Shloka 266
Śṛṅgī’s Curse on King Parikṣit
Parikṣit–Śṛṅgī–Takṣaka Causal Link
गृहमानीय बध्नीम: क्रतुरेवं भवेज्न सः । फिर अन्य नाग बोले--“जब राजा जनमेजय जल-क्रीड़ा करते हों, उस समय उन्हें वहाँसे खींचकर हम अपने घर ले आवें और बाँधकर रख लें। ऐसा करनेसे वह यज्ञ होगा ही नहीं'--
gṛham ānīya badhnīmaḥ kratū r evaṁ bhavej na saḥ |
Śeṣa said: “Let us seize King Janamejaya while he is sporting in the water, drag him away from there to our own dwelling, and bind him fast. If we do this, that sacrifice will not take place at all.”
शेष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethically fraught strategy: attempting to prevent a destructive ritual by abducting and restraining the king. It raises the tension between self-preservation and adharma—using coercion and violence to avert a greater harm—showing how fear and retaliation can drive parties toward morally compromised choices.
Śeṣa proposes a concrete plan to the Nāgas: when King Janamejaya is engaged in water-play, they should pull him away to their abode and bind him, thereby preventing the intended sacrifice from being performed.