Shloka 2

Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)

Devanagari script

के सदस्या बभूवुश्न सर्पसत्रे सुदारुणे । विषादजनने>त्यर्थ पन्नगानां महाभये,उस अत्यन्त भयंकर सर्पसत्रमें, जो सर्पोके लिये महान्‌ भयदायक और विषादजनक था, कौन-कौनसे मुनि सदस्य हुए थे?

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca |

ke sadasyā babhūvuś ca sarpasatre sudāruṇe |

viṣādajanane 'tyarthaṁ pannagānāṁ mahābhaye ||

Translation

Śaunaka said: “Who were the officiating members (learned sages) present at that exceedingly dreadful serpent-sacrifice—an event that brought profound despair and posed a great terror to the serpents?”

Word by Word

• के: which (ones)? who (pl.)?
• के: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• सदस्याः: members (of the assembly/ritual session)
• सदस्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदस्य
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• बभूवुः: were; became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, plural, parasmaipada

• सर्पसत्रे: in the snake-sacrifice (snake-session)
• सर्पसत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पसत्र
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• सुदारुणे: very dreadful
• सुदारुणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदारुण
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• विषादजनने: causing despair/sorrow
• विषादजनने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषादजनन
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• इति: thus; so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• अर्थे: in the sense/meaning (i.e., as being)
• अर्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• पन्नगानाम्: of the serpents
• Type: Noun
• Root: पन्नग
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• महाभये: in great fear; in a great terror
• महाभये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभय
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• sarpasatra (serpent-sacrifice)
• pannagāḥ (serpents/nāgas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds ethical scrutiny of ritual power: even a formally sanctioned sacrifice can be ‘dreadful’ when driven by fear, grief, or vengeance, prompting inquiry into who endorsed and participated in it.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Naimiṣa forest dialogue setting, Śaunaka asks about the composition of the sacrificial assembly at the terrifying sarpasatra—seeking to know which sages served as members in that rite that threatened the serpents.