Shloka 28
Vyāsa’s Arrival at Janamejaya’s Sarpasatra; Commissioning of Vaiśaṃpāyana’s Recital (व्यासागमनम्)
स गत्वापश्यदास्तीको यज्ञायतनमुत्तमम् | वृतं सदस्यैर्बहुभि: सूर्यवल्निसमप्रभै:,वहाँ पहुँचकर आस्तीकने परम उत्तम यज्ञमण्डप देखा, जो सूर्य और अग्निके समान तेजस्वी अनेक सदस्योंसे भरा हुआ था
sa gatvāpaśyad āstīko yajñāyatanam uttamam | vṛtaṃ sadasyair bahubhiḥ sūryāgnisamaprabhaiḥ ||
Having gone there, Āstīka beheld the supremely excellent sacrificial enclosure. It was crowded with many assembled officiants and elders, radiant like the sun and fire—an image of formidable ritual power that frames the moral urgency of what Āstīka is about to attempt.
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immense authority and intensity of Vedic ritual—yet implicitly prepares for the idea that dharma also includes compassion and the protection of life, even when confronting powerful institutions and assemblies.
Āstīka arrives at the sacrificial venue and sees the splendid yajña-hall packed with many radiant ritual participants, setting the stage for his forthcoming intervention in the serpent-sacrifice episode.