Shloka 24

Śṛṅgī’s Curse on King Parikṣit

Parikṣit–Śṛṅgī–Takṣaka Causal Link

Devanagari script

अथवा संस्कृतं भोज्यं दूषयन्तु भुजड़मा: । स्वेन मूत्रपुरीषेण सर्वभोज्यविनाशिना,“अथवा सर्पगण उस यज्ञके संस्कारयुक्त भोज्य पदार्थको अपने मल-मूत्रोंद्वारा, जो सब प्रकारकी भोजन-सामग्रीका विनाश करनेवाले हैं, दूषित कर दें”

Transliteration

athavā saṁskṛtaṁ bhojyaṁ dūṣayantu bhujaṅgamāḥ | svena mūtrapurīṣeṇa sarvabhojyavināśinā ||

Translation

Oder aber: Die Schlangen sollen die für jenes Opfer geweihte Speise mit ihrem eigenen Urin und Kot verunreinigen—mit Unrat, der alle Vorräte verdirbt.

Word by Word

अथवाor else

संस्कृतम्well-prepared, consecrated

भोज्यम्food (to be eaten)

दूषयन्तुlet them defile/spoil

भुजङ्गमाःserpents

स्वेनwith their own

मूत्रपुरीषेणwith urine and feces

सर्वभोज्यविनाशिनाdestroying all food

Speaker

शेष उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śeṣa

bhujaṅgamāḥ (serpents)

saṁskṛta-bhojya (consecrated sacrificial food)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that violating purity—especially in a yajña—can be a potent form of harm. It frames deliberate contamination as an ethically blameworthy tactic that destroys communal and sacred goods without direct confrontation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śeṣa proposes (or warns of) a possible action by the serpent hosts: to ruin the sacrifice by polluting the consecrated food offerings with urine and feces, thereby rendering the ritual provisions unusable.