Shloka 15
Takṣaka’s agency, Parīkṣit’s rites, and Janamejaya’s enthronement (वैयासिक परम्परा-प्रसङ्गः)
न हि तेन मृगो विद्धो जीवन् गच्छति वै वने । पूर्वरूप॑ तु तत्तूर्ण सो5गात् स्वर्गगतिं प्रति,उनके द्वारा घायल किया हुआ मृग कभी वनमें जीवित बचकर नहीं जाता था; परंतु आज जो महाराज परीक्षितका घायल किया हुआ मृग तत्काल अदृश्य हो गया था, वह वास्तवमें उनके स्वर्गवासका मूर्तिमान् कारण था। उस मृगके साथ राजा परीक्षित् बहुत दूरतक खिंचे चले गये
na hi tena mṛgo viddho jīvan gacchati vai vane | pūrvarūpaṃ tu tat tūrṇaṃ so 'gāt svargagatiṃ prati ||
For a deer struck by his arrow would never escape alive into the forest. Yet on this occasion, the deer that King Parīkṣit wounded vanished at once—an ominous foretoken that became, in effect, the embodied cause leading toward the king’s ascent to heaven. Drawn along by that deer, Parīkṣit was pulled far away in pursuit.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an unusual event as a pūrvarūpa (omen): when expected cause-and-effect breaks (a mortally wounded deer vanishes), it signals a larger karmic turning point. It highlights how seemingly minor actions in a king’s life can become the visible trigger for a destined moral and existential outcome.
Śaunaka notes that a deer normally cannot survive after being struck by the king’s arrow, yet this deer disappears immediately. The disappearance is interpreted as an ominous sign connected with King Parīkṣit’s impending fate, and the king is drawn far away while pursuing the deer.