Shloka 22
Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)
मन्त्रिण ऊचु. स राजा पृथिवीपाल: सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वर: । बभूव मृगयाशीलस्तव राजन् पिता सदा
mantriṇa ūcuḥ | sa rājā pṛthivīpālaḥ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | babhūva mṛgayāśīlas tava rājan pitā sadā |
মন্ত্ৰীসকলে ক’লে—সেই ৰজা পৃথিৱীৰ পালনকৰ্তা আৰু অস্ত্ৰধাৰীৰ মাজত শ্ৰেষ্ঠ আছিল। হে ৰাজন, তোমাৰ পিতা সদায় মৃগয়া—শিকাৰ—ত আসক্ত আছিল।
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kingship as guardianship (pṛthivīpāla) and martial excellence, while also noting a ruler’s personal habits—here, constant hunting—implying that a king’s inclinations shape his conduct and can become ethically significant in later events.
In response to the king’s inquiry, the ministers describe Janamejaya’s father as a powerful, exemplary warrior-king, yet one who was always fond of hunting, setting context for subsequent developments connected with that habit.