Shloka 9

आदि पर्व — अध्याय 39: तक्षक–काश्यप संवादः, न्यग्रोधसंजीवनम्, पारिक्षितोपायः

Devanagari script

तत्‌ करोत्वेष नागेन्द्र: प्राप्तकालं वच: स्वयम्‌ । विनशिष्यन्ति ये पापा न तु ये धर्मचारिण:,ये नागराज समय आनेपर स्वयं तदनुसार ही कार्य करें। जनमेजयके यज्ञमें पापी सर्प ही नष्ट होंगे, किंतु जो धर्मात्मा हैं वे नहीं

Transliteration

tat karotveṣa nāgendraḥ prāptakālaṃ vacaḥ svayam | vinaśiṣyanti ye pāpā na tu ye dharmacāriṇaḥ ||

Translation

Darum soll der Herr der Schlangen aus eigenem Antrieb handeln, gemäß dem Wort, das zur rechten Zeit wirksam wird. Im Opfer Janamejayas werden nur die sündigen Schlangen zugrunde gehen; wer nach Dharma lebt, wird nicht vernichtet.

Word by Word

तत्that (act/thing)

करोतुlet (him) do / may (he) do

वैindeed

एषःthis (one)

नागेन्द्रःlord of serpents

प्राप्तकालम्at the proper time / timely

वचःword, instruction

स्वयम्himself

विनशिष्यन्तिperish, are destroyed

येthose who

पापाःsinful, wicked

नnot

तुbut

येthose who

धर्मचारिणःpractisers of dharma, righteous (ones)

Speaker

एलापत्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Elapatra

Nāgendra (serpent-king)

Janamejaya

Sarpa (serpents)

Yajña (sacrifice)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts moral differentiation in the face of collective danger: destruction falls upon the sinful, while those who adhere to dharma are protected. It frames the coming calamity (the snake-sacrifice) as ethically selective rather than indiscriminate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Elapatra addresses the serpent leadership, urging the serpent-king to act at the right moment according to sound counsel. He anticipates Janamejaya’s snake-sacrifice and predicts that only the culpable serpents will be consumed by it, not the righteous.