Shloka 14
Takṣaka’s agency, Parīkṣit’s rites, and Janamejaya’s enthronement (वैयासिक परम्परा-प्रसङ्गः)
यथैव भगवान् रुद्रो विद्ध्वा यज्ञमृगं दिवि । अन्वगच्छद् धनुष्पाणि: पर्यन्वेष्टमितस्तत:ः,जैसे भगवान् रुद्र आकाशमें मृगशिरा नक्षत्रको बींध-कर उसे खोजनेके लिये धनुष हाथमें लिये इधर-उधर घूमते फिरे, उसी प्रकार परीक्षित् भी घूम रहे थे
yathaiva bhagavān rudro viddhvā yajñamṛgaṃ divi | anvagacchad dhanuṣpāṇiḥ paryanveṣṭum itas tataḥ ||
Just as the blessed Lord Rudra, having pierced the sacrificial deer in the sky, roamed about with bow in hand, searching for it here and there, so too did Parīkṣit wander restlessly in pursuit. The simile suggests how a ruler’s agitation, once driven by the chase, can resemble a divine hunt, and it hints at the ethical tension between rightful action and impulsive pursuit.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a divine comparison to highlight how intense pursuit can overtake discernment: even a king may become restless and driven, so ethical steadiness (dharma-guided restraint) is implied as a counterbalance to impulsive chasing.
Śaunaka describes Parīkṣit’s roaming search by likening it to Rudra’s celestial pursuit after striking the sacrificial deer in the sky—moving about with bow in hand, seeking it in all directions.