Shloka 49
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
प्रतिकर्तव्यमित्येवं येन मे हिंसित: पिता । शज्धिणं हेतुमात्रं यः कृत्वा दग्ध्वा च पार्थिवम्
pratikartavyam ity evaṁ yena me hiṁsitaḥ pitā | śṛṅgiṇaṁ hetumātraṁ yaḥ kṛtvā dagdhvā ca pārthivam ||
Janamejaya berkata: “Pembalasan wajib dilaksanakan terhadap orang yang telah mencederakan ayahandaku—dia yang menjadikan resi Śṛṅgin sekadar alat, lalu membakar raja (ayahandaku) dengan api bisa miliknya hingga membawa maut. Maka aku memutuskan bahawa dendam mesti dituntut segera ke atas Takṣaka yang durjana itu.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical tension between royal justice and personal vengeance: Janamejaya frames retaliation as a duty (pratikartavya), while also recognizing moral causality—Takṣaka is treated as the true agent, and Śṛṅgin as merely an instrument (hetumātra).
After hearing counsel about his father’s death, King Janamejaya declares his resolve to take immediate revenge on the serpent Takṣaka, whom he holds responsible for killing King Parīkṣit by using Śṛṅgin’s curse as a pretext.