Shloka 22
शृङ्गिशापः—तक्षककाश्यपसंवादः (Śṛṅgī’s Curse and the Takṣaka–Kāśyapa Dialogue)
असनामेति वै मत्वा भरणे चाविचारिते । मोक्षभावे स्थितश्नापि मन्दीभूत: परिग्रहे,सोचा, सम्भव है। यह कन्या मेरे-जैसे नामवाली न हो। इसके भरण-पोषणका भार किसपर रहेगा, इस बातका निर्णय भी अभीतक नहीं हो पाया है। इसके सिवा मैं मोक्षभावमें स्थित हूँ, यही सोचकर उन्होंने पत्नी-परिग्रहमें शिथिलता दिखायी। भृगुनन्दन! इसीलिये पहले उन्होंने वासुकिसे उस कन्याका नाम पूछा और यह स्पष्ट कह दिया---मैं इसका भरण-पोषण नहीं करूँगा”
asanāmeti vai matvā bharaṇe cāvicārite | mokṣabhāve sthitaś cāpi mandībhūtaḥ parigrahe |
Takṣaka said: “Thinking, ‘She may not bear the same name as I do,’ and with the question of her maintenance still undecided, he—though established in a mood of renunciation—grew slack in taking on the burden of a wife. Therefore, O descendant of Bhṛgu, he first asked Vāsuki the girl’s name and stated plainly: ‘I will not undertake her upkeep.’”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between renunciant ideals (mokṣa-bhāva) and concrete social duties: one should not accept a relationship or responsibility (parigraha) without clarity about obligations such as maintenance (bharaṇa).
Takṣaka explains that a prospective acceptance of a girl is delayed/declined because her name and, more importantly, the responsibility for her upkeep have not been settled; therefore the person asks Vāsuki her name first and explicitly refuses to bear the burden of her maintenance.