Shloka 2

आस्तीक-वरप्रदानम् (Āstīka’s Boon and the Interruption of the Sarpa-satra)

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मन्‌ भरतशार्दूलो राजा पारिक्षितस्तदा | पुरोहितमथाहूय ऋत्विजो वसुधाधिप:

Transliteration

brāhman bharataśārdūlo rājā pārīkṣitas tadā | purohitam athāhūya ṛtvijo vasudhādhipaḥ ||

Translation

Janamejaya said: “O Brāhmaṇa, at that time King Parīkṣit—lion among the Bharatas, lord of the earth—summoned his royal priest and the officiating priests.”

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin (O priest)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भरतशार्दूलः: the tiger among the Bharatas
• भरतशार्दूलः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-शार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पारिक्षितः: Parikshit
• पारिक्षितः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारिक्षित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• पुरोहितम्: the family priest
• पुरोहितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोहित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• आहूय: having summoned/called
• Type: Verb
• Root: आह्वा (आ + √ह्वे)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• ऋत्विजः: the officiating priests
• ऋत्विजः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत्विज्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वसुधाधिपः: the lord of the earth (the king)
• वसुधाधिपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधा-अधिप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Parīkṣit
• purohita (royal priest)
• ṛtvij (officiating priests)
• Bharata lineage

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic model of kingship: a ruler, even as sovereign, turns to learned priests and ritual specialists for guidance and for properly ordered action, indicating that power is ideally exercised in consultation with dharma and sacred procedure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya narrates that King Parīkṣit, described with royal epithets, calls together his purohita and the ṛtvij priests—setting the stage for a ritual or a significant decision requiring priestly participation.