Shloka 27
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 47 — Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra: Vow, Preparation, and the Onset of the Serpent Offering
एवमुक्ता जरत्कारुर्भत्रा हृदयकम्पनम्,जब पतिने इस प्रकार हृदयमें कँपकँपी पैदा करनेवाली बात कही, तब उस घरमें स्थित वासुकिकी बहिन इस प्रकार बोली--'विप्रवर! मैंने अपमान करनेके लिये आपको नहीं जगाया था। आपके धर्मका लोप न हो जाय, यही ध्यानमें रखकर मैंने ऐसा किया है।” यह सुनकर क्रोधमें भरे हुए महातपस्वी ऋषि जरत्कारुने अपनी पत्नी नागकन्याको त्याग देनेकी इच्छा रखकर उससे कहा--“नागकन्ये! मैंने कभी झूठी बात मुँहसे नहीं निकाली है, अत: अवश्य जाऊँगा'
evam uktā jaratkārur bhartṛ-hṛdaya-kampanam | yadā patnī tathā vākyaṃ provāca hṛdaya-kampanam || tataḥ gṛha-sthitā vāsukeḥ bhaginī idaṃ vacanam abravīt— “vipravara! nāham avamānārthaṃ tvāṃ jāgarayām āsa; tava dharmasya lopo mā bhūd iti matvā mayā evam kṛtam.” iti śrutvā krodha-saṃpūrṇo mahā-tapā ṛṣiḥ jaratkāruḥ patnīṃ nāga-kanyāṃ tyaktum icchan uvāca— “nāga-kanye! nāhaṃ kadācit mṛṣā-vākyaṃ mukhān niḥsṛtam; tasmād avaśyaṃ gamiṣyāmi.”
When Jaratkāru had been addressed in words that made his heart tremble, Vāsuki’s sister, who was in that house, spoke: “Best of brāhmaṇas, I did not wake you in order to insult you. I acted only with the thought that your dharma should not be lost.” Hearing this, the great ascetic Jaratkāru, filled with anger and wishing to abandon his Nāga-wife, replied: “O Nāga maiden, I have never uttered a falsehood; therefore I must surely depart.”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage foregrounds two ethical commitments: protecting dharma (acting to prevent a lapse in righteous duty) and unwavering truthfulness (refusing to speak falsely even when emotions run high). It also shows how anger can push one toward harsh decisions, testing restraint and responsibility within marriage.
Vāsuki’s sister explains that she woke the sage Jaratkāru not to insult him but to prevent a breach of his dharma. Jaratkāru, angered, declares he has never spoken falsehood and therefore must leave, indicating his intent to abandon his Nāga-wife.