Shloka 11
Janamejaya’s Request for Expansion; Vaiśampāyana’s Authorization and Phalāśruti of the Mahābhārata
Jaya
जनमेजय उवाच इन्द्रस्य भवने विप्रा यदि नाग: स तक्षक: । तमिन्द्रेणेव सहितं पातयध्वं विभावसौ,जनमेजयने कहा--विप्रगण! यदि तक्षक नाग इन्द्रके विमानमें छिपा हुआ है तो उसे इन्द्रके साथ ही अग्निमें गिरा दो
janamejaya uvāca | indrasya bhavane viprā yadi nāgaḥ sa takṣakaḥ | tam indreṇeva sahitaṃ pātayadhvaṃ vibhāvasau |
Janamejaya sprach: „O Brahmanen, wenn die Schlange Takṣaka sich in Indras Wohnsitz verbirgt, so werft ihn ins Feuer, selbst zusammen mit Indra.“
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of vengeance: in pursuing a single offender, one may become willing to violate proportionality and even disregard higher authorities (Indra), signaling a drift away from dharma and restraint.
During Janamejaya’s serpent-sacrifice, he orders the officiating brahmins that if Takṣaka is found hiding in Indra’s abode, they should still hurl him into the sacrificial fire—even if Indra is dragged along—showing the intensity of the king’s resolve.