Shloka 42
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
द्विजप्रभावादू राजेन्द्र व्यजीवत् सवनस्पति: । तेनागम्य नरश्रेष्ठ पुंसास्मासु निवेदितम्,परंतु राजेन्द्र! ब्राह्मणके प्रभावसे वह भी उस वृक्षके साथ जी उठा। नरश्रेष्ठ! उसी मनुष्यने आकर हमलोगोंसे तक्षक और ब्राह्मणकी जो घटना थी, वह सुनायी
dvijaprabhāvādū rājendra vyajīvat savanaspatiḥ | tenāgamya naraśreṣṭha puṁsāsmāsu niveditam |
Janamejaya said: “O best of kings, by the power of that Brahmin the tree too was restored to life. Then that man came to us, O best of men, and reported the entire occurrence concerning Takṣaka and the Brahmin.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the acknowledged spiritual efficacy (prabhāva/tejas) of a Brahmin: ascetic or sacred power can reverse even seemingly irreversible harm, and such power carries ethical weight in how events unfold and are judged.
Janamejaya tells the king that, due to the Brahmin’s power, the tree was revived; afterward a man returned and reported to them the episode involving Takṣaka and the Brahmin, advancing the chain of testimony that frames the larger story.