Shloka 24
Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)
स कदाचिद् वनगतो मृगं विव्याध पत्रिणा । विद्ध्वा चान्वसरत् तूर्ण तं॑ मृगं गहने वने
sa kadācid vanagato mṛgaṁ vivyādha patriṇā | viddhvā cānvasarat tūrṇaṁ taṁ mṛgaṁ gahane vane ||
Once, having gone into the forest, he pierced a deer with a feathered arrow. After striking it, he swiftly pursued that wounded deer deep into the dense woodland.
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a moral causality: a seemingly ordinary act (wounding a deer) initiates a chain of consequences. It highlights how impulsive violence and pursuit can draw one into deeper entanglement, inviting reflection on restraint and responsibility (dharma) in action.
A man goes into the forest, shoots a deer with a feathered arrow, and then quickly chases the wounded animal into a dense part of the forest, preparing the ground for the events that follow in the story.