Shloka 15
Janamejaya’s Request for Expansion; Vaiśampāyana’s Authorization and Phalāśruti of the Mahābhārata
Jaya
इन्द्रे गते तु नागेन्द्रस्तक्षको भयमोहित: । मन्त्रशक्त्या पावकार्चि: समीपमवशो गत:,इन्द्रके चले जानेपर नागराज तक्षक भयसे मोहित हो मन्त्रशक्तिसे खिंचकर विवशतापूर्वक अग्निकी ज्वालाके समीप आने लगा
indre gate tu nāgendras takṣako bhaya-mohitaḥ | mantra-śaktyā pāvakārciḥ samīpam avaśo gataḥ ||
Als Indra fortgegangen war, wurde der Schlangenkönig Takṣaka, von Furcht und Verblendung überwältigt, durch die Macht des Mantras widerstandslos zu den lodernden Flammen des Opferfeuers hingezogen.
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral logic of consequence: fear and guilt can strip one of agency, and a properly invoked ritual/mantric force is portrayed as inescapable for the wrongdoer. It also reflects the epic’s view that power (even of a nāga-king) is limited before dharmically sanctioned action.
After Indra departs, Takṣaka—terrified—becomes subject to the priests’ mantra in Janamejaya’s serpent-sacrifice context and is pulled helplessly toward the sacrificial fire’s flames.