Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
ब्राह्मण–क्षत्रिय-श्रेष्ठता-विवादः
Arjuna–Vāyu Dialogue on Brāhmaṇa and Kṣatriya Precedence
तद् बल॑ तस्य देवस्य धरामुद्धरतस्तथा । “बलदेव (शेष या अनन्त) आदि जो अत्यन्त बलशाली नाग हैं
tad balaṁ tasya devasya dharām uddharatas tathā |
Renukā says: “May the very strength of that divine Lord, as He lifted up the Earth, come to me as an increase of vigor and power. Let Baladeva—Śeṣa/Ananta, the supremely mighty serpent, endless and imperishable, ever bearing his hoods—and the other great serpents born in his lineage accept this offering given by me for the augmentation of my radiance and strength. When the blessed Lord Nārāyaṇa raised up this Earth from the waters of the single cosmic ocean, may the power present in His sacred form at that time become mine.” Having spoken thus, one should present the offering at an anthill/serpent-mound, adorning it with nāgakesara and sandal, covering it with a blue cloth, and placing it near the mound at sunset.
रेणुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames strength (bala) and spiritual radiance (tejas) as gifts sought through reverent alignment with divine exemplars—especially Nārāyaṇa’s cosmic act of rescuing the Earth—and through respectful offerings to the nāga principle embodied by Śeṣa/Ananta. Power is presented as something to be received ethically via devotion and proper ritual, not seized through harm.
Renukā utters a prayer requesting that the Lord’s strength—manifest when He raised the Earth from the cosmic ocean—be transferred as an increase of her own vigor. She then prescribes a concrete ritual act: placing an offering at a serpent-mound (valmīka), adorning it with nāgakesara and sandal, covering it with blue cloth, and depositing it at sunset for the nāgas to accept.