Uttanga was the disciple of Veda, who was himself a disciple of Aapodadhaumya.
Once, when the guru had to leave the ashram for a few days, he left all the responsibilities to Uttanga. Before the guru came back, his wife had the desire for a child. She advised Uttanga not to waste her desire, but he did not agree. The guru’s other wives also tried to persuade him, but he told them that the guru had not asked him to do such a deed. When Veda returned, he was happy to hear of this and blessed Uttanga, as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 3.
Later, after he finished his education, he asked the guru what he would like as a gurudakshina. The guru asked Uttanga to give him whatever his wife desired. The wife decided to use this opportunity to take revenge for the slight. She asked him to go to the king Paushia, and ask for his wife’s earrings as alms. On his way, he saw a huge bull and a huge man astride it. The man advised Uttanga to eat the bull’s faeces but Uttanga hesitated. The man told him not to hesitate and that even his guru Veda had done the same. Uttanga ate the bull’s faeces and proceeded to the king’s palace. The king asked him the reason for his visit. Uttanga told him the guru’s wife’s desire and the king agreed to give him the earrings. Uttanga was asked to meet the queen, but when he visited her quarters, he couldn’t find her. He returned and updated the king, who after thinking for a while, told Uttanga that he must have consumed faeces since only such people weren’t able to see her. Because of her chastity, she remained invisible to impure people. Uttanga admitted his impurity and after sitting down facing the east, he cleaned his arms and legs, gulped 3 mouthfuls of water that was without heat or bubbles, applied water to his genitals and completed his ablutions. He was then able to see the queen and he then humbly requested her for the earrings. The queen was impressed by his humility and gave it to him. She also told him that it was coveted by Thakshaka and he should therefore be careful while carrying it. Uttanga then went back to the king and was invited for lunch. The rice happened to be cold and Uttanga also discovered hair in the rice. Uttanga cursed that the king would be blind and the king in turn cursed that Uttanga would be childless. After a while, their tempers subsided and they released each other from the curses.
Uttanga started out on his return journey and on the way back, saw a naked mendicant, who began following him. When Uttanga reached a water body and kept the earrings down while he washed himself, the mendicant ran away with the earrings. But Uttanga ran behind him and managed to catch him. The mendicant happened to be Thakshaka in disguise, and he took his own form and escaped into a hole. When Uttanga stood there wondering what to do next, Indra took pity on him and send the vajra to his aid. The vajra dug a hole for Uttanga so he could follow Thakshaka. Uttanga reached patala and chanted a mantra to bring out the snake, but Thakshaka did not appear. He then saw two women weaving. One machine had white and black threads. It also had a wheel run by six young men and had twelve beads. He also saw a man and a horse there. He greeted them and the horse and the man approached. The man told him to blow into the horse’ anus to bring the snakes out. As soon as Uttanga did that, fire began to come out of all the horse’ orifices. Soon the abode of the nagas was filled with smoke. Thakshaka was frightened and gave the earrings to Uttanga. But by then, the time that the guru’s wife had given for the task was getting over. When Uttanga was wondering how to get back to the hermitage before the sun set, the man gave Uttanga the horse. Back in the hermitage the guru’s wife was about to curse Uttanga. But the horse helped Uttanga reach on time. As per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 3, Uttanga was blessed by the guru and his wife for completing the task.
Uttanga told the guru all that had transpired. The guru told Uttanga that the two women who were weaving were Dhata and Vidhata. The balck and white threads were night and day. The wheel was the a samvatsara and the six young men were the six seasons. The bull that he had seen earlier was Airavata. The horse was Indra and the man, Agni. The faeces he had consumed was amrit, and that was why Uttanga hadn’t died in nagaloka. Indra had helped Uttanga because the guru was his friend, and that was why he was able to regain the earrings.
Uttanga decided to get back at Thakshaka, who had tormented him. As soon as he left the ashram, he went to Hastinapura and met Janamejaya. It was Uttanga who informed Janamejaya that Thakshaka had killed his father Parikshit, and encouraged him to conduct the sarpasatra, as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 3.
See Dhundhumara for Uttanga and Dhundhumara.
Uttanga stayed in a hermitage in Oojvalaka, but traveled to various holy places in his old age. Once, a hunter named Gulika tried to steal the tiles of the spire of a Vishnu temple in Sauveera. He happened to see Uttanga while he was at it and tried to kill Uttanga, who told him that he would have to suffer in many births if he committed the crimes. The hunter was deeply affected by this. He sought forgiveness and then immediately died. Uttanga sprinkled water from the Ganga on him, and the hunter’s soul attained moksha. The sage then prayed to Vishnu to make his faith unshakable. Vishnu appeared before Uttanga and asked him to meditate in Badri. As per Naradiyapurana, Uttanga did that and attained moksha. The Mahabharata Ashwamedhaparva Chapters 53-58, named Utangopakhyana, has the story of a sage named Utanga, which does not differ much from that of Uttanga. The variances are as below.
Utanga was the disciple of Ahalya’s husband Gautama, who liked him more than the other disciples. Despite sending all the other disciples away, he let Utanga stay on at the hermitage. In time, Utanga became old.
Once Utanga went to fetch wood, and when he came back, he was so tired that he collapsed. The guru was saddened and asked him why he was this tired. Utanga told him that though he had completed hundred years at the hermitage, the guru had not given him permission to go and it was because of this sorrow that he had started becoming old. Gautama gave him permission to go and Utanga asked him what he wanted as gurudakshina. Gautama consulted Ahalya and told him that Ahalya wanted the diamond earrings worn by the queen of King Saudasa, a cannibal king. Utanga set out immediately and met Saudasa on the way. Though Utanga told Saudasa his story, the king tried to eat him. Utanga said that he would willingly be food for Saudasa after he had performed his gurudakshina duty. Saudasa agreed and sent Utanga to his queen Madayanti. Madayanti told Utanga that the earrings were coveted by devas , yakshas and sages and if they were kept them on the ground, they would be stolen by snakes, and so she needed some proof that Utanga had been sent by her husband. Utanga returned to Saudasa, got the proof and thus the earrings. Saudasa told him that he needn’t return. Utanga started his return journey immediately, and on the way hung the earrings, contained in a deerskin bag, on a blue lotus plant and started eating its fruits. The bag opened and the earrings fell down. A snake immediately took them and vanished into a termite hill nearby. Utanga fell from the tree in his grief and dug the hill for 35 days. Indra took pity on him, appeared there and sent the vajra into the hill. It created a huge hole through which Utanga descended, and reached patala. After a while, a white horse with a black tail appeared before him, and asked him to blow into its anus. Utanga understood that this was Agni and did that, upon which fire came out of all the horse’ orifices. The snake was alarmed and gave back the earrings, which Utanga then gave to Gautama.
Once Utanga saw Krishna, who was on his way to Dwaraka and started having a conversation with him. After some time, he began to curse Krishna for not trying to bring peace between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Krishna showed him the vishwarupa. Utanga bowed before him and Krishna told him to ask for any boon. Utanga told him that he was going to a desert and requested for water there. Krishna told him to just remember him when required.
Later Utanga became thirsty in the desert and prayed to Krishna. Immediately, he saw an outcast there with a pack of dogs, carrying water. Though he offered water to Utanga, he hesitated, even when the outcast pressed him. The outcast then disappeared. A little later, an entity with a conch, mace and chakra appeared there, who Utanga understood was Krishna. Utanga told Krishna that it was not right to send water to a brahmin via an outcast. Krishna told him that he had asked Indra to give Utanga amrit but Indra had said that it was not right to give it to a mortal. Krishna had continued arguing and finally Indra ahad greed that he would give it, but appear in the form of an outcast. If Utanga did not accept it, it wouldn’t be Indra’s fault. Krishna had agreed. Krishna told Utanga that it was now not possible to give him amrit, but in the desert he would come across rain clouds, and they would henceforth be named after him.
