Shloka 12
Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)
वसामेदोवहा: कुल्या नागानां सम्प्रवर्तिता: । ववौ गन्धश्च तुमुलो दह्तामनिशं तदा,नागोंकी चर्बी और मेदसे भरे हुए कितने ही नाले बह चले। निरन्तर जलनेवाले सर्पोंकी तीखी दुर्गन्ध चारों ओर फैल रही थी
śaunaka uvāca |
vasāmedovahāḥ kulyā nāgānāṃ sampravartitāḥ |
vavau gandhaś ca tumulo dahyatām aniśaṃ tadā ||
قال شَوْنَكَة: «جرت قنواتٌ تحمل شحومَ الحيّات ونُخاعَها. وفي ذلك الحين، إذ كانت الأفاعي تحترق بلا انقطاع، انتشرت في كل مكان رائحةٌ كريهةٌ عاتيةٌ خانقة.»
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between ritual authority and compassion: when a rite becomes driven by vengeance and causes indiscriminate suffering, its outward sanctity is morally compromised, reminding the listener to weigh intention and consequence in dharma.
During the snake-sacrifice context, the serpents are being burned continuously; their fat and marrow are imagined as flowing in channels, while an intense stench spreads—an emphatic depiction of the scale and horror of the destruction.