Shloka 4
तक्षकस्तु न तत्रासीनज्नागराजो महाबल: । दहामाने वने तस्मिन् कुरुक्षेत्र गतो हि सः,जब खाण्डववन जलाया जा रहा था, उस समय महाबली नागराज तक्षक वहाँ नहीं था, कुरुक्षेत्र चला गया था
takṣakastu na tatrāsīn nāgarājo mahābalaḥ | dahamāne vane tasmin kuru-kṣetra-gato hi saḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: Pada saat itu, Takṣaka, raja para ular yang perkasa, tidak berada di sana. Ketika hutan itu dilalap api, ia sesungguhnya telah pergi ke Kurukṣetra.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outcomes in epic narrative often hinge on timing and circumstance: even the powerful are subject to larger currents of fate and karma, and absence or presence at a critical moment can determine survival or destruction.
During the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest, Takṣaka—the mighty serpent-king—was not there, because he had gone to Kurukṣetra; this explains why he was not caught in the conflagration that affected the beings in the forest.