Shloka 34
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
यद् वृक्षं जीवयामास काश्यपस्तक्षकेण वै | नूनं मन्त्रहतविषो न प्रणश्येत काश्यपात्
yad vṛkṣaṁ jīvayāmāsa kāśyapas takṣakeṇa vai | nūnaṁ mantrahataviṣo na praṇaśyet kāśyapāt ||
Janamejaya said: “Who told you about that tree which Kāśyapa restored to life after it had been struck by Takṣaka? When Takṣaka bit it, the tree was reduced to a heap of ashes, yet Kāśyapa revived it and made it green again—an astonishing thing for all. Surely, had Kāśyapa arrived in time and neutralized Takṣaka’s poison by his mantras, my father would not have perished.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between destiny and timely right action: extraordinary knowledge and power (mantra, healing) matter only when applied at the right moment. It also shows how grief can turn into a moral justification for vengeance, setting the stage for Janamejaya’s later actions.
Janamejaya questions the report that the sage Kāśyapa revived a tree burned to ashes by Takṣaka’s bite. He reasons that if Kāśyapa could neutralize the serpent’s poison, then—had he arrived in time—Janamejaya’s father (King Parīkṣit) would have been saved.