Shloka 181
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
बलदर्पसमुत्सिक्तस्तक्षक: पन्नगाधम: । अकार्य कृतवान् पापो यो5दशत् पितरं तव,सर्पोमें अधम तक्षक अपने बलके घमण्डसे उन्मत्त रहता है। उस पापीने यह बड़ा भारी अनुचित कर्म किया जो आपके पिताको डँस लिया
baladarpasamutsiktaḥ takṣakaḥ pannagādhamaḥ | akāryaṃ kṛtavān pāpo yo ’daśat pitaraṃ tava ||
Uttanka said: “Takṣaka—vilest among serpents—has become intoxicated with arrogance born of his strength. That sinful one committed a grievous wrong: he bit your father.” The statement frames the act not merely as an injury but as an unethical transgression driven by pride, intensifying the moral urgency for redress.
उत्तड़क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns harm driven by pride: arrogance rooted in power (bala-darpa) leads to adharma (akārya). It frames wrongdoing as a moral fault, not merely a physical act, highlighting pride as a cause of ethical collapse.
Uttanka identifies Takṣaka as the culprit responsible for biting the king’s father, portraying the serpent as arrogant and sinful. This accusation intensifies the call for response and helps propel the chain of events leading toward the snake-sacrifice narrative.