Jaratkāru
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Jaratkāru, a sage in the lineage of the great Ṛṣi Bhṛgu, got his name because he had made his body old and dilapidated due to excessive austerities.[1] Once he found that his ancestors were in a miserable state due to the lack of obsequial rites normally performed by the descendants. He then decided to marry and beget children and married a girl whose name was also Jaratkāru. She was the sister of the serpent king Vāsuki.
The name of his son was Āstīka, who successfully stopped the sarpayāga or the serpent sacrifice conducted by Janamejaya. Janamejaya was the son of Parīkṣit and wanted to avenge his father’s death by the serpent Takṣaka.
References[edit]
- ↑ Jaratkāru means made old.
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore