Shloka 40
उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः
Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse
श्वेतर्दन्तै क्षतुर्भिस्तु महाकायस्तत: परम् | ऐरावतो महानागो5भवद् वज्रभूता धृतः,तत्पश्चात् श्वेत रंगके चार दाँतोंसे सुशोभित विशालकाय महानाग ऐरावत प्रकट हुआ, जिसे वज्रधारी इन्द्रने अपने अधिकारमें कर लिया
śvetair dantaiḥ caturbhis tu mahākāyas tataḥ param | airāvato mahānāgo 'bhavad vajrabhūtā dhṛtaḥ ||
Śaunaka said: “Thereafter there appeared the great elephant Airāvata—of vast body and adorned with four white tusks. The wielder of the thunderbolt, Indra, took him under his authority.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rightful authority and cosmic hierarchy: a powerful being (Airāvata) is placed under Indra’s dominion, reflecting ordered governance in the divine realm and the idea that great power is ideally guided by legitimate sovereignty.
Śaunaka narrates the appearance of Airāvata, a colossal elephant distinguished by four white tusks, and states that Indra, the thunderbolt-wielder, claimed him as his own—establishing Airāvata as Indra’s elephant.