Shloka 12
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स कदाचिन्मृगयां गतः पारीक्षितों जनमेजय: कम्मिंश्वित्ु स्वविषय आश्रममपश्यत्,एक दिन परीक्षितपुत्र जनममेजय शिकार खेलनेके लिये वनमें गये। वहाँ उन्होंने एक आश्रम देखा, जो उन्हींके राज्यके किसी प्रदेशमें विद्यमान था
sa kadācin mṛgayāṃ gataḥ pārīkṣito janamejayaḥ karmiṃścit svaviṣaye āśramam apaśyat
Once, Janamejaya—the son of Parīkṣit—went out on a hunt. While roaming within his own realm, he came upon a hermitage. The scene sets the ethical tension between royal pursuits like hunting and the sanctity of ascetic spaces, where restraint and reverence are expected.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s actions, even customary ones like hunting, must remain aligned with dharma—especially when encountering sacred spaces such as hermitages, where humility, restraint, and respect are required.
Janamejaya, identified as Parīkṣit’s son, goes hunting and, within his own kingdom, notices a hermitage—an encounter that typically foreshadows an interaction between royal power and ascetic authority.