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The Vishnu Purana speaks about the Gandharvas, descendants of sage Kashyapa and his wife Muni. Therefore, they are also called Mauneyas. (According to Hindu Dictionary by Manurishi Foundation, the Mauneyas are a class of Gandharvas, who dwell beneath the earth, and are sixty millions in number.) They were fighting with the Nagas in the subterranean regions, whose dominions they seized and whose treasures they plundered. The Naga chiefs appealed to Vishnu for relief, and He promised to appear in the person of Purukutsa, son of King Mandhata, to help them. Thereupon the Nagas sent their sister Narmada to this Purukutsa, and she conducted him to the regions below, where he destroyed the Gandharvas. (According to the Ramayana similar Gandharvas were defeated by Bharata, the brother of Rama, and Hanuman.) The ninth khanda of the Bhagavata Purana also briefly mentions this story. The Bhagavata Purana narration is based on the incident which happened to King Pariksit. He was cursed by a young brahmana to die within seven days as a result of a snakebite. The boy thought the king had offended his father, who did not welcome the king in his ashrama being absorbed in deep med- itation. Thus the king left after putting a dead snake on sage's shoulder. The king decided to accept the curse as a will of providence and sat down at the bank of Ganges to prepare for his death. At that time the great young sage Shuka, the son of Vyasa, arrived there and the king asked him to explain the most important knowledge meant for a person about to die. Thus the sage started to narrate the great Purana. As a result the king attained self-realization. His son Janamejaya, however, became angry at the serpents and to revenge his father's death he started a great sacrifice meant to destroy all the serpents but later he stopped it to please the sage Astika, their relative. (Astika's father was the sage Jaratkaru who married Manasa, the sister of the Naga king Vasuki.) The whole story is narrated in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva. “Long ago, in the godly millennium, Prajapati Daksha had two brilliant and sinless daughters, amazing sisters who were gifted with great beauty. Named Kadru and Vinata, they both became wives of the pri- mordial sage Kashyapa, a husband who was equal in glory to the Prajapati. Being pleased with his reli- gious wive, Kashyapa, with much happiness, offered them both a boon. Hearing of Kashyapa's joyful intention to let them choose an extraordinary boon, the two excellent women felt an incomparable joy.” Kadru chose to create one thousand serpent sons, all of equal strength, and Vinata hankered to have two sons who would exceed all of Kadru's sons in stamina, strength, valor, and spiritual influence. Her hus- band awarded her only one and a half of these desired sons, knowing that she could not have more. Vinata then said to Kashyapa, “Let me have at least one superior son.” “Vinata felt that her purpose was satisfied and that somehow both sons would be of superior strength. Kadru too felt her purpose fulfilled, since she would have one thousand sons of equal prowess. Both wives were delighted with their boons. Then Kashyapa, that mighty ascetic, urging them to carry their embryos with utmost care, retired to the forest. After a long time Kadru produced one thousand eggs, O leader of brahmanas, and Vinata produced two eggs. Their delighted assistants placed the two sisters' eggs in moist vessels, where they remained for five hundred years. When the years had passed, the sons of Kadru hatched from their eggs, but from Vinata's two eggs her two sons were not to be seen. That austere and godly woman, anxious to have children, was ashamed. Thus Vinata broke open one egg and saw therein her son. Authorities say that the upper half of the child's body was fully developed, but the lower half was not yet well formed.” This son was Aruna, the charioteer of Surya, the sun god. His brother was the powerful Garuda, divine eagle, who became the carrier of Vishnu. Garuda is an avowed enemy of serpents who are his food. Krishna mentions him among the most prominent representatives of His power: “Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada, among subduers I am time, among beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda.” (Bhagavad-gita 10.30) 311 Appendix E: Dragons and Serpents The origin of the Naga race is described in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva: Atlantis, Alien Visitation, and Genetic Manipulation