Shloka 26
Vyāsa’s Arrival at Janamejaya’s Sarpasatra; Commissioning of Vaiśaṃpāyana’s Recital (व्यासागमनम्)
सौतिरुवाच ततः स वासुकेरघोरमपनीय मनोज्वरम् । आधाय चात्मनोड्रेषु जगाम त्वरितो भूशम्
Sautir uvāca: tataḥ sa vāsuker aghoram apanīya manojvaram | ādhāya cātmano 'dveṣu jagāma tvarito bhūśam ||
Dijo Sauti: Entonces apartó de Vāsuki la terrible fiebre de la angustia, tomó sobre sí aquella carga y, apresurándose, se dirigió al rey, decidido a rescatar a Vāsuki y a las serpientes del peligro de muerte en el sacrificio de serpientes de Janamejaya.
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is not mere ritual performance but the protection of living beings; Āstīka embodies compassion by taking on another’s distress and acting swiftly to prevent unjust destruction.
Āstīka dispels Vāsuki’s intense anxiety, assumes the burden himself, and rushes to King Janamejaya’s serpent-sacrifice to save Vāsuki and the Nāgas from imminent death.