Shloka 30
Āstīka’s Commission and Approach to Janamejaya’s Sarpa-satra (आस्तीक-प्रेषणं यज्ञप्रवेशोपक्रमश्च)
मृतं सर्प धनुष्कोट्या समुत्क्षिप्प धरातलात् | तस्य शुद्धात्मन: प्रादात् स्कन्धे भरतसत्तम,भरतश्रेष्ठ! उन्होंने धनुषकी नोकसे पृथ्वीपर पड़े हुए एक मृत सर्पको उठाकर उन शुद्धात्मा महर्षिके कंधेपर डाल दिया
janamejaya uvāca |
mṛtaṃ sarpaṃ dhanuṣkoṭyā samutkṣipya dharātalāt |
tasya śuddhātmanaḥ prādāt skandhe bharatasattama ||
Hỡi bậc tối thượng trong dòng Bhārata! Ông đã dùng mũi cung nhấc một con rắn chết khỏi mặt đất rồi đặt lên vai vị đại hiền giả có tâm hồn thanh tịnh ấy.
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical lapse—treating a sage with disrespect—implying that careless or arrogant actions toward the virtuous can trigger grave consequences and set larger events in motion.
A person (in context, the king) lifts a dead snake with the tip of his bow and places it on the shoulder of a meditating, pure-minded sage, an act that becomes the immediate cause for the ensuing curse and its aftermath.