Shloka 16
Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)
तमिन्द्र: प्राह सुप्रीतो न तवास्तीह तक्षक । भयं नागेन्द्र तस्माद् वै सर्पसत्रात्ू कदाचन,तब इन्द्रने अत्यन्त प्रसन्न होकर कहा--“नागराज तक्षक! तुम्हें यहाँ उस सर्पयज्ञसे कदापि कोई भय नहीं है
tam indraḥ prāha suprīto na tavāstīha takṣaka | bhayaṃ nāgendra tasmād vai sarpasatrāt kadācana ||
Indra, greatly pleased, said: “O Takṣaka, lord of serpents, you have nothing to fear here. From that serpent-sacrifice (the sarpasatra), no danger will ever reach you in this place.” The passage highlights divine protection offered through favor and alliance, while foreshadowing the moral tension between escaping immediate peril and the larger consequences of adharma that provoke such vows and sacrifices.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and refuge can temporarily avert danger, but the narrative frames such protection within a larger moral economy: actions that generate hostility (and vows like the sarpasatra) are not erased merely by taking shelter; they are deferred and tested against dharma and destiny.
Indra reassures Takṣaka that he is safe ‘here’ and need not fear the impending serpent-sacrifice. The scene establishes Indra’s protective stance toward Takṣaka and anticipates later developments surrounding the sarpasatra and its reach.