Shloka 48
सर्प उवाच यथा हवींषि जुद्दाना मखे वै लुब्धकर्त्विज: । न फल प्राप्रुवन्त्यत्र फलयोगे तथा हाहम्,सर्पने कहा--व्याध! जैसे यजमानके यहाँ यज्ञमें ऋत्विज् लोग अग्निमें आहुति डालते हैं; किंतु उसका फल उन्हें नहीं मिलता। इसी प्रकार इस अपराधके फल या दण्डको भोगनेमें मुझे नहीं सम्मिलित करना चाहिये (क्योंकि वास्तवमें मृत्यु ही अपराधी है)
sarpa uvāca yathā havīṁṣi juhvānā makhe vai lubdhakartvijaḥ | na phalaṁ prāpnuvanty atra phalayoge tathā hy aham ||
The serpent said: “Just as greedy officiating priests, though they pour oblations into the fire at a sacrifice, do not themselves obtain the fruit of that rite, so too should I not be made to share in the enjoyment of the fruit—namely the punishment—of this wrongdoing. The true agent of death is the real offender.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical distinction between performing an act and being entitled (or liable) to its result: mere involvement does not automatically confer the fruit. It raises the question of true agency—who is genuinely responsible for harm—and argues that punishment should fall on the real offender, not on an incidental instrument.
A serpent speaks in self-defense, using a ritual analogy: greedy priests may perform the external act of offering oblations, yet do not receive the sacrificial merit. Similarly, the serpent claims it should not be forced to bear the punitive consequence of a killing, asserting that ‘death’ (as the true cause) is the actual culprit.