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 ||
শৌনক বললেন—“হে শ্রেষ্ঠ নাগকন্যে! এই যজ্ঞ চলাকালেই আস্তীক নিশ্চয়ই একে থামাবে। বহু পূর্বে স্বয়ং পিতামহ ব্রহ্মা আমাকে আগেই বলেছিলেন—আস্তীক এই ক্রিয়ার সমাপ্তি ঘটাবে।”
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.