Shloka 6

अध्याय ५७ — राजोपरिचरवसोः धर्मोपदेशः, सत्यवत्याः उत्पत्तिः, व्यासजन्म च

Adhyāya 57: Indra’s Counsel to King Vasu; Origin of Satyavatī; Birth of Vyāsa

Devanagari script

पिच्छल: कौणपकश्चुक्र: कालवेग: प्रकालन: । हिरण्यबाहु: शरण: कक्षक: कालदन्तक:,वे बेचारे सर्प माताके शापसे पीड़ित हो विवशतापूर्वक सर्पयज्ञकी आगमें होम दिये गये थे। उनके नाम इस प्रकार हैं--कोटिश, मानस, पूर्ण, शल, पाल, हलीमक, पिच्छल, कौणप, चक्र, कालवेग, प्रकालन, हिरण्यबाहु, शरण, कक्षक और कालदन्तक

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | picchalaḥ kauṇapakaś cukraḥ kālavegaḥ prakālanaḥ | hiraṇyabāhuḥ śaraṇaḥ kakṣakaḥ kāladantakaḥ ||

Translation

قال شاونَكَة: «(ومن أولئك الحيّات) بيتشّالا (Picchala)، كَوṇَپَكا (Kauṇapaka)، تشوكرا (Cukra)، كالا-فيغا (Kāla-vega)، برَكالانا (Prakālana)، هيرَṇيا-باهو (Hiraṇya-bāhu)، شَرَṇa (Śaraṇa)، ككṣَكا (Kakṣaka)، وكالا-دَنتَكا (Kāla-dantaka).»

Word by Word

पिच्छलःPicchala (a serpent name)

कौणपकःKauṇapaka (a serpent name)

चुक्रःCukra (a serpent name)

कालवेगःKāla-vega, 'time/death-speed' (a serpent name)

प्रकालनःPrakālana (a serpent name)

हिरण्यबाहुःHiraṇya-bāhu, 'golden-armed' (a serpent name)

शरणःŚaraṇa (a serpent name)

कक्षकःKakṣaka (a serpent name)

कालदन्तकःKāla-dantaka, 'time/death-toothed' (a serpent name)

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

Picchala

Kauṇapaka

Cukra

Kālavega

Prakālana

Hiraṇyabāhu

Śaraṇa

Kakṣaka

Kāladantaka

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

By listing individual serpent-names within the larger account of the sarpa-yajña, the text underscores how mass violence driven by vengeance and inherited curses still falls upon distinct beings; it invites reflection on restraint (saṃyama) and compassion even when a narrative of ‘deserved fate’ is available.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka, in dialogue at the sages’ forest-sacrifice setting, enumerates serpents associated with the catastrophe of Janamejaya’s snake-sacrifice, where snakes—compelled by a curse and ritual power—are drawn into the fire; this naming occurs as part of recounting that episode’s scope and gravity.