Jaratkaru

Jaratkaru
Jaratkaru abandons his wife Manasa, depiction of the Mahabharata scene

Jaratkaru is a rishi (sage) in Hindu mythology. He is the husband of the serpent-goddess Manasa and father of their son Astika. He appears as a subordinate character in the tales of Manasa and Astika.

Jaratkaru is described as a great learned sage who practises severe asceticism. Though he wants to remain celibate, he marries Manasa on persuasion of his dead ancestors, who are doomed to fall to hell if he does not procreate. The marriage fails, with hardly any emotional bond between the couple. Jaratkaru finally forsakes Manasa when she wakes him from his deep slumber and he feels insulted. However, he impregnates her before leaving her forever. Manasa gives birth to Astika in his absence. Little is known about his early life before meeting Manasa or his later life, after abandoning her.

Jaratkaru appears in the tales of Astika and Manasa in the Hindu scriptures Mahabharata, the Devi Bhagavata Purana, and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana. The tale of Astika is narrated twice in Astika Parva chapter of the first Book of the Mahabharata, Adi Parva. He is also a character in folk tales related to the worship of his wife, the snake goddess.

The Hindu epic Mahabharata narrates that Jaratkaru was born in the lineage of the Yayavara Brahmins and was the only heir of the clan. The etymology of his name is explained in the epic. Jara means "consumption" and Karu is "monstrous"; the sage had a huge body, which he reduced (consumed) by austerities. Thus, he was called Jaratkaru.

In the first, shorter telling, Jaratkaru is described as being as powerful as a Prajapati, having performed severe tapas (austerities) and practised the vow of celibacy (Brahmacharya). In the second version, Jaratkaru is called a scholar of the Vedas and its branches, "controlled, great-spirited", and observant of great vows and austerities.