Shloka 30

उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः

Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse

Devanagari script

विना नारायणं देवं सर्वेडन्ये देवदानवा: । चिरारब्धमिदं चापि सागरस्यापि मन्थनम्‌,तब देवतालोग वहाँ बैठे हुए वरदायक ब्रह्माजीसे बोले--'ब्रह्मन! भगवान्‌ नारायणके अतिरिक्त हम सभी देवता और दानव बहुत थक गये हैं; किंतु अभीतक वह अमृत प्रकट नहीं हो रहा है। इधर समुद्रका मन्थन आरम्भ हुए बहुत समय बीत चुका है”

Transliteration

vinā nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ sarve 'nye devadānavāḥ | cirārabdham idaṁ cāpi sāgarasyāpi manthanam ||

Translation

Śaunaka said: “Without the god Nārāyaṇa, all the others—gods and Dānavas alike—have grown utterly weary. And though the churning of the Ocean has been underway for a long time, the nectar has still not appeared.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'vinā', 'definition': 'without

• in the absence of'}, {'term': 'nārāyaṇam', 'definition': 'Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu), the supreme sustaining deity'}, {'term': 'devam', 'definition': 'god

• divine being'}, {'term': "sarve 'nye", 'definition': 'all the others (besides him)'}, {'term': 'devadānavāḥ', 'definition': 'gods and Dānavas (a class of powerful asuras)'}, {'term': 'cirārabdham', 'definition': 'begun long ago

• long since commenced'}, {'term': 'idam', 'definition': 'this (undertaking/event)'}, {'term': 'sāgarasya', 'definition': 'of the ocean'}, {'term': 'manthanam', 'definition': 'churning (especially the churning of the Ocean of Milk)'}, {'term': 'amṛtam', 'definition': 'nectar of immortality (implied by context)'}]

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• Nārāyaṇa
• Devas
• Dānavas
• Sāgara (the Ocean)
• Manthana (churning of the Ocean)
• Amṛta (nectar, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dependence on the supreme divine agency (Nārāyaṇa): even mighty gods and Dānavas become exhausted and fail to attain the goal (amṛta) without higher guidance and support.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the prolonged churning of the Ocean, the participants—devas and Dānavas—complain of fatigue and frustration that the nectar has not yet emerged, implying the need for Nārāyaṇa’s intervention for success.