Shloka 48
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
जनमेजय उवाच श्रुत्वैतद् भवतां वाक्यं पितुर्मे स्वर्गतिं प्रति । निश्चितेयं मम मतिर्या च तां मे निबोधत । अनन्तरं च मन्ये5हं तक्षकाय दुरात्मने,जनमेजयने कहा--मन्त्रियो! मेरे पिताके स्वर्गलोकगमनके विषयमें आपलोगोंका यह वचन सुनकर मैंने अपनी बुद्धिद्वारा जो कर्तव्य निश्चित किया है, उसे आप सुन लें। मेरा विचार है, उस दुरात्मा तक्षकसे तुरंत बदला लेना चाहिये, जिसने शृंगी ऋषिको निमित्तमात्र बनाकर स्वयं ही मेरे पिता महाराजको अपनी विषाग्निसे दग्ध करके मारा है
janamejaya uvāca
śrutvaitad bhavatāṁ vākyaṁ pitur me svargatiṁ prati |
niściteyaṁ mama matir yā ca tāṁ me nibodhata |
anantaraṁ ca manye 'haṁ takṣakāya durātmane ||
Janamejaya said: “Having heard your words concerning my father’s passage to heaven, my resolve about what must be done is now firmly settled; hear it from me. I think that immediate retribution should be taken against the wicked Takṣaka.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief and a sense of filial duty can harden into a fixed resolve for retaliation. Ethically, it raises the tension between kṣatriya notions of justice (punishing a perceived wrongdoer) and the danger of acting from anger, which can escalate harm beyond the original offense.
After hearing the ministers’ account about his father’s death and heavenly destiny, King Janamejaya declares that his decision is settled: he intends to act immediately against Takṣaka, the serpent held responsible for killing his father. This resolve foreshadows the serpent-sacrifice (sarpa-satra) undertaken to destroy the Nāgas.