Shloka 6
Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)
मन्त्रिण ऊचु. शृणु पार्थिव यद् ब्रूषे पितुस्तव महात्मन: । चरित॑ पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य यथा निष्ठां गतश्च॒ सः,मन्त्रियोंने कहा--भूपाल! तुम जो कुछ पूछते हो, वह सुनो। तुम्हारे महात्मा पिता राजराजेश्वर परीक्षितका चरित्र जैसा था और जिस प्रकार वे मृत्युको प्राप्त हुए वह सब हम बता रहे हैं
mantriṇa ūcuḥ | śṛṇu pārthiva yad brūṣe pitus tava mahātmanaḥ | caritaṃ pārthivendrasya yathā niṣṭhāṃ gataś ca saḥ |
Les ministres dirent : «Ô roi, écoute ce que tu demandes. Nous raconterons la vie de ton noble père, le souverain Parīkṣit : quelle fut sa conduite et de quelle manière il rencontra sa fin.»
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds responsible inquiry and truthful counsel: a king seeks knowledge about his father’s conduct and end, and the ministers respond with readiness to narrate the facts. It frames ethical reflection on rulership (carita) and the inevitability of life’s conclusion (niṣṭhā).
In response to Janamejaya’s question, the ministers address him respectfully and announce that they will recount the life and death of his father, King Parīkṣit—setting up the ensuing narrative about Parīkṣit’s deeds and how he came to his end.