In Hindu mythology, Takshaka is the nāga king who bites King Parikshit after the king is cursed to die by snakebite.
The episode appears in the Mahabharata and is developed in the first book of the Bhagavata Purana. Parikshit, the Pandava king and descendant of Arjuna, insults the sage Shamika by placing a dead snake around his neck. The sage’s son, Śṛṅgi, curses him to die within seven days from the bite of a serpent king. Takshaka fulfills the curse by killing Parikshit.
Parikshit’s son, Janamejaya, later conducts the Sarpa Satra, or snake sacrifice, to destroy all serpents in revenge. Takshaka escapes destruction through the intervention of the sage Astika, who persuades Janamejaya to stop the ritual.
Takshaka is sometimes confused with Shesha and Vasuki, other major nāgas. Shesha is associated with the cosmic serpent couch of Vishnu, while Vasuki serves as the churning rope in the churning of the ocean episode.