Mahabharata 1.37.9 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 37, Shloka 9
Śṛṅgī’s Curse on King Parikṣit
Parikṣit–Śṛṅgī–Takṣaka Causal Link
यथा स यज्ञो न भवेद् यथा वापि पराभव: । जनमेजयस्य सर्पाणां विनाशकरणाय वै,सर्पोके विनाशके लिये आरम्भ होनेवाला जनमेजयका यज्ञ जिस प्रकार टल जाय अथवा जिस तरह उसमें विघ्न पड़ जाय, वह उपाय हमें सोचना चाहिये
yathā sa yajño na bhaved yathā vāpi parābhavaḥ | janamejayasya sarpāṇāṁ vināśa-karaṇāya vai ||
Śeṣa sprach: „Wir müssen ein Mittel ersinnen, damit jenes Opfer Janamejayas, das zur Vernichtung der Schlangen unternommen wird, entweder gar nicht erst stattfindet oder, wenn es stattfindet, vereitelt und zum Scheitern gebracht wird.“
शेष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights strategic and ethical reflection in the face of collective punishment: when a destructive ritual is set in motion, those threatened seek lawful or prudent means to prevent it or cause its failure, implying that power exercised through ritual should be examined for justice and proportionality.
Śeṣa, speaking on behalf of the serpent community, recognizes that King Janamejaya’s sacrifice is intended to exterminate the serpents. He urges that they think of a way to stop the sacrifice from being performed or to create an obstacle that makes it unsuccessful.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.