What led Kadru, the mother of serpents, to bring a curse upon her sons?

What led Kadru, the mother of serpents, to bring a curse upon her sons?

As the earliest source to feature nagas, the Mahabharata offers a comprehensive description and engaging accounts of these serpent entities. This story is also related to Nagas.  

In Hindu texts, nagas are esteemed for their supernatural prowess and are deeply connected to water elements, governing rivers, lakes, and oceans. Their influence extends over rain and fertility, weaving a powerful aura of mysticism and reverence around their divine presence.

In this story, the mother of all serpents and the curse she cast upon her own son’s is a story of lessons and the inevitable consequences of one’s actions. How jealousy and anger can cause unbearable consequences. 

 The birth of Kadru and Vinata’s sons :  

The Mahabharata tells us the story of Vinata and Kadru, who were married to Sage Kashyap. Sage Kashyap blessed both of them and asked, “What do both of you want?” 

Then Kadru asked for a thousand sons, while Vinata asked for two sons, but they should be more powerful than Kadru’s sons. 

After 500 years, all the sons of Kadru had emerged from their eggs as snakes, while none of Vinata’s eggs had hatched. In her frustration, Vinata, unable to bear the delay, shattered one of her eggs prematurely. The son born from this broken egg was not fully developed and, as a result, Vinata was cursed by her first son. The curse decreed that Vinata would become a servant of Kadru. As a consequence, this partially-formed son was transformed into a radiant light, now known as Arun, the red light of the sun, who also serves as the charioteer of the sun.

Kadru gave birth to a thousand snakes, among whom was Vasuki, the great Naga who coils around Lord Shiva’s neck. Vinata’s second son was Garuda, the formidable eagle destined to become the mount of Lord Vishnu.

 The story behind the curse:  

The story that led to Kadru cursing her son’s begins with an apparently harmless bet.  

One day, Kadru and Vinata noticed the horse Uchhaishrava, which churned during Samudra Manthan. The horse was known for its unbeatable beauty and whiteness.  

Kadru claimed that the horse’s tail was black, while Vinata insisted it was entirely white. To settle the argument, they made a bet: “The loser would become the other’s servant.” 

To win the argument, Kadru ordered her son’s to turn the horse’s tail completely black by coiling around the tail.  

 The serpent’s refusal and the curse:  

Kadru asked her son’s to trick Vinata by coiling around the horse’s tail to make it appear black. 

Kadrus son did not want to be part of an act of dishonesty. That’s why they refused to coil around the horse’s tail.  

Enraged by their refusal to obey her, Kadru cursed her own sons, saying that they would be charred alive in the Sarpa Satra Yagna that would be performed by the king of Hastinapur, Janamejaya. 

 Astika’s role in fix all the mishap:  

After hearing the curse, all the serpents were frightened. They went to his brother, Vasuki, and told him about all the mishaps that had happened. Vasuki was really tensed, then his brother told him about what he heard from Lord Brahma. And she suggested to him a solution: if his sister, whose name is Jaratkaru, is married to a sage named Jaratkaru,. Then the children of both of them can save you from this problem.  

However, Astika, a smart and pious Brahmin borne from a serpent mother and a human sage, interfered during the sacrifice and helped snakes. His devotion was able to save the remaining serpents from snake sacrifice.  

Astika’s act not only spared the serpents but also lessened the severity of Kadru’s curse. 

 The symbolism and the lessons:  

The story of Kadru and her son’s serves as a lesson about the consequences of destroying  nature of anger. How anger can manipulate someone’s mind to curse her own son’s . 

Kadru’s jealousy and desire to deceive her co-wife led her to face the ultimate heartache of cursing her own children. 

Her story is a cautionary tale, warning against  allowing negative emotions to dictate actions. 

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 Written by – Arpita Bajpai (Creative content writer) 

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