Shloka 21

Devanagari script

आस्तीक उवाच सायं प्रातर्ये प्रसन्नात्मरूपा लोके विप्रा मानवा ये परेडपि । धमखियान ये पठेयुर्ममेद॑ तेषां युष्मन्नैव किंचिद्‌ भयं स्यथात्‌,आस्तीकने कहा--नागगण! लोकमें जो ब्राह्मण अथवा कोई दूसरा मनुष्य प्रसन्नचित्त होकर मेरे इस धर्ममय उपाख्यानका पाठ करे, उसे आपलोगोंसे कोई भय न हो

Transliteration

Āstīka uvāca: sāyaṃ prātar ye prasannātmarūpā loke viprā mānavā ye pare ’pi | dharmākhyānaṃ ye paṭheyuḥ mamedaṃ teṣāṃ yuṣman-naiva kiñcid bhayaṃ syāt ||

Translation

قال آستِيكا: «سواءً في المساء أو في الصباح، فإنّ أيَّ براهمن في هذا العالم—بل أيَّ إنسانٍ كان—إذا تلا حكايتي هذه المفعمة بالدارما بقلبٍ راضٍ مطمئن، فلن يكون له منكم خوفٌ البتّة، يا جموع الأفاعي.»

Word by Word

• {'āstīkaḥ': 'Āstīka (proper name), the sage who intervenes in the snake-sacrifice', 'uvāca': 'said', 'sāyam': 'in the evening', 'prātaḥ': 'in the morning', 'ye': 'who(ever)', 'prasanna-ātma-rūpāḥ': 'of tranquil, pleased disposition

• serene-minded', 'loke': 'in the world', 'viprāḥ': 'Brahmins', 'mānavāḥ': 'human beings, people', 'pare ’pi': 'even others (besides Brahmins)', 'dharma-ākhyānam': 'a narrative/legend that teaches dharma

• righteous account', 'paṭheyuḥ': 'should recite/read', 'mama idam': 'this of mine', 'teṣām': 'for them', 'yuṣmat': 'from you (plural), i.e., the serpents', 'na eva': 'certainly not', 'kiñcit': 'any, even a little', 'bhayam': 'fear, danger', 'syāt': 'would be/shall be'}

Speaker

आस्तीक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Āstīka
• Nāgagaṇa (serpent hosts)
• Vipra (Brahmins)
• Mānava (people/humans)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Reciting a dharma-oriented sacred narrative with a calm and pure mind is presented as spiritually efficacious and protective; ethical listening/recitation (śravaṇa–pāṭha) is linked to freedom from fear and harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Āstīka addresses the serpent hosts and declares a boon-like assurance: anyone—Brahmin or otherwise—who recites his dharma-account morning and evening with a serene mind will not be harmed by the Nāgas.