Shloka 19

Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)

Devanagari script

अजसं निपतत्स्वग्नौ नागेषु भृशदु:खित: । अल्पशेषपरीवारो वासुकि: पर्यतप्यत,नाग निरन्तर उस यज्ञकी आगमें आहुति बनते जा रहे थे। सर्पोका परिवार अब बहुत थोड़ा बच गया था। यह देख वासुकि नाग अत्यन्त दुःखी हो मन-ही-मन संतप्त होने लगे

Transliteration

ajasaṃ nipatatsvagnau nāgeṣu bhṛśaduḥkhitaḥ | alpaśeṣaparivāro vāsukiḥ paryatapyata |

Translation

Śaunaka said: As the serpents kept falling helplessly into the sacrificial fire, suffering intensely, their clan’s remaining members became very few. Seeing this unbroken destruction, Vāsuki was overwhelmed with grief and burned inwardly with anguish—an ethical crisis where a ritual, pursued with vengeance, turns into indiscriminate slaughter.

Word by Word

अजसंcontinually, incessantly

निपतत्सुwhile (they) were falling

अग्नौin the fire

नागेषुamong the serpents

भृशexceedingly, greatly

दुःखितःgrieved, distressed

अल्पशेषपरीवारःhaving only a small remnant of (his) family left

वासुकिःVāsuki

पर्यतप्यत्was tormented / was burning with grief

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

श

शौनक (Śaunaka)

न

नाग (Nāgas/serpents)

व

वासुकि (Vāsuki)

य

यज्ञाग्नि (sacrificial fire)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral danger of vengeance-driven ritual: when a rite becomes a tool for collective extermination, it produces profound suffering and forces leaders like Vāsuki to confront the ethical imperative to protect life and restrain destructive anger.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the snake-sacrifice (sarpasatra), Nāgas are being irresistibly drawn and cast into the sacrificial fire. Their numbers dwindle to a small remnant, and Vāsuki, seeing his people destroyed continuously, is consumed by grief and inner torment.