Shloka 13
आस्तीक-वरप्रदानम् (Āstīka’s Boon and the Interruption of the Sarpa-satra)
राजान दीक्षयामासु: सर्पसत्राप्तये तदा । इदं चासीत् तत्र पूर्व सर्पसत्रे भविष्यति,वे सभी ऋत्विज् वेदोंके यथावत् विद्वान् तथा परम बुद्धिमान थे। उन्होंने विधिपूर्वक मनके अनुरूप एक यज्ञ-मण्डप बनाया, जो परम समृद्धिसे सम्पन्न, उत्तम द्विजोंके समुदायसे सुशोभित, प्रचुर धनधान्यसे परिपूर्ण तथा ऋत्विजोंसे सुसेवित था। उस यज्ञमण्डपका निर्माण कराकर ऋत्विजोंने सर्पयज्ञकी सिद्धिके लिये उस समय राजा जनमेजयको दीक्षा दी। इसी समय जब कि सर्पसत्र अभी प्रारम्भ होनेवाला था, वहाँ पहले ही यह घटना घटित हुई
janamejaya uvāca | rājānaṃ dīkṣayām āsuḥ sarpasatrāptaye tadā | idaṃ cāsīt tatra pūrvaṃ sarpasatre bhaviṣyati ||
Janamejaya said: “At that time the priests initiated the king for the successful accomplishment of the serpent-sacrifice. And just then—when the Sarpa-satra was about to begin—this event, already destined to occur in that sacrifice, took place there.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the solemnity and moral weight of ritual action: a king’s resolve is formalized through dīkṣā, and once consecrated, events unfold with a sense of inevitability. It implicitly warns that powerful rites, undertaken for vengeance or desire, set forces in motion that are difficult to restrain.
Janamejaya describes the moment when the officiating priests consecrate him for the Sarpa-satra. The sacrifice is on the verge of beginning, and an important prefigured incident occurs at that very time, setting the stage for what will follow in the serpent-sacrifice episode.