Shloka 6
Mātali’s Proposal for Guṇakeśī and Sumukha’s Audience with Indra
सहस्रशिरस: केचित् केचित् पठचशतानना: । शतशीर्षास्तथा केचित् केचित् त्रेशिरसो5पि च,कुछ नागोंके एक सहस््र सिर होते हैं, किन्हींके पाँच सौ, किन्हींके एक सौ और किन्हींके तीन ही सिर होते हैं
sahasraśirasaḥ kecit kecit pañcaśatānanāḥ | śataśīrṣās tathā kecit kecit triśiraso 'pi ca ||
Narada said: “Some nāgas have a thousand heads; some have five hundred faces; some likewise have a hundred heads, and some even have only three.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the diversity of forms and capacities among beings, encouraging humility and a wider ethical perspective rather than narrow judgments based on appearance or power.
Nārada is describing the nāgas and their extraordinary varieties—some with many heads or faces, others with fewer—within a broader account that catalogs beings and marvels of the world.