Shloka 11
Āśramamaṇḍala-darśana and Ṛṣi-samāgama
Observation of the Hermitage Precinct and the Assembly of Sages
स्नान करके उन नरेशने यायावरकुलमें उत्पन्न जरत्कारुकुमार आस्तीक मुनिसे इस प्रकार कहा-- ।। आस्तीक विविधाश्षय्यों यज्ञोडयमिति मे मति: । यदद्यायं पिता प्राप्तो मम शोकप्रणाशन:,“आस्तीकजी! मुझे तो ऐसा जान पड़ता है, मेरा यह यज्ञ नाना प्रकारके आश्वर्योंका केन्द्र हो रहा है; क्योंकि आज मेरे शोकोंका नाश करनेवाले ये पिताजी भी यहाँ उपस्थित हो गये थे”
Janamejaya uvāca—
āstīka vividhāścaryyo yajño ’yam iti me matiḥ |
yad adyāyaṃ pitā prāpto mama śoka-praṇāśanaḥ ||
Janamejaya said: “O Āstīka, it seems to me that this sacrifice of mine has become a very seat of manifold wonders, for today my father—who dispels my grief—has also appeared here.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ritual and sacred occasions are ethically framed not merely as displays of power, but as moments that can transform inner states—here, the king interprets an extraordinary event as grace that alleviates grief, reminding that dharma includes the healing of sorrow and the honoring of lineage.
Janamejaya addresses the sage Āstīka during his sacrifice, expressing amazement that the rite has become a locus of wonders, especially because his father has appeared, which Janamejaya sees as the removal of his grief.