Shloka 4

Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा भवत्सकाशाद्ि पितुर्वत्तमशेषत: । कल्याणं प्रतिपत्स्यामि विपरीतं न जातुचित्‌,आपलोगोंसे अपने पिताके सम्बन्धमें सारा वृत्तान्त सुनकर ही मुझे शान्ति प्राप्त होगी; अन्यथा मैं कभी शान्त न रह सकूँगा

Transliteration

śrutvā bhavat-sakāśād api pitur vṛttam aśeṣataḥ | kalyāṇaṃ pratipatsyāmi viparītaṃ na jātucit ||

Translation

Janamejaya sprach: „Erst nachdem ich von euch, vollständig und ohne Auslassung, den ganzen Bericht über meinen Vater vernommen habe, werde ich Frieden und Wohlergehen erlangen. Andernfalls werde ich niemals, zu keiner Zeit, zur Ruhe kommen.“

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि, —, —, —

• भवत्सकाशात्: from your presence / from you
• भवत्सकाशात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् + सकाश
• Form: पुं, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• पितुः: of (my) father
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: पुं, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• वृत्तम्: account, narrative
• वृत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त
• Form: नपुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अशेषतः: entirely, without remainder
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अशेषतस्
• Form: true

• कल्याणम्: welfare, peace, well-being
• कल्याणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्याण
• Form: नपुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रतिपत्स्यामि: I shall attain / obtain
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + पद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), परस्मैपद, उत्तम, एकवचन

• विपरीतम्: the opposite (state)
• विपरीतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपरीत
• Form: नपुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: true

• जातु: ever, at any time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु
• Form: true

• चित्: even (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित्
• Form: true

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Janamejaya's father (Parikshit, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical commitment to seek complete and truthful knowledge before reaching inner resolution: peace (kalyāṇa) arises from hearing the full account (aśeṣataḥ vṛttam), not from partial reports or assumptions.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya, distressed about what happened to his father, urges the narrator to recount the entire story in full. He states that only such a complete narration will bring him peace; otherwise he will remain unsettled.