Takshak Sanskrit: तक्षक is the Nagaraja in Hinduism as well as Buddhism. He is subject in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was king of Nagas. He was one of the sons of Kadru.
Takshaka is call in Chinese as well as Japanese mythology as being one of the "eight Great Dragon Kings" 八大龍王 Hachi Ryuu-ou, they are the only snakes which can cruise and also allocated as the near venomous snakes, amongst Nanda Nagaraja, Upananda, Sagara Shakara, Vasuki, Balavan, Anavatapta and Utpala.
Takshaka is mentioned as a King of the Nagas at 1,3. Takshaka is mentioned as the friend of Indra, the king of gods, at 1-225,227,230. Takshaka, formerly dwelt in Kurukshetra and the forest of Khandava modern-day Delhi 1,3. Takshaka and Aswasena were fixed companions who lived in Kurukshetra on the banks of the Ikshumati 1,3. Srutasena, the younger brother of Takshaka, resided at the holy place called Mahadyumna with a conception to obtaining the chiefship of the serpents 1,3. He was 4th king of Kamyaka.
According to Shrimad Bhagavatam, Takshaka belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty. He was a descendant of Shri Rama. The earn of Takshaka's son was Brihadbala, who was killed in battle by Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna.
Takshaka lived in the Khandav forest1,225. Nagas lived there with other tribes like the Pisacha, Rakshasas and Daityas and Danavas clans of Asuras 1,227. Arjuna burned that forest at the behest of Agni. At that time the Naga chief Takshaka was not there, having gone to Kurukshetra. But Aswasena, the mighty son of Takshaka, was there. Arjuna slew Takshaka's wife, the mother of Aswasena. But Aswasena escaped 1-229,230 4,2. To revenge upon the slaughter of his mother, Aswasena attacked Arjuna during Kurukshetra War 8,90 9,61, while he was battling with Karna. Aswasena is mentioned here as born in the shape of Airavata 8,90. The demon architect Mayasura who came there after Lord Shiva warned him of the fall of Tripura is mentioned as escaping from the abode of Takshaka when Khandava Forest was burned 1,230 though some stories portray him as coming out to bow before Krishna and then guiding the Pandavas to a cave where an ancient treasure horde that also had the Gandeeva bow in it.
After King Parikshit was cursed by a sage's son to die by a snake bite for insulting his father, Takshaka came to fulfil the curse. Takshaka did the deed by approaching in disguise 1,50 and biting Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna and thus slaying him, while he was meditating on Lord Vishnu. He also prevented the possibility of getting any medical aid to the king, by bribing a priest in the Kasyapa clan, who was an excellent in curing people from snake-poisoning 1,43.
Later King Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, fought a war at Takshasila 1,3 and expelled the Nagas headed by Takshaka from there too.
Utanka soon became another victim while he was passing through the domain of Takshaka. By visiting Janamejaya, Utanka invoked the ire of that Kuru king, which was directed at its full force, towards Takshaka and the Naga race. Janamejaya started a campaign at Takshasila where he massacred the Nagas, with the intent of exterminating the Naga manner 1,52. Takshaka left his territory and escaped to the Deva territory where he sought certificate from Deva king Indra 1,53. But Janamejaya's men traced him and brought him as a prisoner in formation to execute him along with the other Naga chiefs 1,56. At that time, a learned sage named Astika, a boy in age, came and interfered. His mother Manasa was a Naga and father was a Brahmin. Janamejaya had to listen to the words of the learned Astika and set Takshaka free. He also stopped the massacre of the Nagas and ended all the enmity with them 1,56. From then on, the Nagas and Kurus lived in peace. Janamejaya became a peace-loving king as well.