Shloka 3
Āstīka-janma: Vāsuki’s Consolation and the Birth/Naming of Āstīka (अस्तीकोत्पत्तिः)
सीमन्तमिव कुर्वाणं नभस: पद्मवर्चसम् | तक्षकं पन्नगश्रेष्ठ भूशं शोकपरायणा:,तक्षककी फुंकारभरी गर्जना सुनकर मन्त्रीलोग भाग चले। उन्होंने देखा लाल कमलकी-सी कान्ति-वाला वह अद्भुत नाग आकाशकमें सिन्दूरकी रेखा-सी खींचता हुआ चला जा रहा है। नागोंमें श्रेष्ठ तक्षकको इस प्रकार जाते देख वे राजमन्त्री अत्यन्त शोकमें डूब गये
sīmantaṃ iva kurvāṇaṃ nabhasaḥ padmavarcasaṃ | takṣakaṃ pannagaśreṣṭhaṃ bhūśaṃ śokaparāyaṇāḥ ||
They beheld Takṣaka, the foremost of serpents, radiant like a red lotus, moving through the sky as though drawing a vermilion parting-line across it. Hearing the thunderous, hiss-laden roar of Takṣaka, the king’s ministers fled in fear; and seeing him depart in this manner, they were overwhelmed with grief.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how fear and grief spread through a polity when a powerful, hostile force appears. It hints at the ethical lesson that unchecked enmity and impending violence create collective suffering, destabilizing even the king’s counselors.
Takṣaka is described as moving through the sky with lotus-like radiance, like a vermilion streak. His terrifying roar causes the ministers to flee, and witnessing his ominous departure leaves them plunged in sorrow—suggesting an impending calamity associated with Takṣaka.