Yagnasoma was silent and walked away from his brother’s house. He went back to his house and told his wife that they would set out on their journey and only Heaven would help them.
The couple started with their journey.
They soon reached a dense forest. This forest had a monstrous serpent in it.
Just as Yagnasoma’s luck would have it, as soon as they entered the forest, the serpent swallowed Yagnasoma.
When Yagnasoma’s wife saw this, she fell on the ground and wept.
The serpent studied the woman. “Why are you crying?”
“What else can I do when you have deprived me of my only means to live on alms. Who will give alms to a woman? I need my husband for that. And you have swallowed him.”
The serpent frowned for some time and then opened his mouth.
From the serpent’s mouth, there came a vessel of gold.
The serpent gave the woman the gold vessel. “You can take this vessel to receive alms.”
Yagnasoma’s wife was in despair. “No one would give alms to a woman, even if she asked for it with a golden vessel.”
The snake however smiled and revealed the secret of the golden vessel to the woman.
Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara
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