Shloka 35
Jaratkāru’s Marital Compact and Departure (जरत्कारु–जरत्कारुणी संवादः)
कृमिकं प्राहसत् तूर्ण मुमूर्षुर्नष्टचेतन: । प्रहसन्नेव भोगेन तक्षकेण त्ववेष्ट्यत
kṛmikaṃ prāhasat tūrṇaṃ mumūrṣur naṣṭacetanaḥ | prahasann eva bhogena takṣakeṇa tv aveṣṭyata ||
El rey, con la mente ya nublada al acercarse la muerte, estalló en sonora risa ante el pequeño gusano. Y aun riendo, Takṣaka se enroscó en torno a él como un lazo que se aprieta. Así, ciñéndolo con rapidez, el rey de las serpientes rugió con fuerza y mordió a Parīkṣit.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
When arrogance and mockery replace discernment—especially after a warning—one becomes vulnerable to inevitable consequence. The verse highlights the moral force of karma and the unstoppable movement of kāla (time), which brings the fruit of one’s actions to completion.
Parīkṣit, nearing death and mentally clouded, laughs at a ‘worm’ (the contemptible object placed upon him). At that very moment Takṣaka emerges and coils around the king, then bites him, fulfilling the destined outcome of the curse.