Shloka 7
Āstīka Stops the Sarpa-satra; Royal Closure and Protective Phalaśruti (आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रनिवर्तनम्)
सदस्यश्लाभवद् व्यास: पुत्रशिष्यसहायवान् | उद्दालक: प्रमतकः: श्वेतकेतुश्चव पिज्रल:,इसी प्रकार पुत्र और शिष्योंसहित भगवान् वेदव्यास, उददालक, प्रमतक, श्वैतकेतु, पिंगल, असित, देवल, नारद, पर्वत, आत्रेय, कुण्ड, जठर, द्विजश्रेष्ठ कालघट, वात्स्य, जप और स्वाध्यायमें लगे रहनेवाले बूढ़े श्रुतश्रवा, कोहल, देवशर्मा, मौद्गल्य तथा समसौरभ-- ये और अन्य बहुत-से वेदविद्याके पारंगत ब्राह्मण जनमेजयके उस सर्पयज्ञमें सदस्य बने थे
śaunaka uvāca | sadasyaślābhavad vyāsaḥ putraśiṣyasahāyavān | uddālakaḥ pramatakaḥ śvetaketuś ca piṅgalaḥ | asito devalo nāradaḥ parvata ātreyaḥ kuṇḍo jaṭharo dvijaśreṣṭhaḥ kālaghaṭo vātsyo japo ’tha svādhyāyeṣu ratāḥ vṛddhaḥ śrutaśravāḥ | kohalo devaśarmā maudgalyaḥ samasaurabhaś ca | ete cānye bahavo vedavidyāpāragā brāhmaṇā janamejayasya sarpayajñe sadasyā babhūvuḥ ||
Śaunaka said: Vyāsa—attended by his son and disciples—together with Uddālaka, Pramataka, Śvetaketu, Piṅgala, Asita, Devala, Nārada, Parvata, Ātreya, Kuṇḍa, Jaṭhara, the eminent brāhmaṇa Kālaghaṭa, Vātsya, Japa, the aged Śrutaśravā ever devoted to recitation and self-study, as well as Kohala, Devaśarmā, Maudgalya, Samasaurabha, and many other brāhmaṇas who had mastered Vedic learning—served as officiating members in King Janamejaya’s great snake-sacrifice. The scene underscores that even a royal rite gains legitimacy only when guided by learned, disciplined, and ethically grounded sages.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual power and royal action require the guidance of learned and disciplined sages; the presence of Vedic masters functions as an ethical and procedural safeguard, reminding that dharma is upheld through knowledge, restraint, and correct counsel—especially when a rite is driven by anger or vengeance.
The text enumerates the eminent brāhmaṇa sages who sit as members of the sacrificial assembly (sadas) at King Janamejaya’s snake-sacrifice. This list establishes the scale, legitimacy, and intellectual authority surrounding the rite.