Shloka 13
Takṣaka’s agency, Parīkṣit’s rites, and Janamejaya’s enthronement (वैयासिक परम्परा-प्रसङ्गः)
स कदाचिन्मृगं विद्ध्वा बाणेनानतपर्वणा । पृष्ठतो धनुरादाय ससार गहने वने,एक दिन उन्होंने गहन वनमें धनुष लेकर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणसे एक हिंसक पशुको बींध डाला और भागनेपर बहुत दूरतक उसका पीछा किया
sa kadācin mṛgaṁ viddhvā bāṇenānataparvaṇā | pṛṣṭhato dhanur ādāya sasāra gahane vane ||
Once, having struck a deer with an arrow whose joints were bent, he took up his bow from behind and rushed after it deep into the dense forest. That moment of hunting and pursuit set a chain of consequences in motion, testing restraint, responsibility for one’s deeds, and the ethical weight of harm done—even when done as custom.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even ordinary acts like hunting can become morally significant when they lead to suffering and further choices. The verse foregrounds causality: a single harmful act initiates consequences that demand accountability and self-restraint.
A man wounds a deer with a specially described arrow and then, taking up his bow, pursues the fleeing animal deep into a dense forest—an action that functions as the trigger for the ensuing episode.