Shloka 8
भूमिभार-निवारणप्रसङ्गः (Bhūmibhāra-nivāraṇa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Motif of Relieving Earth’s Burden
समाप्यतामिदं कर्म पन्नगा: सन्त्वनामया: । प्रीयतामयमास्तीक: सत्यं सूतवचो<स्तु तत्,“यह यज्ञकर्म समाप्त किया जाय। नागगण कुशलपूर्वक रहें और ये आस्तीक प्रसन्न हों। साथ ही सूतजीकी कही हुई बात भी सत्य हो”
samāpyatām idaṁ karma pannagāḥ santu anāmayāḥ | prīyatām ayam āstīkaḥ satyaṁ sūtavaco 'stu tat ||
Śaunaka said: “Let this sacrificial rite be brought to its close. May the serpents be free from affliction and remain in well-being. May this Āstīka be pleased; and let the Sūta’s words indeed prove true.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a rite is authorized, dharma is served by restraint and compassion: the sacrifice should end, the threatened beings should be spared, and truthfulness should be upheld by honoring the narrator’s (Sūta’s) assurance.
Śaunaka calls for the conclusion of the snake-sacrifice episode: he wishes well-being for the serpents, expresses approval and satisfaction with Āstīka’s intervention, and affirms that the Sūta’s earlier words are validated by these events.