Shloka 8
आकाशमेघवर्णनम् / Description of the Sky Filled with Rain-Clouds
आकर ं सर्वरत्नानामालयं वरुणस्यथ च । नागानामालयं चापि सुरम्यं सरितां पतिम्,नदियोंका वह स्वामी सब प्रकारके रत्नोंकी खान, वरुणका निवासस्थान तथा नागोंका सुरम्य गृह था
śaunaka uvāca | ākaraṁ sarvaratnānām ālayaṁ varuṇasya ca | nāgānām ālayaṁ cāpi suramyaṁ saritāṁ patim |
Śaunaka said: “It was a mine of every kind of jewel; it was also the abode of Varuṇa, and a delightful dwelling of the Nāgas—indeed, the lord and master of rivers.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a sacred-natural locus as simultaneously a source of material wealth (gems) and a divine/mythic residence (Varuṇa and the Nāgas), implying that nature’s riches are bound to cosmic order and reverence rather than mere exploitation.
Śaunaka describes a majestic watery domain—portrayed as the ‘lord of rivers’—characterizing it as a treasure-source and as the dwelling-place of Varuṇa and the Nāgas, thereby elevating the setting’s sanctity and mythic significance.