Shloka 25
Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)
आस्तीक: किल यज्ञं तं॑ वर्तन्तं भुजगोत्तमे । प्रतिषेत्स्यति मां पूर्व स्वयमाह पितामह:,'श्रेष्ठ नागकन्ये! पूर्वकालमें साक्षात् ब्रह्माजीने मुझसे कहा था--“आस्तीक उस यज्ञको बंद कर देगा”
Āstīkaḥ kila yajñaṃ taṃ vartantaṃ bhujagottame | pratiṣetsyati māṃ pūrvaṃ svayam āha pitāmahaḥ ||
قال شاونَكا: «يا أكرمَ بناتِ الأفاعي! ما دام ذلك القربان جارياً، فإن آستِيكا سيوقفه حقّاً. لقد أخبرني الجدّ الأكبر (براهما) بنفسه منذ زمن بعيد سلفاً أن آستِيكا سيضع حدّاً لتلك الشعيرة».
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a ritual is powerful and publicly sanctioned, dharma requires restraint when it becomes destructive. The verse frames Āstīka as the ethical counterforce who halts a mass-killing rite, showing that compassion and protection of life can supersede vengeance-driven ritual action.
Śaunaka addresses a serpent-maiden and recalls a prior divine assurance: Brahmā had foretold that Āstīka would stop the ongoing sacrifice. This points forward to Āstīka’s intervention in the snake-sacrifice, preventing the annihilation of the Nāgas.