Shloka 3
Jaradkāru Encounters the Pitṛs
Jaratkāru-Pitṛdarśana
कृश उवाच राज्ञा परिक्षिता तात मृगयां परिधावता । अवसक्तः पितुस्तेड्द्य मृत: स्कन्धे भुजड्रम:,कृशने कहा--तात! आज राजा परीक्षित् अपने शिकारके पीछे दौड़ते हुए आये थे। उन्होंने तुम्हारे पिताके कंधेपर मृतक साँप रख दिया है
kṛśa uvāca rājñā parīkṣitā tāta mṛgayāṃ paridhāvatā | avasaktaḥ pituḥ te ’dya mṛtaḥ skandhe bhujaṅgamaḥ ||
Kṛśa said: “Dear child, today King Parīkṣit, while running about in pursuit of the hunt, has fastened a dead snake upon your father’s shoulder.”
कृश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a ruler’s lapse in restraint—especially when driven by pursuit and agitation—can become an ethical transgression that triggers grave consequences, underscoring the dharmic expectation of self-control and respect toward ascetics and elders.
Kṛśa informs a young listener that King Parīkṣit, while engaged in hunting, has placed a dead snake on the listener’s father’s shoulder—an insulting act that sets the stage for the ensuing conflict and its repercussions.