Shloka 23
शृङ्गिशापः—तक्षककाश्यपसंवादः (Śṛṅgī’s Curse and the Takṣaka–Kāśyapa Dialogue)
ततो नाम स कन्याया: पप्रच्छ भृगुनन्दन । वासुकिं भरणं चास्या न कुर्यामित्युवाच ह,सोचा, सम्भव है। यह कन्या मेरे-जैसे नामवाली न हो। इसके भरण-पोषणका भार किसपर रहेगा, इस बातका निर्णय भी अभीतक नहीं हो पाया है। इसके सिवा मैं मोक्षभावमें स्थित हूँ, यही सोचकर उन्होंने पत्नी-परिग्रहमें शिथिलता दिखायी। भृगुनन्दन! इसीलिये पहले उन्होंने वासुकिसे उस कन्याका नाम पूछा और यह स्पष्ट कह दिया---मैं इसका भरण-पोषण नहीं करूँगा”
tato nāma sa kanyāyāḥ papraccha bhṛgunandana | vāsukiṁ bharaṇaṁ cāsyā na kuryām ity uvāca ha ||
Then he asked the name of the girl, O delight of the Bhṛgus. And he clearly declared, “I will not undertake her maintenance,” indicating reluctance to assume responsibility for her upbringing and support. In narrative terms, the verse foregrounds the ethical tension between kinship/guardianship duties and a speaker’s attempt to withdraw from worldly obligations.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic dilemma: knowing someone’s identity (asking the girl’s name) is paired with a refusal to accept the practical duty of care (bharaṇa). It invites reflection on how ethical responsibility is negotiated—especially when one claims detachment or seeks to avoid entanglement in household obligations.
A speaker (Takṣaka, addressing a Bhṛgu-descendant) reports that someone first inquired about the girl’s name and then stated plainly that he would not provide for her maintenance. The moment functions as a narrative pivot: identification is sought, but guardianship is declined.