Shloka 16
Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)
तमिन्द्र: प्राह सुप्रीतो न तवास्तीह तक्षक । भयं नागेन्द्र तस्माद् वै सर्पसत्रात्ू कदाचन,तब इन्द्रने अत्यन्त प्रसन्न होकर कहा--“नागराज तक्षक! तुम्हें यहाँ उस सर्पयज्ञसे कदापि कोई भय नहीं है
tam indraḥ prāha suprīto na tavāstīha takṣaka | bhayaṃ nāgendra tasmād vai sarpasatrāt kadācana ||
Indra, greatly pleased, said: “O Takṣaka, lord of serpents, you have nothing to fear here. From that serpent-sacrifice (the sarpasatra), no danger will ever reach you in this place.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and refuge can temporarily avert danger, but the narrative frames such protection within a larger moral economy: actions that generate hostility (and vows like the sarpasatra) are not erased merely by taking shelter; they are deferred and tested against dharma and destiny.
Indra reassures Takṣaka that he is safe ‘here’ and need not fear the impending serpent-sacrifice. The scene establishes Indra’s protective stance toward Takṣaka and anticipates later developments surrounding the sarpasatra and its reach.