Shloka 38
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
ततस्तस्माद् विमानाग्र्यात् प्रच्युतश्ष्युतलक्षण: । प्रपतन् बुबुधे55त्मानं व्याली भूतमधोमुखम् । आयाचं तमहं विप्रं शापस्यान्तो भवेदिति,उनके इतना कहते ही मेरे सभी राजचिह्न लुप्त हो गये। मैं (सर्प होकर) उस उत्तम विमानसे नीचे गिरा। उस समय मुझे ज्ञात हुआ कि मैं सर्प होकर नीचे मुँह किये गिर रहा हूँ; तब मैंने शापका अन्त होनेके उद्देश्यसे उन ब्रह्मर्षिसे याचना करते हुए कहा
tatastasmād vimānāgryāt pracyutaḥ śyutalakṣaṇaḥ | prapatan bubudhe ’tmānaṃ vyālībhūtam adhomukham | āyācaṃ tam ahaṃ vipraṃ śāpasya ’nto bhaved iti |
As soon as that was spoken, I fell from the foremost of aerial chariots, my royal insignia and marks of status slipping away. While plunging down, I became aware of myself transformed into a serpent, falling headlong. Seeking the end of the curse, I then implored that brahmin sage, praying that the imprecation might come to its close.
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly status and power are unstable and can be stripped away instantly by the force of karma and dharma; when one recognizes wrongdoing or the binding force of a curse, the ethically appropriate response is humility, self-awareness, and sincere supplication aimed at rectification and release.
The serpent-speaker describes losing his royal signs and falling from a splendid vimāna; during the fall he realizes he has been transformed into a serpent and is plunging headlong. He then approaches and begs the brahmin sage, seeking that the curse should reach its end.