Shloka 4
Takṣaka’s agency, Parīkṣit’s rites, and Janamejaya’s enthronement (वैयासिक परम्परा-प्रसङ्गः)
क्षपयामास तीव्रेण तपसेत्यत उच्यते । जरत्कारुरिति ब्रह्मन् वासुकेर्भगिनी तथा,उग्रश्रवाजीने कहा--शौनकजी! जरा कहते हैं क्षयको और कारु शब्द दारुणका वाचक है। पहले उनका शरीर कारु अर्थात् खूब हट्टा-कट्टा था। उसे परम बुद्धिमान् महर्षिने धीरे-धीरे तीव्र तपस्याद्वारा क्षीण बना दिया। ब्रह्म! इसलिये उनका नाम जरत्कारु पड़ा। वासुकिकी बहिनके भी जरत्कारु नाम पड़नेका यही कारण था
kṣapayāmāsa tīvreṇa tapaset y ata ucyate | jaratkārur iti brahman vāsuker bhaginī tathā ||
Śaunaka said: “Because he wore down (his body) through intense austerity, he is therefore called ‘Jaratkāru.’ O Brahman, Vāsuki’s sister too bears the same name for the very same reason.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense tapas (austerity) can transform a person so profoundly that even one’s identity—expressed through a name—comes to reflect the ethical and spiritual discipline undertaken.
Śaunaka explains the etymological reason for the name ‘Jaratkāru’: the sage’s body was ‘worn down’ by severe austerities, and Vāsuki’s sister is said to have the same name for the same reason.