Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 52
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
गरुडने विचित्र पंखोंसे सुशोभित अपना प्रिय पुत्र मयूर भेंट किया। अरुणने लाल शिखावाले अपने पुत्र ताम्रचूड (मुर्ग)-को समर्पित किया, जिसका पैर ही आयुध था ।।
nāgaṃ tu varuṇo rājā balavīryasamanvitam | kṛṣṇājinaṃ tato brahmā brahmaṇyāya dadau prabhuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: King Varuṇa presented a serpent endowed with great strength and valor. Then the Lord Brahmā bestowed a black antelope-skin upon the pious recipient, devoted to the Brahmins—thus conferring honor through sacred gifts and acknowledging a disposition aligned with dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic recognition through appropriate gifts: power (a formidable nāga) is granted by a royal-divine authority, while a sacred emblem of Brahminical/ascetic discipline (kṛṣṇājina) is bestowed upon one characterized as brahmaṇya—suggesting that honor should match virtue and disposition.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, divine figures distribute notable gifts: Varuṇa presents a mighty serpent, and Brahmā follows by giving a black antelope-skin to a recipient praised as brahmaṇya, indicating a sequence of ceremonial bestowals and the conferral of status or favor.
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