Shloka 41
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
न बुध्येतामुभौ तौ च नगस्थं पन्नगद्वधिजौ । सह तेनैव वृक्षेण भस्मी भूतो5 भवन्नूप,तक्षक नाग और ब्राह्मण--दोनों ही नहीं जानते थे कि इस वृक्षपर कोई दूसरा मनुष्य भी है। राजन्! तक्षकके काटनेपर उस वृक्षके साथ ही वह मनुष्य भी जलकर भस्म हो गया था
janamejaya uvāca | na budhyetām ubhau tau ca nagasthaṃ pannagadvadhijau | saha tenaiva vṛkṣeṇa bhasmībhūto 'bhavan nṛpa ||
Disse Janamejaya: Nenhum dos dois—Takṣaka, rei das serpentes, e o brâmane decidido a matar a serpente—percebeu que havia outro homem sentado naquela árvore. Ó rei, quando Takṣaka mordeu, esse homem também foi queimado e reduzido a cinzas junto com a própria árvore. O episódio ressalta como a cegueira nascida da obsessão e da retaliação pode ferir o alheio, transformando uma rixa privada em ruína colateral.
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When actions are driven by vengeance and fixation, perception narrows; the uninvolved can suffer unintended consequences. Ethical restraint and awareness are implied as safeguards against such collateral harm.
Janamejaya reports that Takṣaka and the Brahmin intent on killing the serpent failed to notice another person sitting in the same tree; when Takṣaka bit and the tree was destroyed, that person was also burned to ashes along with it.