What is "uttanka"

In Hindu mythology, Uttanka, also spelled Utanka, is a rishi (sage) who resided in the Maru desert. The primary source of this account is found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

In the earliest version, Uttanka is described as the disciple of the sage Veda. In the second version, his guru is Gautama. In both legends, he is a learned sage who goes through many hurdles in procuring the earrings demanded by his guru's wife as the fee for the teacher ( gurudakshina). The Nagas (serpents) steal the earrings, and the gods Indra and Agni help Uttanka to retrieve them from the realm of the serpents. Uttanka is said to have advised King Janamejaya to take revenge against Takshaka, the king of the Nagas, as the latter was responsible for his father Parikshit's death by snake bite.

Uttanka is one of the few persons described to have seen the Vishvarupa (Universal form) of the god Krishna. Krishna blessed Uttanka with a boon that would quench his thirst whenever he remembered him. From then on, the rare clouds that bring showers in the desert have been called "Uttanka's clouds".