Vedantic Tales: The Discipleship of
Sri Nag , The Cobra

For several days thereafter the boys approached Sri Nag in the same cautious way. He made no move, not even to enter the temple, and after a time they began hurting rocks directly at him. Their aim was good and their strong young arms were like catapults. They could hear a rhythmic murmuring sound come from him, but still he lay quiet. The boys decided that the cobra was sick and saw their chance for more thrilling deviltry. Their leader, Sri Nag's longtime and boldest enemy, took him by his tail, whirled him round and round, and dashed him to the ground. Each boy, five in all, had his turn at this, until finally, hearing a loud humming-hissing from the cobra, which they took to be the final breath escaping from his broken and inert body, they left him for dead, laughing as they went. Only their leader felt a pang of regret, for now his favorite sport was over. Sri Nag lay unmoving for some time, then slowly he dragged himself into the darkness of the temple.

'Oh, my dear husband!' Uma exclaimed on seeing him. 'What have they done to you? Why did you not chase them off? Why did you not strike them? I myself could have done so!'

Sri Nag painfully shook his head. He ached from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail; some of his ribs were broken, and here and there his skin was badly torn. He silently repeated his mantra.

Uma nursed him as best she could. He had forbidden her to bring mice or frogs to him. He would take only a vegetarian diet, and although he encouraged her to hunt for herself and the children, she declined. Her husband's life was her life, and the children must follow the ways of their father. She totally erased from her mind the unthinkable thought that her husband might have lost his wits, or, worse, his cobraliness.

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