Shloka 17
सर्पसत्रे ऋत्विजः सदस्याश्च — Officiants and Assembly at Janamejaya’s Serpent-Sacrifice
अथ काले तु सा ब्रह्मन् प्रजज्ञे भुजगस्वसा । कुमार देवगर्भाभ॑ पितृमातृभयापहम्,ब्रह्म! तदनन्तर समय आनेपर वासुकिकी बहिनने एक दिव्य कुमारको जन्म दिया, जो देवताओंके बालक-सा तेजस्वी जान पड़ता था। वह पिता और माता-ोनों पक्षोंके भयको नष्ट करनेवाला था
atha kāle tu sā brahman prajajñe bhujagasvasā | kumāraṃ devagarbhābhaṃ pitṛmātṛbhayāpaham ||
Takṣaka said: “Then, when the time was ripe, O Brāhmaṇa, she—the sister of the serpents—gave birth to a son, radiant like a child of the gods. That boy was destined to remove the fears that threatened both his father’s and his mother’s lineages.”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of protection: a worthy offspring is portrayed not merely as powerful, but as one who alleviates fear and safeguards both parental lineages—suggesting responsibility toward family and inherited obligations.
Takṣaka narrates that, at the destined time, the serpent-sister gives birth to a divinely radiant boy, whose role is foretold as a protector who will remove dangers and anxieties connected with both his father’s and mother’s sides.