Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 46
Kūrma Supports Mandara; Hālahala Appears; Śiva Becomes Nīlakaṇṭha
प्रस्कन्नं पिबत: पाणेर्यत् किञ्चिज्जगृहु: स्म तत् । वृश्चिकाहिविषौषध्यो दन्दशूकाश्च येऽपरे ॥ ४६ ॥
praskannaṁ pibataḥ pāṇer yat kiñcij jagṛhuḥ sma tat vṛścikāhi-viṣauṣadhyo dandaśūkāś ca ye ’pare
Tandis que Śiva buvait, le peu de poison qui s’écoula et se dispersa de sa main fut bu par des scorpions, des cobras, des plantes et drogues vénéneuses, ainsi que d’autres êtres à morsure toxique.
Mosquitoes, jackals, dogs and other varieties of dandaśūka, or animals whose bites are poisonous, drank the poison of the samudra-manthana, the churned ocean, since it was available after it fell from the palms of Lord Śiva.
FAQs
In Canto 8, Chapter 7, this verse explains that when Lord Śiva drank the deadly poison during the churning of the ocean, the small remainder spilled from His hand became the source of scorpions, snakes, and other venomous creatures.
Because to protect the universe when the Hālāhala poison emerged from the ocean, Śiva drank it; the Bhagavatam describes even the spilled residue as giving rise to venomous beings and anti-poison herbs.
The verse highlights protective sacrifice: a great soul accepts difficulty for the welfare of others, and even harmful situations can be transformed into something that serves a purpose (like medicines arising alongside poison).