Shloka 34
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
यद् वृक्षं जीवयामास काश्यपस्तक्षकेण वै | नूनं मन्त्रहतविषो न प्रणश्येत काश्यपात्,जनमेजयने कहा--उस वृक्षके डँसे जाने और फिर हरे होनेकी बात आपलोगोंसे किसने कही? उस समय तक्षकके काटनेसे जो वृक्ष राखका ढेर बन गया था, उसे काश्यपने पुनः जिलाकर हरा-भरा कर दिया। यह सब लोगोंके लिये बड़े आश्वर्यकी बात है। यदि काश्यपके आ जानेसे उनके मन्त्रोंद्वारा तक्षकका विष नष्ट कर दिया जाता तो निश्चय ही मेरे पिताजी बच जाते
yad vṛkṣaṁ jīvayāmāsa kāśyapas takṣakeṇa vai | nūnaṁ mantrahataviṣo na praṇaśyet kāśyapāt ||
Janamejaya disse: “Quem vos falou daquela árvore que Kāśyapa trouxe de volta à vida depois de ter sido atingida por Takṣaka? Quando Takṣaka a mordeu, ela se reduziu a um monte de cinzas; contudo, Kāśyapa a reviveu e a fez reverdecer — espanto para todos. Certamente, se Kāśyapa tivesse chegado a tempo e neutralizado o veneno de Takṣaka com seus mantras, meu pai não teria perecido.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between destiny and timely right action: extraordinary knowledge and power (mantra, healing) matter only when applied at the right moment. It also shows how grief can turn into a moral justification for vengeance, setting the stage for Janamejaya’s later actions.
Janamejaya questions the report that the sage Kāśyapa revived a tree burned to ashes by Takṣaka’s bite. He reasons that if Kāśyapa could neutralize the serpent’s poison, then—had he arrived in time—Janamejaya’s father (King Parīkṣit) would have been saved.