Shloka 4

Janamejaya’s Request for Expansion; Vaiśampāyana’s Authorization and Phalāśruti of the Mahābhārata

Jaya

Devanagari script

जनमेजय उवाच यथा चेदं कर्म समाप्यते मे यथा च वै तक्षक एति शीघ्रम्‌ । तथा भवन्‍्त: प्रयतन्तु सर्वे परं शक्‍्त्या स हि मे विद्विषाण:,जनमेजयने कहा--ब्राह्मणो! जैसे भी यह कर्म पूरा हो जाय और जिस प्रकार भी तक्षक नाग शीघ्र यहाँ आ जाय, आपलोग पूरी शक्ति लगाकर वैसा ही प्रयत्न कीजिये; क्योंकि मेरा असली शत्रु तो वही है

Transliteration

janamejaya uvāca | yathā cedam karma samāpyate me yathā ca vai takṣaka eti śīghram | tathā bhavantaḥ prayatantu sarve paraṁ śaktyā sa hi me vidviṣāṇaḥ ||

Translation

阇那美阇耶说道：“为使我此祭事得以圆满，为使塔克沙迦迅速来到此处——你们众人当竭尽全力，依此而行；因为他才是我真正的仇敌。”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'yathā', 'definition': 'so that

• in such a way that'}, {'term': 'idam karma', 'definition': 'this act/rite (here, the sacrificial undertaking)'}, {'term': 'samāpyate', 'definition': 'is completed

• is brought to an end'}, {'term': 'me', 'definition': 'for me

• my'}, {'term': 'takṣakaḥ', 'definition': 'Takṣaka (the serpent-king)'}, {'term': 'eti', 'definition': 'comes

• arrives'}, {'term': 'śīghram', 'definition': 'quickly

• swiftly'}, {'term': 'tathā', 'definition': 'thus

• in that manner'}, {'term': 'bhavantaḥ', 'definition': 'you (honorific plural), sirs'}, {'term': 'prayatantu', 'definition': 'let (them/you) strive

• make effort (imperative)'}, {'term': 'sarve', 'definition': 'all'}, {'term': 'paraṁ śaktyā', 'definition': 'with utmost power/ability

• to the fullest extent'}, {'term': 'hi', 'definition': 'indeed

• for'}, {'term': 'vidviṣāṇaḥ', 'definition': 'enemy

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Takṣaka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how personal enmity can drive a ruler to press religious power into the service of revenge, raising an ethical tension between ritual capability and righteous restraint (dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya urges the officiating Brahmins to intensify their efforts so that the sacrificial rite reaches completion and the serpent Takṣaka is swiftly drawn to the ritual—because Janamejaya regards Takṣaka as his chief enemy.