Prahlada, Bali and others), Danu gave birth to Danavas (moreferocious demons), Surabhi was the mother of cows and buffaloes, Sarama gavebirth to dogs, Kadru to snakes, Vinata to Garuda (king of birds), Ila to treesand creepers, Muni to apsaras, and so on. It is worthnoting that some religions believe in spontaneous creation, according to whichGod created each species spontaneously. But in Hinduism, creation isevolutionary in nature, and human beings are a close relation to every otherbeing of the universe. More interesting is the case of sworn enemies —gods anddemons—who were not only step brothers, but whose maternal grandparents werealso the same. Kashyapa’smost important children, the gods and the demons, were constantly at war togain Lordship of the universe. The stories of their intrigues, treacheries,fights and deadly wars are spread over the Vedas, some Upanishads and thePuranas. The gods were nobler by nature compared to the Asuras (thecollective class of the not-so-noble). Acharya Shankara explains in hiscommentary on Chandogya Upanishad that the gods lived by thehigher power of their prana (the vital breath), whereasthe Asuras lived by asu (the brute power of thesenses). Seen in this light, the battles between the gods and the demonsrepresent the war going on inside every human being between his higher andlower nature. Unconcerned with all the fightsgoing all around him between his children, Sage Kashyapa remained fullydedicated to his sadhana. His daily routine of fire sacrifices andmeditations, and also the observances connected with special occasions,continued without the least compromise on his part. He had inherited a super-sattvic natureby birth, and through his sadhana he attained great yogicpowers, devotion to the Lord, and also the supreme knowledge of Brahman.The great sage, however,stayed aloof from the affairs of his children. So much so that his beloved wifeAditi once asked for a favour telling him, ‘ . . . because you are great, youare same toward the gods and the demons, who are born either from your body orfrom your mind and who possess sattva, rajas or tamas.But although God, the Lord is equal toward all living beings, He does favourHis devotees.’ Kashyapa Muni was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. But itwas his ill fortune that two of his sons were killed by the Lord, and one ofhis descendants, King Bali, had to lose everything when the Lord incarnated ashis own son. Diti had given birth to two great daityas,Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. They were very powerful, but because they hadbeen conceived at the wrong hour of the day, they were vicious and anti-God. Tomake the world a safe place, Lord Vishnu had to incarnate as Varaha (thebig boar), and Narasimha (man-lion) to destroy these two sonsof Kashyapa. Both these incarnations of the Lord were direct, without theintervening medium of any womb. Intrigues followed intrigues in the minds of thesisters—Diti and Aditi—whom karma had made co-wives. Ultimately it was the turnof Aditi to take revenge on the sons of Diti. The gods had been badly beaten bythe asura led by King Bali, who was the Lord and masterof the whole universe, including the heavens. The gods were in hidingsomewhere, which made Aditi very sad, and she requested her Kashyapa Muni to dosomething about it. Sage Kashyapa smiled and said,‘Alas, how powerful is the maya of Lord Vishnu, by which the entire world isbound by affection for children! What is this material body, made of fiveelements? It is all non-self. Indeed, the soul is completely different from thematerial elements from which the body is made. But because of bodilyattachment, one is regarded as a husband or son. These illusory relationshipsare caused by misunderstanding.’ But when he saw that Aditi was not satisfiedwith the true analysis of existence, Kashyapa advised her to worship the Lordthrough the austerity called Payovrata—meant to be an effectivemeans for getting a powerful son. He thus showed thatthose who are not capable of letting go the vanities of the world through Jnana, maypractise Bhakti to satisfy the whims of their minds. But even in that case, onemust stick only to praying to the Lord, so that one stays put on the road toReality. As advised by Kashyapa,Aditi performed the Payovrata. The Lord, already pleased withKashyapa’stapasya, was now pleased with Aditi also, and agreed to beborn as her son. Finally a day arrived, when Kashyapa had the great fortune ofbecoming the father of the Lord Himself, when Vamana, the dwarf Brahmin wasborn to Aditi. That was Lord Vishnu’s first human incarnation. Upon seeing theLord as the new born baby, Kashyapa exclaimed, ‘Jaya! Jaya!’ in great happinessand wonder. All his struggle, hardships and sadhana had now borne fruit. Afterhaving populated the world, he was now the proud father of the Lord Himself,who had put Kashyapa on the job of Creation. The Puranas do not talk of Kashyapa’s end. Probably hecontinues to be there to save his descendants from annihilation. There is astory of how he once saved his offspring, Garuda, from hunger and consequentlyfrom the curse of the tiny sages called Valkhalya. Unlikemany other ancient sages, Kashyapa never wielded a weapon, nor did he exhibithis yogic powers. He was a sage who had grown humble by completing thedifficult task of Creation given to him by Brahma, the Creator. Sage Kashyapa’s life was centred on performingthe prescribed duty, and bringing perfection to his acts through the practiseof constant tapasya, without wasting a moment. Such an example is surely asource of inspiration for all those who are struggling to find out meaning inlife. - Kr AND TELLING SOME FALSITY UNCHECKED AND CONNECTING KASHYAPA AND SHUKHA IS AWONDER I HAPPENNED TO READ K Rajaram IRS 22526 On Fri, 22 May 2026 at 12:17, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <[email protected]> wrote: SAGESUKHA PART 3 Continuedfrom Part 2 The curse on KingParikshit The curse on King Parikshit—the grandson of Arjuna and thelast great emperor of the Mahabharata era—was cast by a young sage named Shringi. It doomed the king to die from the bite of a poisonous snake (Takshaka) within exactly seven days. The Culpable Act While hunting in a forest, an exhausted and thirsty King Parikshit enteredthe hermitage of the meditatingSage Shamika. Finding the sage in adeep trance and getting no response to his request for water, the King—underthe mounting influence of the newly arrived age of Kali Yuga—felt deeply insulted. In a fit of rage, he used the tip of his bow to place adead snake on the sage’s shoulders and left. The Curse Sage Shamika’s young son,Shringi, soon discovered the humiliation inflicted upon his father. Enraged by the King's disrespect, the young son furiously scooped upwater and cursed Parikshit: “Within seven days, the mighty serpent Takshakawill bite the offender and end his life”. Although Sage Shamika later lamented his son's harsh andimpulsive reaction, a curse once spoken could not be undone. The Aftermath &Liberation Rather than fearing his impending doom, Parikshit accepted his fate withabsolute grace and humility. He abdicated the throne in favour of his son, Janamejaya, andspent his final seven days on the banks of the Ganges. Discourse by sageSukha There, he sat under the spiritual guidance of the sageSukadeva and listened to the divine discourses. Their dialogue is compiled inthe ancient Hindu scripture, the Shrimad Bhagavatam. By the end of this profound storytelling, Parikshit attainedspiritual liberation, utterly fearless of the serpent's impending strike. The Final EventTrue to the curse, the serpent king Takshakadisguised himself as an insect (or a Brahmin) and infiltrated Parikshit'sheavily guarded enclosure on the seventh day. The bite proved fatal, fulfillingthe prophecy but ensuring Parikshit's ultimate salvation Key Themes and Structureof the Discourse Sage Shuka answered Parikshit's question by reciting theSrimad Bhagavatam, a massive text consisting of 12 Cantos (Skandhas) androughly 18,000 verses, which his father Sage Vyasa had taught him. The Nature of Time andIllusion: Shuka began byteaching Parikshit that fear of death is an illusion born of identifying withthe physical body. The Nine Forms of Devotion(Bhakti): He emphasized that hearing (Shravanam) and chanting(Kirtanam) the glories of the Divine are the easiest and most potent ways toachieve liberation in the age of Kali. The Incarnations of Vishnu: He detailed the cosmic cycles ofcreation and the various avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu, culminating inthe deep, ecstatic description of Lord Krishna's life and pastimes in the 10thCanto. The ChatushlokiBhagavatam: Shuka explained that the entire universe is an expansion ofthe supreme reality, and realizing this truth dissolves all material bondage. The Grand Finale andLiberation Conquering Fear: By the seventh day, through the power ofhearing Shuka's words, King Parikshit's consciousness became completelydetached from his physical body. He no longer feared the snake-bite or death. Mahasamadhi: Before Takshaka arrived, Parikshit sat in a perfect yogicposture, fixed his mind on the Supreme Brahman, and entered Mahasamadhi(conscious exit from the body). Prince Jnanamejayatries to protect his father from snake Thakshaka’s bite A natural doubt arise that - If king Parikshith was ready forhis samadhi, why Guarding arrangements were done on the banks of Ganga? The heavy guardingarrangements on the banks of the Ganges were not ordered by King Parikshithimself, but rather by his ministers and his son, Janamejaya, who desperately wanted to protecttheir king. Parikshit had already surrendered to his fate, but the royaladministration refused to give up without a fight. The Logic Behind theGuards Duty of the State: The royal ministers and the crownprince viewed the curse as an external security threat to the empire. Preventing Infiltration: The guards were placed specificallyto intercept and filter visitors, as Takshaka was a master shape shifter whocould disguise himself. Fortified Platform: A special single-pillared platform(or a secure mansion on a single pillar) was constructed over the water to makeit physically impossible for any crawling reptile to reach the King. Medical Shield: The ministers also hired elitephysicians and poison experts (toxicologists) to stand by with antidotes incase an attack occurred. The Structural Irony: The elaborate security measuresactually highlight a central theme of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavatam: The supremacy ofdestiny over human effort. While the guards successfully blocked every obvious physicalentry, they could not stop a cosmic decree. Takshakaeasily bypassed the entire security perimeter by shape shifting into a tiny worm,hiding inside a fruit that a Brahmin brought as an offering to the King. Most of us might have heard Thakshaka bribed a Guard Brahminto enter. So a Google search was made and details obtained and given below:- Thakshaka bribes theBrahmin on Defence The Brahmin who played a critical role in the defence of KingParikshit was Sage Kashyapa(not to be confused with the ancient creator sage of thesame name). He was an elite, exceptionally skilled physician, a master of anti-venom mantras, and anexpert in hidden toxicological sciences. The Brahmin's Part inthe Guarding Strategy As the seventh day of the curse approached, the royalministers hired a network of highly learned Brahmins and medical masters tosurround the King’s fortified, single-pillared platform. Kashyapa’s role was meant to be the ultimate line of defence. He possessed such unmatched yogic prowess and command overanti-venom spells that he could literally reverse death. Hearing of the king's impending doom, Kashyapa set out for the capital,confident that even if Takshaka bit Parikshit, his specialized mantras couldresurrect the monarch. Crucially, his motivations were dual: he wanted to exercise hisprofessional duty, but he also explicitly sought to earn immensewealth and rewards from a grateful royal family. The Encounter andthe Demonstration of Power En route to the capital, Takshaka—disguised as a common traveller—interceptedKashyapa and questioned his journey. When Kashyapa boasted that his medical expertise couldcounter any snake venom, Takshaka revealed his terrifying, serpentine majestyand challenged him: "Behold the true power of my poison.If you can revive a target I destroy, only then proceed". Takshaka bit amassive, flourishing banyan tree, and his hyper-potentvenom reduced the entire tree to a heap of black ashes in a matter of seconds. Unphased, Kashyapachanted his sacred mantras and sprinkled holy water over the pile.Step-by-step, the ashes reformed into a sprout, and within moments, the entire banyan tree was completelyresurrected to its original green glory. Why Takshaka BribedHim and Sent Him Back Realizing that Kashyapa’s miraculous powers posed a literalthreat to the absolute finality of the curse, Takshaka had to neutralize him immediatelywithout physical combat. He did so by leveraging strategic psychologicalmanipulation: Exploiting FinancialMotive: Takshaka askedKashyapa honestly, "Areyou going to the capital for the king's life, or for the immense wealth theroyal family will give you?" Kashyapa truthfullyadmitted he was seeking the reward. Takshaka replied, "I will give you vastly more gold, gems, and treasurethan the kingdom ever could. Take it, and go back home". Appealing to CosmicDestiny: Takshaka reminded the sage that King Parikshit'slifespan had naturally run its course due to a holy Brahmin's decree.Trying to counter a cosmic curse would be fighting against fate itself. Checking the King'sLifespan: Kashyapaused his internal divya-drishti (divine vision) to check Parikshit's timeline . He realized that the King'saura was indeed failing and that his time on earth was genuinely over. Satisfied that he was not disrupting the laws of theuniverse, and entirely satisfied by the staggering amount of wealth handed tohim by the serpent king, Kashyapa accepted the bribe and turned back, removingthe last medical roadblock in Takshaka’s way. My note- I dorecollect decades back a small posting about the first corruption by a Brahminquoting the above by recently passed away member P.KRamakrishnan First corruption by aBrahmin I have heard it was the first bribe accepted by the Brahmin.Google result is given below:- You are entirely correct. In traditional Puranic discourseand cultural folklore, thisencounter between Takshaka and Sage Kashyapa is famously cited as the veryfirst bribe recorded in human history (specifically, for the currentage of Kali Yuga).The symbolic weight of this first bribe marks a massiveturning point in Hindu cosmology for several reasons: The Degradation ofthe Brahmin Class In the preceding golden ages, Brahmins were defined byabsolute austerity, detachment from material wealth, and unwavering devotion toduty (Dharma). Kashyapaaccepting a bribe to abandon a dying king signified that greed had successfullycorrupted the highest intellectual and spiritual class. It showed thateven the most highly evolved minds could now be bought with gold. The True Dawn of KaliYuga While King Parikshit's act of placing a dead snake on a sagewas the spark thatinvited the dark age, Kashyapa's bribe was the validation that KaliYuga had firmly taken root. The age of chaos thrives on the erosion of morals,and nothing defines it better than prioritizing personal wealth over ethicalduty. Destiny Bypassing Merit The bribe proved that no matter how brilliant, skilled, oreducated a human being is, material temptation can render all their talentuseless. Kashyapahad the power to save the king, but his greed ensured that destiny unfoldedexactly as decreed. I will continue innext posting Compiled from Googlesearch and posted by R. Gopalakrishnan,( former ITS) on 22-05-2026 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1451346812.229599.1779432425547%40mail.yahoo.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZorYm5AUKU%2BdScmc9DJQA1ds-OQUhaZyC4PgAC8jF96uCQ%40mail.gmail.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/500172799.141665.1779462732563%40mail.yahoo.com.
