उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः
Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse
सौतिरुवाच तथेति चाब्रवीदू विष्णुर्ब्रह्मणा सह भार्गव । अचोदयदमेयात्मा फणीन्द्रं पद्मलोचन:,उग्रश्रवाजी कहते हैं--भूगुनन्दन! देवताओंके ऐसा कहनेपर ब्रह्माजीसहित भगवान् विष्णुने कहा--“तथास्तु (ऐसा ही हो)'। तदनन्तर जिनका स्वरूप मन, बुद्धि एवं प्रमाणोंकी पहुँचसे परे है, उन कमलनयन भगवान् विष्णुने नागराज अनन्तको मन्दराचल उखाड़नेके लिये आज्ञा दी
sautir uvāca tatheti cābravīd viṣṇur brahmaṇā saha bhārgava | acodayad ameyātmā phaṇīndraṃ padmalocanaḥ ||
Ugraśravas (Sauti) said: “So be it,” spoke Lord Viṣṇu, together with Brahmā, O Bhārgava. Then that lotus-eyed Lord Viṣṇu—whose true nature is immeasurable and beyond the reach of mind, intellect, and ordinary proofs—commanded the king of serpents (Ananta) to set about uprooting Mount Mandara. The episode underscores divine assent to a collective purpose and the orderly delegation of cosmic tasks for the welfare of gods and the world.
शौनक उवाच
The verse highlights dharmic order through divine assent and proper delegation: when a righteous collective aim is affirmed (“tathāstu”), the cosmic hierarchy functions smoothly—leaders authorize, and capable agents execute—so that the world’s balance and welfare are maintained.
Sauti narrates that Viṣṇu, together with Brahmā, agrees to the gods’ request and then instructs the Nāga-king Ananta (Śeṣa) to uproot Mount Mandara, preparing it for a major divine undertaking (the broader Mandara motif associated with cosmic churning and world-ordering acts).