Shloka 16
उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः
Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse
वासुकेरथ नागस्य सहसा55क्षिप्यत: सुरै: । सधूमा: सार्चिषो वाता निष्पेतुरसकृन्मुखात्,तब देवताओंद्वारा बार-बार खींचे जाते हुए वासुकि नागके मुखसे निरन्तर धूएँ तथा आगकी लपटोंके साथ गर्म-गर्म साँसें निकलने लगीं
vāsuker atha nāgasya sahasākṣipyataḥ suraiḥ | sadhūmāḥ sārcīṣo vātā niṣpetur asakṛn mukhāt ||
Śaunaka sprach: Als die Götter die Schlange Vāsuki plötzlich und immer wieder zerrten, brachen aus ihrem Maul unablässig heiße Atemstöße hervor—von Rauch geschwängert und von Flammen durchzuckt—wieder und wieder.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that when a being is forcibly driven in a grand enterprise, the resulting strain can release harmful energies (here, smoke and fire). Ethically, it points to the collateral consequences of coercion and the need for restraint and responsibility in collective actions.
During the churning episode, the gods repeatedly pull Vāsuki as the churning rope. Under this intense tugging, Vāsuki emits repeated blasts of hot breath mixed with smoke and flames from his mouth.