Shloka 21

भूमिभार-निवारणप्रसङ्गः (Bhūmibhāra-nivāraṇa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Motif of Relieving Earth’s Burden

Devanagari script

आस्तीक उवाच सायं प्रातर्ये प्रसन्नात्मरूपा लोके विप्रा मानवा ये परेडपि । धमखियान ये पठेयुर्ममेद॑ तेषां युष्मन्नैव किंचिद्‌ भयं स्यथात्‌,आस्तीकने कहा--नागगण! लोकमें जो ब्राह्मण अथवा कोई दूसरा मनुष्य प्रसन्नचित्त होकर मेरे इस धर्ममय उपाख्यानका पाठ करे, उसे आपलोगोंसे कोई भय न हो

Transliteration

Āstīka uvāca: sāyaṃ prātar ye prasannātmarūpā loke viprā mānavā ye pare ’pi | dharmākhyānaṃ ye paṭheyuḥ mamedaṃ teṣāṃ yuṣman-naiva kiñcid bhayaṃ syāt ||

Translation

ఆస్తీకుడు అన్నాడు—“ఓ నాగగణమా! ఈ లోకంలో సాయంకాలమో ప్రాతఃకాలమో ప్రసన్నమనస్సుతో నా ఈ ధర్మమయ ఉపాఖ్యానాన్ని పఠించే బ్రాహ్మణుడైనా, ఇతర మనిషైనా—వారికి మీవలన ఏ మాత్రం భయం ఉండదు.”

Word by Word

• {'āstīkaḥ': 'Āstīka (proper name), the sage who intervenes in the snake-sacrifice', 'uvāca': 'said', 'sāyam': 'in the evening', 'prātaḥ': 'in the morning', 'ye': 'who(ever)', 'prasanna-ātma-rūpāḥ': 'of tranquil, pleased disposition

• serene-minded', 'loke': 'in the world', 'viprāḥ': 'Brahmins', 'mānavāḥ': 'human beings, people', 'pare ’pi': 'even others (besides Brahmins)', 'dharma-ākhyānam': 'a narrative/legend that teaches dharma

• righteous account', 'paṭheyuḥ': 'should recite/read', 'mama idam': 'this of mine', 'teṣām': 'for them', 'yuṣmat': 'from you (plural), i.e., the serpents', 'na eva': 'certainly not', 'kiñcit': 'any, even a little', 'bhayam': 'fear, danger', 'syāt': 'would be/shall be'}

Speaker

आस्तीक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Āstīka
• Nāgagaṇa (serpent hosts)
• Vipra (Brahmins)
• Mānava (people/humans)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Reciting a dharma-oriented sacred narrative with a calm and pure mind is presented as spiritually efficacious and protective; ethical listening/recitation (śravaṇa–pāṭha) is linked to freedom from fear and harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Āstīka addresses the serpent hosts and declares a boon-like assurance: anyone—Brahmin or otherwise—who recites his dharma-account morning and evening with a serene mind will not be harmed by the Nāgas.