Shloka 16
Vyāsa’s Arrival at Janamejaya’s Sarpasatra; Commissioning of Vaiśaṃpāyana’s Recital (व्यासागमनम्)
भ्रातरं चापि मे तस्मात् त्रातुमहसि पावकात् । न मोघं तु कृतं तत् स्यथाद् यदहं तव धीमते । पित्रे दत्ता विमोक्षार्थ कथं वा पुत्र मन््यसे
bhrātaraṃ cāpi me tasmāt trātum arhasi pāvakāt | na moghaṃ tu kṛtaṃ tat syāt yathāhaṃ tava dhīmate | pitre dattā vimokṣārthaṃ kathaṃ vā putra manyase ||
アースティーカは言った。「ゆえに、おまえはわたしの兄弟をも火から救わねばならぬ。解放を得るために、賢き父に仕えるようわたしが託されたその目的を、決してむなしくしてはならない。教えておくれ、我が子よ——この危難から蛇たちを救うため、いかなる道が正しいとおまえは判断するのか。」
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses purposeful action aligned with dharma: one should not let a divinely or ethically intended mission become futile, and one must act to protect others—especially kin and the vulnerable—from imminent harm.
Āstīka urges her son to intervene in the serpent-sacrifice where snakes are being burned, asking him to save the serpents and specifically her brother from the fire, and to fulfill the very purpose for which she was given in marriage—to secure deliverance.