Shloka 4
Āstīka-janma: Vāsuki’s Consolation and the Birth/Naming of Āstīka (अस्तीकोत्पत्तिः)
ततस्तु ते तद् गृहमग्निना<5<वृतं प्रदीप्यमानं विषजेन भोगिन: । भयात् परित्यज्य दिश: प्रपेदिरे पपात राजाशनिताडितो यथा,वह राजमहल सर्पके विषजनित अग्निसे आवृत हो धू-धू करके जलने लगा। यह देख उन सब मन्त्रियोंने भयसे उस स्थानको छोड़कर भिन्न-भिन्न दिशाओंकी शरण ली तथा राजा परीक्षित् वज्जके मारे हुएकी भाँति धरतीपर गिर पड़े
tatastu te tad gṛham agninā vṛtaṃ pradīpyamānaṃ viṣajena bhoginaḥ | bhayāt parityajya diśaḥ prapedire papāta rājāśanitāḍito yathā ||
Then that palace was engulfed in fire, blazing fiercely—kindled by the serpent’s venom. Seeing this, the ministers, terrified, abandoned the place and fled in different directions; and King Parīkṣit fell to the earth like one struck down by a thunderbolt.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitability of consequences once a curse and wrongdoing set events in motion: power and protection collapse quickly, and fear disperses even the king’s support. It serves as a warning about ethical lapses in kingship and the fragility of worldly security.
Takṣaka describes the palace becoming engulfed in a venom-kindled blaze; the ministers flee in panic, and King Parīkṣit collapses to the ground as if struck by a thunderbolt—signaling his fatal end.