Shloka 17
उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः
Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse
ते धूमसड्घा: सम्भूता मेघसड्घा: सविद्युतः । अभ्यवर्षन् सुरगणान् श्रमसंतापकर्शितान्,वे धूमसमुदाय बिजलियोंसहित मेघोंकी घटा बनकर परिश्रम एवं संतापसे कष्ट पानेवाले देवताओंपर जलकी धारा बरसाते रहते थे
te dhūmasaṅghāḥ sambhūtā meghasaṅghāḥ savidyutaḥ | abhyavarṣan suragaṇān śramasantāpakarśitān ||
تَجَمَّعَتْ تِلْكَ الكُتَلُ مِنَ الدُّخَانِ فَتَحَوَّلَتْ إِلَى عَنَاقِيدَ مِنَ السُّحُبِ تَلْمَعُ فِيهَا البُرُوقُ، ثُمَّ أَمْطَرَتْ عَلَى جُمُوعِ الآلِهَةِ الَّتِي أَضْنَاهَا العَمَلُ وَأَحْرَقَهَا الكَرْبُ، فَأَتَتْهُمْ بِالرَّاحَةِ وَهُمْ فِي وَسَطِ المِحْنَةِ.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a restorative turn in adversity: forces that appear harsh or obscuring (smoke) can transform into beneficent agents (rain-bearing clouds), suggesting that endurance through toil and distress may be met by timely relief within the larger cosmic order.
Śaunaka describes how the smoke-masses become lightning-filled cloud-banks and then rain upon the exhausted gods, who are suffering from exertion and oppressive heat/distress.