Shloka 9
आदि पर्व — अध्याय 39: तक्षक–काश्यप संवादः, न्यग्रोधसंजीवनम्, पारिक्षितोपायः
तत् करोत्वेष नागेन्द्र: प्राप्तकालं वच: स्वयम् । विनशिष्यन्ति ये पापा न तु ये धर्मचारिण:,ये नागराज समय आनेपर स्वयं तदनुसार ही कार्य करें। जनमेजयके यज्ञमें पापी सर्प ही नष्ट होंगे, किंतु जो धर्मात्मा हैं वे नहीं
tat karotveṣa nāgendraḥ prāptakālaṃ vacaḥ svayam | vinaśiṣyanti ye pāpā na tu ye dharmacāriṇaḥ ||
Therefore, let this lord of serpents act of his own accord in accordance with the word that becomes timely. In Janamejaya’s sacrifice, only the sinful serpents will perish; those who live by dharma will not be destroyed.
एलापत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts moral differentiation in the face of collective danger: destruction falls upon the sinful, while those who adhere to dharma are protected. It frames the coming calamity (the snake-sacrifice) as ethically selective rather than indiscriminate.
Elapatra addresses the serpent leadership, urging the serpent-king to act at the right moment according to sound counsel. He anticipates Janamejaya’s snake-sacrifice and predicts that only the culpable serpents will be consumed by it, not the righteous.