Shloka 9
अर्बुदः शक्रवापी च पन्नगौ शत्रुतापनौ । स्वस्तिकस्यालयश्नात्र मणिनागस्य चोत्तम:,यहाँ अर्बुद और शक्रवापी नामवाले दो नाग रहते हैं, जो अपने शत्रुओंको संतप्त करनेवाले हैं। यहीं स्वस्तिक नाग और मणि नागके भी उत्तम भवन हैं
arbudaḥ śakravāpī ca pannagau śatrutāpanau | svastikasyālayaś ca atra maṇināgasya cottamaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “Here dwell the two serpent-lords Arbuda and Śakravāpī, fierce in tormenting their enemies. Here too are the excellent abodes of the nāgas Svastika and Maṇināga.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as a descriptive catalogue: it situates powerful beings (nāgas) within a specific locale, highlighting that places in the epic world are inhabited by forces capable of protection or harm. Ethically, it underscores that power is morally ambivalent—these beings are defined by their capacity to afflict enemies, reminding readers that strength often operates within cycles of rivalry.
Vāyu is describing a particular region by naming notable nāgas who reside there—Arbuda and Śakravāpī, and also the excellent dwellings of Svastika and Maṇināga—thereby mapping the epic’s mythic landscape through its inhabitants.