Shloka 6
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
जितेन्द्रियं विशुद्धं च स्थितं कर्मण्यथाद्भुतम् । तपसा द्योतितात्मान स्वेष्वड्रेषु यतं तदा
jitendriyaṁ viśuddhaṁ ca sthitaṁ karmaṇy athādbhūtam | tapasā dyotitātmānaṁ sveṣv aṅgeṣu yataṁ tadā ||
तदा स जितेन्द्रियो विशुद्धश्च कर्मणि सुस्थितोऽद्भुततेजाः; तपसा द्योतितात्मा स्वेष्वङ्गेषु यतः स्थितः।
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical ideal of a sage: purity, sense-mastery, steadiness in duty, and radiance born of austerity. By emphasizing these virtues, the narrative implicitly condemns disrespect toward such a person and frames it as a serious moral lapse.
Janamejaya describes the ascetic qualities of the sage involved in the episode that leads to the later curse: the sage is portrayed as disciplined and spiritually radiant, setting the stage for the gravity of the king’s (Parīkṣit’s) act of insult in the surrounding story.