Lord Of Earrings

 

After completion of his education, Uttanka asked his guru Gautama what he should give as gurudakshina. Gautama asked Uttanka to marry his daughter. Uttanka agreed and then he asked Gautama's wife, Ahalya, what she wanted. Ahalya told him she wanted the earrings worn by the wife of King Saudasa. Uttanka promised her he would get those earrings and then set out on his journey. Uttanka met Saudasa in a deserted forest. Saudasa was cursed by Sage Vasishta to become a cannibal and was about to eat Uttanka, when Uttanka said he had to accomplish the task of getting earrings to his guru's wife and would come back to him after he accomplishes it. Saudasa agreed. Uttanka then asked him where his wife was. Saudasa told Uttanka that he would be able to meet his wife Madayanti, near a forest fountain. Uttanka thanked him and then met Madayanti and asked for her earrings. She gave him the earrings and asked him to guard it well as it was a "celestial earring". She told him that those earrings were magical and would produce gold and at night it would shine like the stars! Whoever wears those earrings would be free of hunger, thirst and any sort of danger. Uttanka then went back to Saudasa and cleverly escaped from being eaten by him by a play of words. He then went with the earrings to present it to Ahalya. But on the way he became hungry and placed the earring down and climbed a Bilva tree to eat the fruit. At that time, a snake took the earrings and entered an anthill. When Uttanka noticed this, he threw a staff at the anthill. He then dug the earth for 35 days but to no avail! Then Lord Indra appeared with his green horses and told Uttanka that he would be unable to reach the nether regions by digging the earth with only a staff. So, Indra helped him accomplish his task by throwing his weapon, the thunderbolt, which then opened a path to the nether regions. Uttanka entered the nether region and noticed a black horse with a white tail. It said it was the guru of his guru and asked him to blow into it's Apana duct and he will get the earrings. When Uttanka blew, there was fire and smoke everywhere and the Nagas (snakes) were petrified! So,they immediately gave Uttanka the earrings. Uttanka happily took the earrings and presented it to Ahalya.