When her children the serpents refused to help her in cheating her sister, Kadru cursed them that they all would perish in fire.
Some of them, such as Karkotaka, did what she wanted.
Adishesha the senior-most among serpents got disgusted with all these, did tapas, propitiated Brahma, and went away to Pathalaloka to act as the support for bhumi.
Vasuki became the king of serpents.
The curse is a serious matter.
The whole vamsha is going to perish.
There is no remedy for matru-shapa.
Vasuki called for a meeting of the wise ones among the serpents.
To contemplate what can be done.
There are very noble and virtuous among the serpents also.
We worship them in naga temples and also in pujas such as Ashlesha-bali and Sarpa-bali.
They have got divine powers,
Vasuki is saying.
Mother cursed us in front of Brahma.
And he didn't stop her.
That's what is troubling me more.
Did we deserve to be cursed?
Did we do anything wrong?
We should all put our brains together and think about how to come out of this.
With effort everything is possible.
Don't you remember?
Agni had run away from devas and hid himself in a burrow.
Devas searched him out.
With effort anything is possible.
Kadru said that they will all die in a yajna which is going to be performed by the Pandava king Janamejaya.
The serpents started brainstorming.
The yajna should not take place.
Or even if it takes place, it should fail.
We will go to Janamejaya disguised as noble brahmins, ask him for bhiksha and when he asks what do you would like as bhiksha, we will say don't do the yajna.
He can not refuse bhiksha.
We will become his ministers and gain his confidence.
Before doing the yajna he will definitely consult us.
That time we will say don't do this yajna.
You will face dire consequences here and hereafter.
Or even if the yajna starts we will kill the acharya of the yajna.
Only very few people know the procedure of Sarpa yajna.
If we kill him then the yajna will be stopped.
Or we will kill all the ritwiks who are going to conduct the yajna.
Or kill everyone in the yajna vedi.
Seniors objected.
Brahmahatya is a mahapataka.
You should not do adharma to come out of trouble.
Only dharma can save us in times of trouble.
If everyone resorts to adharma when facing some problem then the whole world will perish.
Some other serpents said: when they kindle Agni for the yajna we will go as clouds and start raining upon that Agni.
Or we will steal all the utensils used in the yajna.
Or make all the dravyas impure by defecating or urinating upon them.
Or we will go as ritwiks in that yajna and ask for dakshina which Janamejaya can not afford, then the yajna will be stopped.
Someone came back with the killing idea, why not kill Janamejaya himself?
He is trying to kill us.
There will not be any adhrma in killing him.
The suggestions ended.
They all looked up to Vasuki to take a decision.
Vasuki said: I don't think any of these will work.
What we need is divine help because at the root of this danger is a supernatural curse.
No worldly act will be able to subvert something supernatural.
Only divine intervention can ward off trouble on account of the supernatural.
At that time a serpent called Elapatra said: but I think we need to be completely hopeless also.
When mother cursed us I got so scared that I got onto her lap.
That time I overheard something.
Devas were asking Brahma, why did you allow such a horrible curse to happen?
Brahma said reckless cruel poisonous serpents are everywhere.
They are all on a killing spree.
Their number should be brought under control.
Sarpa yajna will be the most efficient way to do it.
Rather than searching for the poisonous cruel snakes, bring them all to one place with the power of mantras and destroy them.
This is the plan. this is for the benefit of the whole world.
Nothing will happen to the good serpents.
Once the bad serpents are destroyed the yajna will stop.
Provision has already been made for that.
Vasuki's sister by the name Jaratakaru will marry a Muni with the same name, a son will be born to them and he will stop the Sarpa yajna.
Devas were satisfied with this solution and they went back to Swargaloka.
So your majesty, please take efforts to search out this muni called Jaratkaru and get your sister married to him.