Shloka 71
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
कर्कोटको<थ सर्पश्च वासुकिश्न भुजड्रम: । कश्यपश्चाथ कुण्डश्न तक्षकश्न महोरग:,कर्कोटक सर्प तथा वासुकि नाग, कश्यप और कुण्ड, महानाग और तक्षक--ये तथा और भी बहुत-से महाबली, महाक्रोधी और तपस्वी नाग वहाँ आकर खड़े थे
karkoṭako 'tha sarpaś ca vāsukiś ca bhujaṅgamaḥ | kaśyapaś cātha kuṇḍaś ca takṣakaś ca mahoragaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Dort standen Karkoṭaka, und die Schlange Vāsuki, der Nāga Kaśyapa, und Kuṇḍa, und Takṣaka, die große Schlange.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that beings of immense power—especially those driven by anger and sustained by tapas—enter the story when moral causality ripens. It implicitly points to the Mahābhārata’s ethic of karma and consequence: actions and vows can summon forces beyond ordinary human control.
Vaiśampāyana enumerates leading nāgas who have assembled and are standing present. The listing signals a significant serpent-related episode and prepares the listener for the nāgas’ collective role in the unfolding events.