Shloka 24
Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)
स कदाचिद् वनगतो मृगं विव्याध पत्रिणा । विद्ध्वा चान्वसरत् तूर्ण तं॑ मृगं गहने वने
sa kadācid vanagato mṛgaṁ vivyādha patriṇā | viddhvā cānvasarat tūrṇaṁ taṁ mṛgaṁ gahane vane ||
Einst ging er in den Wald und durchbohrte ein Reh mit einem befiederten Pfeil. Nachdem er es getroffen hatte, setzte er dem verwundeten Tier eilends nach, tief hinein in das dichte Gehölz.
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a moral causality: a seemingly ordinary act (wounding a deer) initiates a chain of consequences. It highlights how impulsive violence and pursuit can draw one into deeper entanglement, inviting reflection on restraint and responsibility (dharma) in action.
A man goes into the forest, shoots a deer with a feathered arrow, and then quickly chases the wounded animal into a dense part of the forest, preparing the ground for the events that follow in the story.