Shloka 6

Uccaiḥśravas and the Counsel to Churn the Ocean (उच्चैःश्रवसः प्रादुर्भावः — समुद्रमन्थन-परामर्शः)

Devanagari script

तस्समिन्‌ प्रवत्ते सत्रे तु सर्पाणामन्तकाय वै | मोचयामास तान्‌ नागानास्तीक: सुमहातपा:,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

Transliteration

tasmin pravṛtte satre tu sarpāṇām antakāya vai | mocayāmāsa tān nāgān āstīkaḥ sumahātapāḥ ||

Translation

When that sacrificial session was underway—intended indeed to bring about the death of the serpents—the great ascetic Āstīka rescued those Nāgas from destruction.

Word by Word

• {'tasmin': 'in that (context/time)', 'pravṛtte': 'having begun

• in progress', 'satre': 'in the satra

• a prolonged sacrificial session/rite', 'tu': 'but

• indeed (emphatic particle)', 'sarpāṇām': 'of the serpents', 'antakāya': "for death

• for destruction (lit. 'for the End')", 'vai': 'indeed

• certainly (emphatic particle)', 'mocayāmāsa': 'released

• set free (causative of √muc)', 'tān': 'those', 'nāgān': 'Nāgas

• serpent-beings', 'āstīkaḥ': 'Āstīka (proper name)', 'su-mahā-tapāḥ': 'of very great austerity

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Āstīka
• Nāgas
• serpents (sarpāḥ)
• satra (sacrificial session)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when violence is sanctioned by ritual and royal authority, dharma favors restraint and compassion; a righteous ascetic can redirect a community from vengeance toward moral balance.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the ongoing serpent-sacrifice meant to annihilate the serpents, the ascetic Āstīka intervenes and delivers the Nāgas from death, stopping the destructive momentum of the rite.