Shloka 5
Uccaiḥśravas and the Counsel to Churn the Ocean (उच्चैःश्रवसः प्रादुर्भावः — समुद्रमन्थन-परामर्शः)
अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य पाण्डवेयो नराधिप: । आज हार महायज्ञं सर्पसत्रमिति श्रुति:,तदनन्तर दीर्घकालके पश्चात् पाण्डववंशीय नरेश जनमेजयने सर्पसत्र नामक महान् यज्ञका आयोजन किया, ऐसा सुननेमें आता है। सर्पोके संहारके लिये आरम्भ किये हुए उस सत्रमें आकर महातपस्वी आस्तीकने नागोंको मौतसे छुड़ाया
atha dīrghasya kālasya pāṇḍaveyo narādhipaḥ | ājahāra mahāyajñaṃ sarpasatram iti śrutiḥ ||
Śaunaka said: “After a long lapse of time, the Pāṇḍava-descended king performed a great sacrifice known—by tradition—as the Sarpa-satra (the serpent-sacrifice).”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a pivotal moral problem: a king’s retaliatory vow expressed through ritual power. It foreshadows how dharma must restrain vengeance—especially when punishment risks becoming indiscriminate—highlighting that righteous rule requires proportionality and compassion, not merely the capacity to destroy.
Śaunaka reports that, long after earlier events, King Janamejaya (a Pāṇḍava descendant) undertook the great rite called the Sarpa-satra. This sets the stage for the later episode in which the sacrifice threatens the Nāga race and is ultimately checked by dharmic intervention (notably through Āstīka in the broader passage).