Shloka 23

अध्याय ३४ — एलापत्रस्योपदेशः

Elāpatra’s Counsel on the Nāgas’ Deliverance

Devanagari script

सोमस्थानमिदं चेति दर्भास्ते लिलिहुस्तदा । ततो द्विधाकृता जिद्दा: सर्पाणां तेन कर्मणा,फिर यह समझकर कि यहाँ अमृत रखा गया था, इसलिये सम्भव है इसमें उसका कुछ अंश लगा हो, सर्पोने उस समय कुशोंको चाटना शुरू किया। ऐसा करनेसे सर्पोंकी जीभके दो भाग हो गये

Transliteration

somasthānam idaṃ ceti darbhas te lilihus tadā | tato dvidhākṛtā jihvāḥ sarpāṇāṃ tena karmaṇā ||

Translation

Śakra sprach: „In dem Gedanken: ‚Dies muss der Soma-Ort sein‘, begannen die Schlangen jene Halme des Kuśa-Grases zu lecken, in der Annahme, es könne noch eine Spur des Nektars daran haften. Durch eben diese Tat spalteten sich die Zungen der Schlangen in zwei.“

Word by Word

सोमस्थानम्the place of Soma (nectar)

इदम्this

चand

इतिthus (thinking/quoting)

दर्भाःdarbha grasses (kuśa blades)

तेthey

लिलिहुःlicked

तदाthen

ततःthereupon/from that

द्विधाinto two (in two ways)

कृताःmade, rendered

जिह्वाःtongues

सर्पाणाम्of the serpents

तेनby that

कर्मणाby the act/deed

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śakra (Indra)

Soma-sthāna (Soma-place)

darbha/kuśa grass

serpents (sarpa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Actions driven by craving and assumption can produce lasting consequences; the verse presents a moral-causal link (karma) where a misguided attempt to obtain nectar results in a permanent bodily change.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra explains that the serpents, believing the spot to be the Soma-place and hoping for remnants of amṛta, lick the kuśa grass; as a consequence of that act, their tongues become forked.