The Demand
Uttanka had spent years studying under the sage Veda. When he asked to leave, the sage's wife demanded *dakshina* — guru's fee: the earrings of Queen Madayanti, wife of King Paushya.
It was an impossible demand. Those earrings were valuable, guarded, belonging to royalty.
Uttanka went anyway. He obtained the earrings through his devotion and honesty. He was walking back when the serpent Takshaka — the king of snakes — snatched them from his hands and disappeared underground.
Below the Earth
Uttanka followed. He used a stick given by Indra to dig into the earth. He descended into the serpent world.
He praised the serpents in hymns. He recited verses honoring the naga world. The earrings were returned.
Krishna's Gift
As he emerged, Krishna appeared. He asked what Uttanka wanted as reward.
Uttanka was angry — he had suffered needlessly on account of Takshaka. He said he wanted to destroy all serpents.
Krishna calmed him. He offered Uttanka a gift: whenever Uttanka was thirsty in a desert, water would appear for him — from the disguised form of a hunter, as nectar from heaven.
Uttanka accepted and went home. His guru's wife put on the earrings. The *dakshina* was complete.