Finally the neurotic and dull headed Nahusha lost his cool and kicked the holiest among the seven sages called him snake, snake you snake move faster. Agastya got angry when Nahusha kicked him and beat him with a wip and called him snake. He wanted to teach the arrogant Nahisha, a lesson. He said angrily, "You arrogant and licentious wretch how dare you call me a snake and put me to shame! Let you 'Sarpobhava duracharavane ghoravapurmahan', be a snake live in a terrible jungle for thousand of years."Sense dawned on Nahusha when he heard the sage's curse. He fell at Agastya's feet and begged for forgiveness. Agastya being a great tapasvi, anger was not one of his prominent qualities. He relented. His heart melted and said,"Lo Nahusha, you have repented and begged for mercy. I am going to pardon you. I cannot take back my curse, you have to suffer as a snake for thousand years in a forest, but after a few thousand of years in a forest Yudhishtra, the eldest among the Pandavas would come to the forest. During that time you would swallow a few of his men and trouble him a lot. You would demand answers to a number of questions and he would answer every question satisfactorily. Then you will get your original form." Thus the sage assured salvation to Nahusha. Immediately Nahusha turned into a huge python and fell from heaven into a deep jungle. The devas went to Lake Manasa and took Devendra who was hiding in a lotus stem, back to heaven and restored to him his title. Shachi Devi was saved by the grace of Goddess Bhuvaneswari. She got back her husband and began to live with him happily. Later when Yudhishtra went to the forest, Nahusha was blessed by him and got himself freed from the curse. Thus Agastya with great forbearance and the strength of his tapas saved Shachi from ignomity which she would have suffered at the hands of Nahusha, taught a lesson to the arrogant and trecherous Nahusha and suffered ignomity for the sake of the welfare of the world. This is the real duty of those who devote their lives for others.
Agnideva born as Agastya
According to certain Puranas we come to know that Agnideva was born as Agastya. Devas and danavas were always enemies. They would be fighting each other constantly. On one such occasion Devendra ordered Agnideva and Vayu deva to fight against the demons and destroy them. Accordingly the two some had a terrible battle with the demons and killed most of them. Those who remained ran for their lives and hide themselves under an ocean. Agni Deva and Vayu Deva thought that those demons hiding in the ocean would be ineffective and they would not come out and trouble devas. Therefore they returned to heaven. When Devendra came to know what the two had done he called them and commanded them to go back and destroy the demons forthwith.On that occasion Agni Deva and Vayu Deva said, "O Devendra, there are millions of living things in the ocean. They do no harm anyone. If we get into the ocean to search for the demons, most of these living beings would die. It is not good to do so."Devendra was not in a mood to listen. He became angrier. He thought that those wicked demons should be destroyed somehow and if some living beings got killed in the process it was inconsequential and there was no question of injustice. He was very angry and shouted at the two,"Lo Agni and Vayu, you did not do what I had asked you to do. You have not done your duty and now you have begun teaching me what is right and what is wrong. Go and be born as humans on the earth and you can have long discussions on rights and wrongs of things. Get out of my sight." This way he heaped a curse on Agni Dev aand Vayu Deva. He continued and said to Agni Deva."When you born on the earth you have to drink the water of the ocean and dry it."Accordingly Agni and Vayu were born on the earth as Agastya and Vasishta repectively. Agni who was born as Agastya had to drain the water of the ocean in which the demons called Kaleyas were hiding so that they could be killed by the devas. Great men are born to serve and save the world from disasters and their greatness is unfathomable.