Shloka 3
आदि पर्व — अध्याय ५५: पाण्डव-कौरववैरस्य संक्षेपवृत्तान्तः
Synopsis of the Pāṇḍava–Kaurava Estrangement
यमस्य यज्ञो हरिमेधसश्न यथा यज्ञो रन्तिदेवस्य राज्ञ: | तथा यज्ञोडयं तव भारताग्रय पारिक्षित स्वस्ति नोअस्तु प्रियेभ्य:,जनमेजय! यमराजका यज्ञ, हरिमेधाका यज्ञ तथा राजा रन्तिदेवका यज्ञ जिस प्रकार श्रेष्ठ गुणोंसे सम्पन्न था, वैसे ही तुम्हारा यह यज्ञ है। हमारे प्रियजनोंका कल्याण हो
āstīka uvāca | yamasya yajño harimedhasaś ca yathā yajño rantidevasya rājñaḥ | tathā yajño ’yaṃ tava bhāratāgrya pārīkṣita svasti no ’stu priyebhyaḥ janamejaya ||
Āstīka sprach: „Wie das Opfer Yamas, wie das Harimedha-Opfer, und wie das Opfer König Rantidevas wegen seiner Vortrefflichkeit gerühmt wurde—so ist auch dieses dein Opfer, o Vornehmster unter den Bhāratas, Nachkomme des Parīkṣit. O Janamejaya, Wohlergehen sei uns und unseren Lieben.“
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ritual power within an ethical horizon: a king’s sacrifice is praised not merely for grandeur but for its alignment with auspiciousness and the welfare of people—‘svasti’ for oneself and one’s loved ones—echoing the dharmic ideal that public acts should culminate in well-being rather than harm.
Āstīka addresses King Janamejaya during the great sacrificial setting, offering a formal benediction and elevating Janamejaya’s rite by comparing it to celebrated sacrifices associated with Yama, Harimedha, and King Rantideva, while invoking auspicious welfare for those dear to them.