Shloka 20
Jaratkāru’s Conditional Marriage Vow and Vāsuki’s Offer (जरत्कारु-विवाह-नियमः)
तेन शप्तो<5सि राजेन्द्र पितुरज्ञातमद्य वै । तक्षक: सप्तरात्रेण मृत्युस्तव भविष्यति,राजेन्द्र! उस ऋषिकुमारने आज अपने पिताके अनजानमें ही आपके लिये यह शाप दिया है कि “आजसे सात रातके बाद ही तक्षक नाग आपकी मृत्युका कारण हो जायगा”
tena śapto 'si rājendra pitur ajñātam adya vai | takṣakaḥ saptarātreṇa mṛtyus tava bhaviṣyati rājendra ||
Gauramukha sprach: „O bester der Könige, heute bist du verflucht worden—obgleich es ohne Wissen des Vaters geschah. In sieben Nächten wird Takṣaka, der Nāga, die Ursache deines Todes sein, o König.“
गौरयुख उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even unintended or indirectly authorized actions (a curse uttered without a father’s knowledge) can carry binding moral force; a ruler is not exempt from consequences, and impulsive wrongdoing can invite disproportionate retribution.
Gauramukha informs the king that he has been cursed: within seven nights the nāga Takṣaka will cause his death. This announcement sets the countdown that drives the subsequent events surrounding the king’s response to impending death.