Astika Mantra
यो जरत्कारुणा जातो जरत्कारी महायशाः ।
आस्तीकः सर्पसत्रे वः पन्नगान् योऽभ्यरक्षत ।
तं स्मरन्तं महाभागा न मां हिंसितुमर्हथ ।।
Transliteration:
yo jaratkāruṇā jāto jaratkārī mahāyaśāḥ |
āstīkaḥ sarpasatre vaḥ pannagān yo ’bhyarakṣata |
taṁ smarantaṁ mahābhāgā na māṁ hiṁsitum arhatha ||
Meaning:
“He who was born of Jaratkaru and Jaratkaru, the illustrious Astika who protected the serpents during the great serpent sacrifice—remembering him now, O noble serpents, do not harm me.”
Brief Story of Astika
Long ago, King Janamejaya prepared a mighty serpent-sacrifice to destroy every snake on earth, seeking revenge for his father’s death. As the hymns blazed and the serpents began to fall into the sacrificial fire, a young boy named Astika, child of the sage Jaratkaru and the serpent-woman Jaratkaru, stepped forward.
Calm, wise, and radiant with dharma, Astika addressed the king with gentle words. His wisdom softened Janamejaya’s wrath, and the king granted him a boon. Astika asked for the sacrifice to cease. Bound by his promise, Janamejaya stopped the ritual, sparing the serpent race from extinction.
From that day, Astika became a symbol of balance, protection, and compassion—one whose remembrance was believed to calm the serpent world.
Significance of the Mantra
In rural India—especially in Maharashtra—this mantra was quietly recited while moving through fields, forests, or grazing lands where snake encounters were common. It was not uttered out of fear, but out of reverence for the ancient bond between humans and nature.
The chant invokes Astika, the protector who once saved the snakes themselves. By recalling his name, the reciter symbolically appeals to that same harmony, requesting safety and non-violence from the creatures of the wild.
It is both a cultural memory and a protective prayer, connecting everyday life to an old narrative of wisdom overcoming vengeance, and of coexistence triumphing over destruction.