Utanka - 4th type of student -- Gurudakshina

MahaBharata
AdiParva Section-III Paushya parva contd...

Veda, student of Dhaumya, after taken leave of his preceptor, lived his life as a teacher. He had a student named Utanka.
Once Veda went out of station to attend a Yajna, he appointed Utanka as head of his house and said 'do the needful'. Utanka has been faithfully discharging his duties, When females of the house said "Discharge your duties to the mistress of the house as a husband in the absence of her husband". To which Utanka said "My master has asked me to do what is needful and proper, I will not do this at your orders". Veda on returning, has praised Utanka and gave him leave after studies.
Possible meaning :
When a Guru gives an instruction, we have to see what it means, rather than taking literally.

Utanka wanted to give Gurudakshina to his Guru Veda. Veda asks him to go and talk to his wife. Gurupatni says "Go and fetch the two ear rings of the Queen, within 4 days, if you cannot do so, what good can you get in life". Utanka goes to king, on the road, he sees a Huge bull, and a Huge person sitting on the bull, who says to Utanka, "Eat the dung of this bull, your Guru also has done that before". On hearing this, Utanka eats the dung of the bull, and drinks the urine and cleans his mouth and goes to king. Utanka requests King Paushya to give the earrings of Queen. King Paushya directs him to go to the Queens chamber, where Utanka was unable to find Queen. He returns and asks Paushya again. For which Paushya says, you must not be clean. My queen is very chaste, you cannot see her if you are unclean. Then Utanka reflects on himself, and then finds that he has done his ablutions after meals while standing. He then does it properly, and goes to meet Queen. This time he sees queen, and she gives him the two ear rings before warning Utanka that Takshaka, the king of serpents is always after these earrings, so be careful.
Possible meaning :
Bull symbolises dharma. Dung symbolises the knowledge or wisdom. What comes out of dharma is wisdom. Earrings in sanskrit is 'Kundala', which means this 4th student might possibly be going in the way of Kundalini Yoga. There is a reference of serpent also in this passage which strengthens the argument.

Utanka while returning, sees an idle naked beggar, sometimes visible and sometimes not. Utanka puts the earrings down, and goes for water. The beggar immediately siezes the earrings and speeds away. Utanka then does his prayers to gods, and his guru, and then runs after him and catches hold of him. The thief quits the form of beggar and becomes Takshaka, the king of serpents, and enters a hole and disappears. Utanka starts digging the hole with a stick, and he is not able to. At this moment, Indra sends vajra (Thunderbolt) to his aid and vajra enters the stick. The hole becomes bigger, and Utanka enters the world of serpents, which are of huge numbers. Utanka praises the serpents and begs them to return the earrings. Having no result, he becomes thoughtful and sees two ladies who are weaving a cloth with black and white threads, a whee with 12 spokes rotated by 6 boys. Utanka also sees a man on horse.
Utanka praises the man on horse, "This wheel also has 24 divisions corresponding to lunar changes, 360 spokes, 6 boys are continuously rotating it. These two damsels are weaving a cloth which brings into existence the universe. O Protector of the universe, slayer of vritra and namuchi, who has agni (fire) as his horse, O Purandara, I bow to you".
the man on horse is pleased with this, and asks him to blow into the horse. Utanka blows into horse and it lets out fire and smoke in all directions which was consuming the snake-world. Takshaka begs for pardon and gives Utanka the rings. He returns to his Gurupatni and gives her the rings. She blesses him. Utanka goes and asks his Guru who is the person on bull, who are the two ladies, who is the person on the horse ?
Veda says, "the two damsels are Dhata and Vidhata. The wheel is the wheel of time of one year. the man on horse is Parjanya, and the horse is Agni. The bull is Airavata, king of elephants. Man on bull is Indra. The dung you ate is Amrita. since you ate the amrita you did not die at snake-world. I give you leave to go and live your life".
Utanka becomes very angry at Takshaka, and goes to king Janamejaya and provokes him to destroy Takshaka and do a snake sacrifice. Utanka reminds Janamejaya that Takshaka is the serpent that has killed his father. Janamejaya becomes enraged and orders for Snake sacrifice to avenge the death of his father.

MahaBharata
AdiParva Section-III Paushya parva Concluded