Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.13.3 - Adi Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 3
आस्तीक-उपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः | Introduction to the Āstīka Narrative
मोक्षयामास भुजगानू् प्रदीप्तादू वसुरेतस: । कस्य पुत्र: स राजासीत् सर्पसत्रं य आहरत्
Śaunaka uvāca |
mokṣayāmāsa bhujagān pradīptād vasuretasaḥ | kasya putraḥ sa rājāsīt sarpasatraṃ ya āharat ||
شَونَک نے پوچھا—وہ بادشاہ جو وَسو کے آتشیں بیج سے پیدا ہوا اور جس نے بھڑکتی آگ کے خطرے سے سانپوں کو رہائی دی، وہ کس کا بیٹا تھا؟ اور سرپ سَتر (سانپوں کی یَجْن) کس نے قائم کی تھی؟
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical tension central to the Ādi Parva: acts of rescue and acts of retribution are both remembered and questioned. By asking about the king who saved serpents and about the one who launched the serpent-sacrifice, the text invites reflection on lineage, responsibility, and how dharma is negotiated between protection of life and punitive ritual action.
Śaunaka, listening to the Mahābhārata narration, asks the storyteller to identify (1) the king described as ‘Vasu-seeded’ who freed serpents from a blazing danger, and (2) the person who instituted the sarpasatra, the famous serpent-sacrifice. The question signals a transition into genealogical and causal background for later events connected with serpents and royal ritual.
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