Shloka 33
Āstīka-stuti at Janamejaya’s Sacrifice (आस्तीकस्तुतिः / यज्ञप्रशंसा)
जनमेजय उवाच अथ तत् कथितं केन यद् वृत्तं तद् वनस्पतौ | आश्चर्यभूतं लोकस्य भस्मराशीकृतं तदा,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
janamejaya uvāca atha tat kathitaṁ kena yad vṛttaṁ tad vanaspatau | āścaryabhūtaṁ lokasya bhasmarāśīkṛtaṁ tadā ||
Sinabi ni Janamejaya: “Sino ang nagsalaysay sa inyo ng nangyari sa punong iyon? Noong panahong iyon, dahil sa kagat ni Takṣaka, naging bunton ito ng abo—isang kababalaghan para sa buong bayan. Kung dumating sana si Kāśyapa at, sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang mga mantra, napawi ang lason ni Takṣaka, tiyak na nailigtas ang aking ama.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between destiny and timely human intervention: extraordinary knowledge and power (Kāśyapa’s mantras) can avert harm, yet delay or obstruction can make loss irreversible—prompting ethical reflection on responsibility, prevention, and the consequences of missed opportunities.
Janamejaya asks who reported the astonishing incident of a tree being reduced to ashes by Takṣaka’s bite and then restored to life and greenness by Kāśyapa. He then laments that if Kāśyapa had reached in time to counteract the poison, Janamejaya’s father (Parīkṣit) would have survived.