Shloka 28
The Account and Merit of Śivadūtī
with the Nāga-tīrtha at Puṣkara
तथान्यः सोमवंशीयो राजा वै जनमेजयः । धक्ष्यते सर्पसत्रेण प्रदीप्ते हव्यवाहने
tathānyaḥ somavaṃśīyo rājā vai janamejayaḥ | dhakṣyate sarpasatreṇa pradīpte havyavāhane
అలాగే సోమవంశీయుడైన మరొక రాజు—జనమేజయుడే—ప్రదీప్తమైన హవ్యవాహన అగ్నిలో సర్పసత్రం ద్వారా (సర్పులను) దహించును।
Unspecified narrator (context not provided; likely within the Purāṇic dialogue frame such as Pulastya speaking to Bhīṣma in Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa)
Concept: Ritual action (yajña) can become the vehicle through which long-standing karmic/curse trajectories manifest; prophecy binds cosmic and human history.
Application: Powerful tools (ritual, technology, authority) must be governed by ethics; otherwise they amplify anger into catastrophe.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast sacrificial arena blazes with towering tongues of fire as priests chant, pouring ghee into the roaring Agni; serpents are drawn through the air as if pulled by the mantra’s force toward the flames. King Janamejaya stands rigid with vengeance, while the scene crackles with the terrible beauty of ritual power unleashed.","primary_figures":["King Janamejaya","Vedic priests (ṛtviks)","Agni (havyavāhana)","nāgas being drawn to the fire"],"setting":"Open-air yajña-śālā with altars, ladles, ghee pots, mantra banners, and a ring of spectators; the fire dominates the center.","lighting_mood":"firelit","color_palette":["flame orange","ghee gold","ash white","blood red","night blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central blazing yajña-kunda with thick gold leaf flames; Janamejaya in royal attire with jeweled crown; priests in white with ritual implements; nāgas arcing toward the fire; ornate gold borders and gem-like highlights emphasizing the sacrificial grandeur and dread.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: detailed sacrificial pavilion with delicate figures; stylized flames in layered oranges; serpents depicted mid-air with fine scale work; Janamejaya’s tense posture; cool background hills/sky contrasting the warm fire glow.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: monumental Agni with stylized flames, bold outlines; Janamejaya and priests in rhythmic arrangement; nāgas as patterned coils being pulled toward the kunda; dominant reds, yellows, and blacks in temple-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central fire-kunda medallion surrounded by floral borders; repeating nāga motifs along the frame; priests and king arranged symmetrically; deep indigo ground with gold and orange flame detailing, intricate textile-like ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["Vedic chanting","crackling fire","conch shell","drum beats","metallic ladle clinks"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथा + अन्यः → तथान्यः; सोम + वंशीयः (सोमवंशीयः as taddhita from सोमवंश); हव्य + वहन → हव्यवाहन.
FAQs
Janamejaya is a king of the Kuru line, remembered from the Mahābhārata tradition for conducting the sarpasatra, a major sacrificial rite intended to destroy serpents, performed with a blazing sacrificial fire (Agni).
Agni is termed Havyavāhana—“the carrier of oblations”—because, in Vedic ritual, fire is the medium that conveys offerings (havya) to the gods.
The verse alludes to the immense power of ritual acts and their consequences; it can be read as a caution that anger or vengeance, when backed by authority and ritual force, can lead to widespread harm.