Shloka 9
Mātali’s Proposal for Guṇakeśī and Sumukha’s Audience with Indra
वासुकिस्तक्षकश्नैव कर्कोटकधनंजयौ । कालियो नहुषश्लैव कम्बलाश्वतरावुभौ
nārada uvāca | vāsukis takṣakaś caiva karkoṭaka-dhanañjayau | kāliyo nahuṣaś caiva kambalāśvatarāv ubhau ||
Narada said: “Vāsuki and Takṣaka, as well as Karkoṭaka and Dhanañjaya; Kāliya and Nahuṣa too; and the pair Kambala and Aśvatara—these are among the many Nāgas descended from Kaśyapa.” In context, the verse functions as a formal enumeration of eminent serpent-lords, underscoring the vastness and legitimacy of Kaśyapa’s lineage and the ordered, genealogical view of the world that supports dharmic governance and alliance-making.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces a dharmic worldview in which social and cosmic legitimacy is grounded in recognized lineages; naming eminent Nāgas situates them within Kaśyapa’s sanctioned descent and highlights ordered plurality rather than chaos.
Nārada is enumerating prominent Nāga chiefs—Vāsuki, Takṣaka, and others—within a broader catalogue of Kaśyapa’s descendants, a common epic device to map alliances, status, and the scale of the beings involved.